Ingrown Toe-Nail: what is it?
When the side of the toenail digs into the skin adjacent to the nail, it is known as an ingrown toenail (or onychocryptosis). The skin may become inflamed and infected, which can cause pain. While it can affect the other toes, it usually affects the big toe. Although ingrown toenails can happen to anyone at any age, teens and young adults are the most likely to have this issue. Narrow-fitting shoes, improper nail cutting technique, and a nail with naturally curved edges rather than a flat nail are some of the causes of ingrown toenails.

What signs of an ingrown toenail are present?
Pain, redness, swelling, and even pus, if an infection is present, are signs of an ingrown toenail.

If I have an ingrown toenail, what should I do?
Make an appointment with a podiatrist as soon as possible if you have an ingrown toenail.

If I have an ingrown toenail, what should I avoid doing?
You shouldn’t overlook an ingrown toenail in the hopes that it would go away. It won’t go away on its own, and it can possibly become worse and get infected.

An ingrown toenail is treated by podiatrists. The first step in treating an ingrown nail is: 
Antibiotics are frequently prescribed by doctors to treat infected toenails, but treating the infection is useless if the underlying cause (the ingrown nail) remains. After the nail has been removed, antibiotics may be administered to aid in the infection’s recovery.

The nail spike or nail corner that has penetrated the skin can be easily removed by a trained podiatrist, frequently with little to no discomfort. This may require the use of a local anaesthetic if the ingrown nail is really painful. The infection will probably continue unless the part of the nail that is producing the ingrown toe nail is removed.

If you are healthy and have no healing issues, all that is required to cure the infection once the problematic nail portion is removed is an antiseptic bandage for a few days. It may be necessary to use antibiotics and/or dressings for an extended amount of time if you have diabetes, poor circulation, or issues with wound healing. Relatively infrequently, pain may continue with the aforementioned treatment; this could be because of a deeper nail spike.

Continued care for the ingrown toenail: Recurrent ingrown toenails are common. The shape of the nail (curved down the side) is the most frequent cause of an ingrown toe nail in the first place. You might be able to stop it from happening again if your podiatrist gives you good self-care recommendations. Sometimes regular podiatrist care is required to stop the nail from growing back. Your podiatrist will talk to you about potential management choices.

Ingrown toe nail surgical treatment:
If conservative treatment is not successful, the ingrown toenail is severe, or conservative care is challenging, Nail surgery may be necessary. The issue can be permanently resolved with nail surgery, which is a reasonably easy process. An ingrown toe nail can be treated by a podiatrist using a few different minor surgical techniques. All of these procedures can be carried out under a local anaesthetic in the treatment room.
The removal of a portion along the nail’s side is the most frequent minor surgical treatment. In the worst situation, the entire nail might need to be removed. The nail grows because of cells at the base of the nail. The nail will regrow if nothing is done to eliminate these cells. To kill these cells and stop nail regrowth, a chemical is applied. You will need to rest and keep your foot up for a few hours following the procedure. The next day, you can go back to work or school. It is recommended that you avoid running and sports for a minimum of two weeks.