If you’ve had an ingrown toenail arise out of seemingly nowhere, and other members of your family have had ingrown toenails in the past, you may be wondering if ingrown toenails are genetic and if you’re going to keep getting them for years to come. Here’s a look into how and why ingrown toenails can run in families, as well as potential causes of ingrown toenails, and what you can do today to relieve your pain and stop them from coming back for good – even if they are genetic.
Are Ingrown Nails Inherited?
Yes, the characteristics that increase the risk of a person developing an ingrown toenail can be passed down through families. These may include:
- The shape of the nail. Nails that are naturally curved, pinched or involuted are more likely to become ingrown, and the trait for the shape of the nail can be genetic
- The amount of skin surrounding the nail (or its volume). The more skin you have surrounding the nail that may get pushed against the nail, the more likely the nail is to grow into this skin, and this characteristic can be genetic
- The shape of the toe itself makes it more susceptible to an ingrown toenail, which can also be inherited
This means that it’s not the ingrown nail that is passed down, but factors that make it more likely for the nail to naturally grow into the skin. With this said, it’s important to know that just because you may have some genetic risk factors, does not mean that you will definitely develop an ingrown toenail. For some people, their ingrown toenails are caused by something completely different, like one of the causes below. So even if your family members struggle with ingrown toenails, doesn’t mean you definitely will too.
What Else Causes Ingrown Nails?
Aside from the shape of the toe or the nail, other factors that increase your risk of an ingrown toenail include:
- Damage to the nail can increase its likelihood to become ingrown. This may be nail thickening, changes in the shape of the nail following trauma (like something being dropped on the toe) or from fungal nail infections.
- Tight footwear can create pressure on the sides of the toes that can push the nail into the surrounding skin.
- Pulling or picking the nails. Pulling the top of the nail off, instead of cutting them in a straight line with a tool, can leave a spicule at the edge of the nail where it is ripped off, often deep down the side of the nail where it is not visible or felt – until it starts growing and pierces the skin.
- An improper nail cutting technique. Nails should be cut in a straight, clean line with no fraying or split edges and no curves. Curving or ‘rounding’ the edges of the nail down the side can encourage the nail to grow curved down into the skin.
Fixing Your Ingrown Toenail For Good
Regardless of whether your ingrown toenail is genetic or caused by something else, you can prevent your ingrown toenails from coming back for good. This is done using a procedure called a partial nail avulsion (PNA), performed by our experienced, registered podiatrists in our Remuera clinic.
A partial nail avulsion removes the small portion of the nail that has grown into the skin, which usually looks like a small sharp spicule. Once the nail is removed, the skin can finally close and heal, and your pain will resolve. What makes the procedure permanent is that after removing the portion of the nail with the spicule, we also apply a solution to destroy the nail-growing cells at the base of the nail, meaning that this very small portion of the nail will not regrow. It will just close and heal.
A PNA is a professional, safe and effective solution and one of the most common procedures carried out in our clinic. The benefits of a PNA include:
- The procedure is simple for you – just sit back and relax, there is no prep work required
- It’s quick! The total appointment time is one hour, and the procedure time is often around 20 minutes
- The procedure is performed under local anaesthetic so is pain-free
- You do not need to take any additional time off work or school following the procedure and can go home immediately
- You do not need any special boots or braces while the toe heals
- The procedure causes very little discomfort afterwards, however, painkillers can be taken should discomfort arise
- We dress your toe, provide you with a take-home dressing pack and re-dressing instructions
- We monitor your progress to ensure it is healing well
- Recovery time is anywhere from two weeks to two months barring any complications such as infection. We provide you with all the dressings, topical antibacterial solutions and ointments, the post-op shoe and aftercare instructions, all tailored individually to your needs
Ingrown Nail Solutions For The Whole Family
Ingrown toenails are painful and frustrating – but just because they run in your family, doesn’t mean you have to put up with them for the rest of your life. Come in for a consultation with Auckland’s leading podiatry team specialising in ingrown toenail treatment.
Book your appointment with our experienced podiatrists by calling 09 523 2333 or book online here.
Does your baby have a red, swollen toe by the side of their toenail? Could it be an ingrown toenail – and do babies even get ingrown toenails?
Yes, they do – and yes, swelling redness and tenderness by the side of the toenail may be an indicator of ingrown toenails in babies. Here’s an example of what happened when we saw an ingrown toenail in a baby that was just over six months old recently.
Assessment – Baby K came in with her mum, who was concerned about her big toe, and suspected an ingrown nail. There was redness and tenderness present by the nail edge of one of her big toes, on one side only. Aside from this area, the rest of the toe was not red or inflamed. Baby K was not sick and had not been unwell, had no fevers in the last months, and didn’t have any other symptoms aside from being more irritable and showing signs of pain when socks or onesies were put on that pushed against the toe.
Baby K’s mum had previously called the Plunket line to rule out any serious issues by the nurse – something we always recommend if you’re worried about anything to do with your child’s health.
Assessing Baby K’s toe, she had all the typical signs of an ingrown toenail that we see in adults, without any signs of infection. We could see the elongated nail disappear beneath the inflamed skin. When nails do this, it can be difficult to remove the nail edge that has penetrated the skin as it can soften or become almost translucent – particularly in young baby nails.
Treatment – treating Baby K’s toe was simple and quickly completed. She sat on mums comforting lap who extended her leg out to us and was given a toy to help distract her. We cleaned the area and used our medical-grade podiatry tools to seamlessly trim across the nail edge where it had disappeared beneath the swollen skin. The clean trim that we made across is something that often goes wrong when trying to trim baby toenails at home, as parents find it difficult to know where the nail ends if they can’t see it. In an effort to be cautious and careful, many do not trim far enough, end up pulling the nail, and leave a sharp edge behind.
Once the trim was made, we removed the small piece of the offending nail away and out of the surrounding skin. We did a quick check to make sure no sharp nail edges were left behind. The effect was instant. Now, when we pushed onto the toe, the reaction from baby K was very different with significantly fewer signs of pain or distress.
We dressed Baby K’s toe with a gentle sterile dressing and we talked her mum through what to look for and how to take care of the toe until the redness went away, which we’d expect to happen in the next day or two. We called two days later to check how baby K was doing – she was great, and the toe had returned to its normal pain-free state.
Are you worried that your baby may have an ingrown toenail?
We have children too – so we know how distressing it is to see your child in pain and feel like there’s nothing you can do to help. If you’re worried, bring your child in to see our experienced podiatry team. We specialise in ingrown toenail care for children of all ages. We have both one-off solutions available like we described here for Baby K, as well as permanent solutions for kids with recurring ingrown toenails.
Book your appointment online by clicking here or call us to make your appointment on 09 523 2333
