What Are the Stages of Ingrown Toenail

What Is an Ingrown Toenail?

An ingrown toenail is a condition where a toenail penetrates the surface of skin resulting in inflammation or infection. It may be one side of the toe or both sides, it may even affect many toes at the same time.

What Causes an Ingrown Toenail?

There are many causes including poor cutting technique, the other being that you have a wide nail plate that you are born with which results in impingement in shoes. Tight footwear that does not fit you well also can cause ingrown toenails. Some people have involuted nails, which have a high curvature, which cause regular problems.

What Are the Symptoms of Ingrown Toenail?

The symptoms could range from just light pinching to inflammation or chronic infection which requires antibiotics and sometimes removal of the nail. 

In very severe cases you can get infection of the underlying bone if the ingrown toenail infection is not treated in a timely fashion.

Stages of Ingrown Toenail

Stage one: is mild where there’s pinching and local inflammation, but there is no sign of any pus or discharge.

Stage two: is moderate where there is pus discharge and there’s hypergranulation tissue which is extra tissue that forms to try to remove the ingrown toenail, which can result in pain and bleeding.

Stage three: is severe where the whole nail bed is infected and the toe is severely infected, requiring urgent treatment including antibiotics and wound debridement.

Frequently asked questions

Q. When to see a podiatrist about ingrown toenail ?

A. It is usually best to see a doctor or podiatrist at an early stage when you have pinching. This is to prevent any infection and progression of the problem in the long term.

Q. What are the stages of ingrown toenail treatment?

A. Stages include stage one where there’s only pinching, to local infection, to more widespread infection on the toe.

Q. What is the fastest way to get rid of ingrown toenail?

A. The fastest way depends on the type of problem you have. You have to remove the offending piece of nail. This may not be possible to do at home and you may need to see a specialist to have it done under local anaesthetic.

Q. How do I know if my ingrown toenail is healing?

A.You will know if it’s healing if there’s no sign of infection and there’s no pain.

Q. What does an infected toenail look like?

A. There is usually pus and discharge alongside hypergranulation tissue and inflammation associated with the toe.

Q. How much does it cost to remove an ingrown toenail?

A. Typically this is a local anaesthetic procedure in an outpatient setting. The price ranges depending on the number of sides and the degree and type of procedure that’s needed, the procedure fee at London Foot and Ankle Surgery starts from £650 for one nail and £200 for each additional nail removal for a partial/ full nail removal under local anaesthesia.