If you are experiencing pain or swelling of your toe along one or both sides of the nail, you might have an ingrown toenail. At Foot & Ankle Specialists in Blue Ash, Ohio, the doctors have decades of experience in providing comprehensive, state-of-the-art care for foot and ankle disorders. Although ingrown toenails can often be taken care of with at-home foot care remedies, sometimes it’s important to see a foot specialist.

An ingrown toenail is a condition in which the corner or side of a toenail, usually the big toe, grows into the soft flesh. This can be caused by wearing shoes that crowd your toenail, cutting your toenail too short, injuring your toenail, or having curved toenails. If you are experiencing severe discomfort in your toe or pus or redness seem to be spreading, it’s time to seek podiatric services.

Not only will the doctors at Foot & Ankle Specialists help relieve your discomfort, but they will also help you avoid further complications. If ingrown toenails aren’t addressed, the infection of the nail border could progress to a soft-tissue infection, which could turn into a bone infection. You might also notice scarring of the surrounding skin and nail borders as well as thickened, fungal toenails.

Here are three things the experts at Foot & Ankle Specialists might recommend for ingrown toenail treatment:

• Lift The Nail: If your ingrown toenail is painful and red but there is no pus, the doctor will likely lift the ingrown nail and separate the nail from the skin with cotton, dental floss, or a splint. This allows the nail to grow above the skin edge.

• Partially Remove The Nail: If your toenail is painful and red and there is pus, then the foot specialist will trim or remove the ingrown portion of the nail after temporarily numbing your toe with an anesthetic.

• Remove The Nail: If you have a toenail that has become ingrown multiple times, the doctor might suggest removing the nail and the nail bed to prevent that part of your nail from growing back.

To reduce the chances of infection, the doctors at Foot & Ankle Specialists might also recommend a topical or oral antibiotic at-home foot care treatments. For more information about the podiatric services offered at Foot & Ankle Specialists, visit the website, or call the best foot specialists in Blue Ash, Ohio, at (513) 769-4408.