Ingrown Toenail Causes - Ingrown Toenail Symptoms

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Tight-fitting shoes or high heels cause the toes to be compressed together and pressures the nail to grow abnormally.

Improper trimming of toenails can cause the corners of the nail to dig into the skin. Nails should be trimmed straight across, not rounded.

Disorders such as fungal infections of the nail can cause a thickened or widened toenail to develop.

Either an acute injury near the nail or anything that causes the nail to be damaged repetitively (such as playing soccer) can also cause an ingrown nail.

If a member of your family has an ingrown toenail, then you are more likely to develop one, too. Some people's nails are normally more rounded than others, which increases the chance of developing ingrown nails.


Ingrown Toenail Symptoms
Ingrown toenail is a common disorder that most often affects the outer edge of the big toe. However, the nail on any toe, or the nail on both sides of a toe, can become ingrown. The most common signs and symptoms are pain, redness, and swelling at the corner of a toenail.

Early in the course of an ingrown toenail, the end of the toe becomes reddened and painful with mild swelling. There is no pus or drainage. It may feel warm to the touch, but you will not have a fever.

Later, extra skin and tissue will grow around the sharp point of the nail. A yellowish drainage may begin. This is the body's response to the trauma of a nail irritating the skin and is not necessarily an infection.

Sometimes an infection develops. In this case, the swelling will become worse, and there may be white- or yellow-colored drainage from the area. A lighter-colored area of the skin may be surrounded by red skin. You may develop a fever, although this is unusual.