When my oldest son was 17 or 18 he came to me one day and said his right great toe hurt. It only took a second for me to realize that he had an ingrown toenail. It was red, swollen, and was draining pus. I also note that his toenail had been cut rounded on the corners instead of straight across as I had taught him. I tried soaking in warm salt water but new in my heart he was going to have to see a podiatrist. I had seen several ingrown toenails in my nursing experience and his was one of the worse. I was mad at him because my students at school came to me before it got this bad. Needless to say we were off to the doctor and as my suspicion proved right He was going to have to have part of his toenail removed.

Ingrown toenails are often caused by improper trimming of the nails. Toe nails should be cut straight across and not curved at the ends. The nail should be long enough to rest freely without causing pressure on the nail bed. Other possible causes are tight shoes or stockings, some sort of trauma, or infection.

If the ingrown toenail is at the beginning stages it may be possible to soak in warm water and put cotton or gauze under the corner of the nail to prevent it from imbedding in the toenail  groove. If there is any sign of infection, such as: redness, swelling, pus, contact your physician for proper evaluation and treatment. If left untreated this condition can result in a serious infection and possibly gangrene.