What causes ingrown toenails?
Ingrown toenails may be more common in people with sweaty feet, such as teenagers. Older people may also be at higher risk because toenails thicken with age. Many things can cause an ingrown toenail, including cutting toenails incorrectly, poor posture, improper foot hygiene, such as not keeping your feet clean or dry and footwear that places a lot of pressure on the big toes, such as socks and stockings that are too tight or shoes that are too tight, narrow, or flat for your feet.
How do we treat ingrown toenails?
Our podiatrists can do a simple nail wedge resection and chemical matrix sterilization. This is an office procedure done under local anesthesia. After the ingrown nail is removed, the growth plate (matrix) is destroyed using the repeated application of a chemical designed to stop the nail growing back. It is often a fairly pain free experience with most people reporting little to no pain after the procedure. Healing time is 4-12 weeks.