If you are experiencing pain in your toes, it is possible that you are suffering from an ingrown toenail. In this blog, we will discuss how ingrown toenails present so you can easily identify and anticipate if you have an ingrown toenail and get treatment as soon as possible. 

Ingrown toenails can be painful and can get worse overtime. Ingrown toenails are when a sharp corner or edge of the toenail digs into the skin at the end of or side of the toe. In the early stages of an ingrown toenail, the end of the toe becomes red and painful with mild swelling. There is no pus and it may feel warm when you touch it , but you will not have a fever.  Extra skin and tissue will begin to grow around the sharp end of the nail. The body’s response would be irritating the skin to fight a possible infection, but it does not lead necessarily to an infection. 

As time progresses, however, it will likely worsen and develop into full-blown infection as bacteria begins to infect the exposed flesh. In this stage, you may notice the cut yellowing in color and collecting pus, and usually it becomes a lot more painful. 

Ingrown toenails most commonly occur on the big toe, but can occur on any of the other toes as well. If you are experiencing symptoms, you should immediately seek treatment with a podiatrist to tackle the issue before the pain becomes severe. If you need to see a podiatrist to treat your ingrown toenail, contact us to schedule a consultation with one of our podiatrists at one of our over 80 locations nationwide.