“How do ingrown toenails get infected?”
On the side of my big toenail I have an ingrown nail. It has gotten infected before and I soaked it and dug it out. How do ingrown toenails get infected?
17 Answers
Ingrown toenails get infected when the nail plate punctures the skin and bacteria gets into the skin (an eventually the blood stream if left unattended). It's easier for bacteria to grow rapidly on an open wound than on intact skin. See a podiatrist for ingrown toenails. You want to have a professional with sterilized instruments take them out. DO NOT PERFORM BATHROOM SURGERIES!!! I have seen too many bad outcomes from patients attempting to do their own nail avulsions.
Ingrown toenails get infected when the nail penetrates through the skin barrier and then bacteria that lives on our skin are able to get into the wound, which causes the wound to get red and infected. This will likely require a simple procedure to remove a small section of the nail that is causing the infection. If this is a recurrent problem, then I recommend, after removing the small section of nail, applying Phenol, which is an acid, that will kill the cells that form the nail in that small section that was removed and make it so it doesn't return. This can be done in clinic and typically takes about 10 minutes total. Our clinics give antibacterial/anti-fungal foot soaks after the procedure to help with healing as well.
Hope this helps!
Daniel Patty, DPM
Hope this helps!
Daniel Patty, DPM
Ingrown toenails get infected when the nail penetrates through the skin barrier and then bacteria that lives on our skin are able to get into the wound, which causes the wound to get red and infected. This will likely require a simple procedure to remove a small section of the nail that is causing the infection. If this is a recurrent problem, then I recommend, after removing the small section of nail, applying Phenol, which is an acid, that will kill the cells that form the nail in that small section that was removed and make it so it doesn't return. This can be done in clinic and typically takes about 10 minutes total. Our clinics give antibacterial/antifungal foot soaks after the procedure to help with healing as well. Hope this helps!
With an ingrown toenail, the edge of the toenail pierces the skin which causes a break in the skin. When this open area is placed into a dirty shoe or on the dirty ground, infection commonly follows.
Any break in the skin can get infected
Any break in the skin can get infected
The feet, besides the groin, is likely one of the dirtiest part of the body. The feet also tend to get the least care in the body while the face gets the most attention. Walking barefoot around the house, the feet is exposed to all kinds of bacteria. Furthermore, after a shower, all the bacteria gets washed down the feet and most of us walk barefoot in the shower tub so the feet gets exposed to all the bacteria and germs washed down from the body. The toe nails itself harbor some bacteria which are normally not harmful to us but when there is an opening, such as an ingrown nail, then it is easy for the bacteria to penetrate the epidermal layer and cause an infection.
Keep in mind, you're dealing with the foot: your foot is in your shoe, dark, moist, with millions of normal skin bacteria for hours. The nail has a small splinter that digs and breaks into the skin. Bacteria invade and next think you know, an infected ingrown nail.
The pressure of the nail against the skin will maintain a nail groove. When you cut your nails you should go straight across and never invade the nail groove, as you would if you round the toenail, as you do for a fingernail. If you cut out the ingrown toenail down where the nail groove is and you remove the nail the skin will overgrow where the nail was and as the new nail grows in it will cut into the skin laying the groundwork for an infection boarder is removed. Once you get an infection, the body perceives the nail as a foreign body and infection will not resolve until the offending nail is removed.
Ingrown toenails get infected when the nail causes a break in the skin and bacteria gets in the skin creating an infection. There is a simple procedure that can be performed in the office to remove that portion of the toenail and try to prevent it from reoccurring.
Jonathan M. Kletz, DPM
Jonathan M. Kletz, DPM
The nail gets into skin it does not belong in and the nail being dirty brings bacteria to the skin causing the infection
The nail breaks the integrity of the skin and allows bacteria to penetrate the skin barrier. The bacteria then multiply and cause infection.
Hello,
Ingrown nails get infected when the nail punctures the skin allowing bacteria to enter the soft tissues causing an infection.
Dr. Lui
Ingrown nails get infected when the nail punctures the skin allowing bacteria to enter the soft tissues causing an infection.
Dr. Lui
Hello, an ingrown nail or paronychia, is an infection most commonly occurring on the big toe or hallux along the cuticle or eponychium of the nail. It is caused by trauma and irritation to the soft tissue which allows bacteria to infect the skin which can lead to cellulitis of the toe and if left untreated the bacteria can make its way into the bone. Thank you for your question and good luck to you.
By continuous pressure over the adjacent tissue and when they start to form an underlying cyst that can get infected. Soaking helps. I recommend excision by a specialist if this is recurrent.
The pressure from the nail puts pressure on the side of your cuticle, this added pressure along with the environment our feet usually are in can cause, friction or a small opening for the bacteria to enter...leading to an infection. There are permanent procedures of removing the side of the ingrown mail and killing the nails root I usually recommend to people who not only have ingrowns but ingrowns that frequently get infected.
All infections are caused by microorganisms (bacteria/fungi/viruses). In the case of an ingrown toenail, the nail, itself, is dirty, and if it penetrates the skin on the side of the nail, it can impregnate the area with microorganisms, causing infection. In your case, the instruments you used to 'dig it out' may have been dirty/contaminated, and you may have introduced the bacteria into the area by attempting your own treatment.
Ingrown toenails will become infected when the nail continues to irritate the skin. The best treatment is removal of the offending nail spicule. I recommend you be evaluated by a foot and ankle surgeon (podiatrist) to determine the best treatment in your case
If the nail continues to ingrow, it will eventually cut the skin and this will start an infection. That why it's best to see your doc to get this fixed
