Ingrown toenails are a very common condition of the feet. It is frequently seen with the big toe but can affect the lesser toes too. An ingrown nail is caused by pressure from the nail edge on the surrounding skin. The longer an ingrown nail is left, the higher the chance of it cutting into the skin. This can then lead to localised inflammation, and potentially cellulitis (infection of the skin). In people with compromised vascular supply, or who are immunocompromised, this can sometimes quickly lead to widespread infection and potentially onychomycosis (infection of the bone)

Ingrown nails can become quite debilitating and limit types of footwear you can wear.

Common causes of ingrown nails are,

• Incorrect nail cutting, often from cutting too short or round the edge
• Aggressive pedicures
• Improper/incorrect fitting footwear
• Toenail injuries, such as stubbing your toe or dropping a weight on the nail
• Nail picking
• Sports, particularly any sports that involves running/sliding movements where shoes may compress the toenails causing the edges to curl