Four Reasons Why You Should Get Your Ingrown Toenail Fixed. 

Nearly 90% of women — and even many men — either knowingly or unknowingly wear shoes that are far too small for their feet. 

They may look cute, but these tight shoes also put you at an increased risk for an ingrown toenail. Injuries, improper toenail cutting/shaping, and even cutting your toenails too short can also cause ingrown toenails.

As the name implies, an ingrown toenail means that the corner of your toenail actually begins to grow into your skin. This can be painful and annoying — but it can also be dangerous.

Read on to learn why you need to treat your ingrown toenail quickly.

1. An Increased Risk for Gangrene

One of the biggest reasons why you need to know what to do for ingrown toenail issues — and act quickly — is because if left untreated, they can cause gangrene.

Gangrene happens because your blood is no longer able to properly flow to the foot, eventually causing the tissue to die because of a loss of blood and infection. Click here to learn more about the symptoms of gangrene.

2. It Can Cause Bone Infections

It’s obvious that an ingrown toenail can lead to foot fungus, bacteria, and skin infections.

But what many people aren’t as aware of is that ingrown toenails can also lead to serious infections in the bone.

These infections are extremely painful, limit your mobility, and come with a whole host of other potential health problems. Especially if you notice that pus is coming from the area surrounding the toenail, you need to get in touch with a professional as soon as you can.

3. An Ingrown Toenail is a Threat to Diabetics

If you’re among the over 100 million Americans currently living with diabetes, you need to be especially mindful of an ingrown toenail.

This is because your higher levels of blood sugar already make it tough for the blood and nutrients you need to properly reach your feet. You likely already have a longer healing time for wounds and even minor cuts than most because of your diabetes.

If you don’t act quickly, the ingrown toenail can easily become a diabetic wound or even a foot ulcer.

4. It May Require Surgery

Finally, if you ignore an ingrown toenail for too long, you may end up needing surgery to fix it. This is painful, expensive, and will likely make it tough for you to go about your daily life for a few weeks.

Surgery is especially likely if you’ve already started to display the early symptoms of gangrene, as it can be a step towards preventing a potential amputation.

Need Treatment for an Ingrown Toenail?

We understand that it can sometimes be tough to know what to do for ingrown toenails. Everyone seems to have an opinion on how you should treat your toe. While applying ingrown toenail ointment at the first sign of a problem can help, if it has been longer than a few days, you need to call the professionals at Family Foot & Ankle Centers. We have removed over 10,000 painful ingrown toenails. We are the toe authority and we cater to cowards!

Get in touch with us to schedule your appointment today.

In addition to ingrown toenails, we can also help you with hammertoe treatment, toenail fungus, ankle and foot surgery, and many other podiatry issues.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact one of our our offices located in Waxahachie, Ennis, or Corsicana, TX today. We have helped over 50,000 happy patients in Texas since 1999 and we are intent on improving lives one foot at a time.