Knowra Ingrown nail Ingrown nail An ingrown nail occurs when a nail edge penetrates or presses into adjacent skin, causing pain and inflammation and sometimes infection. It most often affects the big toe.
Nail unit : The nail plate, nail bed, nail matrix, and surrounding tissues that form and support a nail. The nail unit’s anatomy explains where an edge can press into surrounding skin.
Footwear : Clothing worn on the feet, including shoes and socks. Tight footwear can press the toe and aggravate an ingrown nail.
Inflammation : A tissue response to injury or infection involving changes such as redness, warmth, swelling, and pain. The embedded edge triggers inflammation in the adjacent nail fold.
Nail plate : The hard, visible keratin structure commonly called the nail. Its side edge is the structure that presses into adjacent skin.
Nail matrix : The growth region beneath the nail root that produces the nail plate. Its growth shapes the advancing plate whose edge can become embedded.
Warm foot bath : Soaking the feet in warm water for a short period. Soaking may soften surrounding skin and ease discomfort in mild cases.
Cellulitis : A bacterial infection of the deeper skin and soft tissues. Infection can spread beyond the nail fold into surrounding skin.
Toenail : A nail on a toe, made of a hard keratin plate. Ingrown nails most often affect toenails, especially the big toenail.
Nail fold : The skin bordering the sides and base of a nail plate. The lateral nail fold is the tissue compressed or penetrated by the nail edge.
Partial nail avulsion : A procedure that removes a strip of the nail plate while leaving the rest in place. It relieves pressure by removing the offending nail edge.
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