Ingrown toenails are known to physicians as onychocryptosis. They are common, painful conditions that occur when the skin on the side of a toenail grows over the edge of the nail, or when the nail grows into the skin.

Onychocryptosis should be treated as soon as it develops. If the skin is red, painful, or swollen on the sides of the nail, there may be an infection. The ingrown nail is in warm, often moist, and bacteria-rich environment and it provides a convenient entry for germs that can cause infection. At first, the skin around the nail may be mildly red or inflamed. Untreated, the nail can go under the skin, causing a severe infection. The infection must be cured using sterile instruments and antibiotics. People who attempt to fix an infected toenail themselves may worsen the problem.

When an ingrown toenail recurs, it may require a more permanet solution. A small portion of the nail and nail matrix (part of the nail that actually grows) is removed with a scalpel or burned with a concentrated chemical solution. This makes the nail narrower and prevents a portion of the nail from growing back, ensuring that it will not irritate the adjacent skin. The chemical treatment is a slightly less invasive procedure. It causes mild inflammation that lasts about a week. This procedure often cannot be used in severe infections because the chemical used (phenol) may be neutralized by the infection. In these cases, the physician must remove the infected nail with a scalpel.

Please call our Gaithersburg, Md office for an appointment for treatment.