Ingrown Toenail
Ingrown Toenail In Rancho Cucamonga, CA
An ingrown toenail doesn't sound like a serious issue. However, it can cause you a great deal of pain and make it difficult for you to wear certain shoes. Not to mention, not all of them grow out, and infection is possible. Fortunately, our team of podiatrists from Grace Foot And Ankle Center. It helps to understand the symptoms.
General Information
Ingrown toenails occur when the side of the toenail grows into the skin. If you cut your toenails crookedly or too short, you're more likely to develop an ingrown toenail.
You're also more likely to develop one if you wear shoes that crowd your toes or have certain medical conditions, such as diabetes.
Visibly Can See the Toenail
One of the easiest ways to tell if you have an ingrown toenail is by looking and seeing that the toenail is growing into the flesh.
Pain and Tenderness
Because the toenail is invading the neighboring skin, it may cause pain. That area of skin may feel tender to the touch.
Swelling
You may notice that the toenail is causing the area of skin around it to swell. This is a natural response to trauma to the skin. It occurs because the body sends white blood cells and fluid to the region to help with the healing process and prevent further injury.
Infection
Since the toenail severed the skin, it made it a possible location for bacteria to enter and cause an infection. When you have an infection, you may have a great deal of pain and discomfort. You may notice that pus is coming from the location. Rather than just at the location of the ingrown toenail, you might also have inflammation that's appearing to spread.
Overgrown Skin
You may notice that you have overgrown skin on the tip of your toe. It could also appear on the side of your nail.
Bleeding
In some cases, you may notice blood coming from where the toenail went into the skin. Due to the fact that the bleeding will be minimal, you can usually stop the bleeding by applying pressure. Those with a bleeding disorder or who take certain medications may experience more severe bleeding that's more difficult to stop.