Ingrown Toenails Treatments in Chelsea

Ingrown toenails come in all shapes and sizes.  Sometimes rather than the nail growing straight it may grow into the borders. 

This can also be demonstrated with people who have bunions due to a change in the toe position which then affects the position of the toenail itself.

There are a number of causes.  Genetics plays a large part.  However poor fitting shoes, incorrect nail cutting techniques and even picking or biting nails, (e.g. children biting their toenails), can all have detrimental effects. 

Ingrown toenails tend to affect the big toenails mainly.  An ingrown toenail begins with usually a sliver of nail that pierces the flesh at the side of the nail.  Not only can it become very painful but the toe itself can also become infected.  This means that there is now an inflammation process beginning and blood and pus can be noted.  There can also be a distinct bacterial odour.

There are various classification systems for grading ingrown toenails.  (Kline, 2008) grades toenails from stage 1 to stage 5.  

A stage 1 ingrown toenail can usually be self-treated with adequate success.  However a stage 5 ingrown toenail involves infection with a loosening / lifting of both nail borders.  If the infection deteriorates it can not only spread to the lesser toes but can affect the whole foot so early intervention is recommended with antibiotics potentially required in these cases.

As ingrown toenails grow into the flesh they can be a real nuisance and really compromise your day to day living activities.  Ingrown toenails can be very painful.  Usually we will be able to perform conservative care and make you more comfortable however in some instances a procedure known as a partial or a total nail removal can be performed where we remove a small section of your nail.  Then with the use of chemicals this can be permanently corrected to resolve the issue for good.

At The Chelsea clinic we offer tailored treatments specific for you to ensure that the right treatment is selected along with footwear advice and correct nail cutting techniques for you.