Ingrown toenails are painful, annoying, and often hard to get rid of; they are very rarely fatal. They arise from too much pressure on the toe causing the nail to grow into the side of the nail bed. The nail growth into the side of the skin can cause very intense pain that gets worse when the foot is used for walking or other physical activity. 

If you have an ingrown toenail, the pain it comes with may have you fearing for the future of your toe or foot. The vast majority of ingrown toenails are able to be treated, but when they are left untreated for long periods of time they can become infected. If an infected ingrown toenail is left untreated for a long time, there is a danger of it evolving into a more severe infection that could be fatal.

While most ingrown toenails never become anything more serious, an untreated infected ingrown does have some risk. This is because the infection could become extreme and start migrating to other parts of the body. This leads to a condition called sepsis, where the body tries to fight infection everywhere. This means the tools the body usually uses for localized infections are found in too high of concentrations in the bloodstream. This can cause damage to the entire body, and even be fatal. Sepsis is a very extreme condition that is not likely to develop with most ingrown toenails.

While most ingrown toenails will never be at risk of becoming fatal, if you have one you should still receive treatment from a licensed podiatrist as soon as possible. This will help ensure that the toenail doesn’t get worse. To schedule a consultation with a podiatrist, give us a call at (424)-299-4627 or visit our website for more information.