What Causes Ingrown Toenails?
Ingrown toenails happen when the side or corner of your nail grows into the skin beside it. This can cause redness, pain, swelling, and sometimes infection.
Common causes include:
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Naturally curved or wide nails
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Incorrect nail cutting (especially cutting too short or rounding the corners)
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Tight or narrow footwear
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Repeated trauma or stubbing the toe
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Family history or inherited nail shape
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Excess moisture or sweaty feet
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Growth spurts during adolescence (leading to shoes being too tight)
Symptoms and When to Seek Help
If your toe is sore, swollen, or red along the nail edge, it may already be ingrown.
Typical symptoms include:
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Pain and tenderness along the side of the nail
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Redness, swelling, or warmth around the area
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Discharge, bleeding, or yellow pus
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Overgrown tissue forming around the nail
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Pain when wearing shoes or applying pressure
If pain, swelling, or discharge are worsening, it’s time to see a podiatrist. Early treatment prevents infection and makes recovery faster.
How We Treat Ingrown Toenails at My Family Podiatry
Conservative Care for Immediate Relief
Many ingrown toenails can be treated gently and without surgery. We carefully lift and remove the offending nail edge to reduce pressure and pain.
Our conservative care includes:
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Gentle lift and removal of the offending nail spicule
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Local antiseptic clean and sterile dressing
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Padding or offloading to reduce pressure
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Advice on nail cutting, footwear, and salt water bathing
This is suitable for first-time or mild cases and provides immediate relief for most patients.
Permanent Solution for Recurring Ingrown Nails
When ingrown nails keep returning, or infection is severe, we offer a permanent fix with a Partial Nail Avulsion procedure.
This involves:
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Local anaesthetic to fully numb the toe
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Precise removal of the affected side of the nail
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Application of a chemical (phenol) to stop regrowth of that nail edge
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No stitches, quick recovery with minimal downtime
It’s ideal for chronic, infected, or repeatedly recurring ingrown nails and has a very high success rate.
We will always start with the least invasive option and only recommend surgery if it is the best way to stop the problem coming back.
Aftercare and Recovery
You can walk immediately after treatment.
We recommend:
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Wearing open-toed or wide shoes for comfort
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Keeping the dressing dry for the first 24 hours
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Monitoring for signs of infection such as redness or discharge
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Returning for a review appointment as advised
You can expect most discomfort to settle within a few days.
Why Choose Us in Albany Creek
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Same - day relief available where possible
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Permanent procedures offered when needed
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Experienced podiatrists in family and sports foot care
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Convenient location with easy parking
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Servicing Albany Creek, Eatons Hill, Warner, Strathpine and surrounding suburbs of North Brisbane
NEED SOME MORE INFORMATION?
It’s not always easy knowing who to contact about your foot issues. All you know is that you want relief from your pain.
Podiatrists specialise in injuries and issues with the feet, ankles and legs. If you enter your details into the form, one of our team will contact you to discuss your current problem and how My Family Podiatry may be able to help you.
Alternatively, call us on (07) 3088 6116 to speak with one of our team.