Introduction

Who would believe one simple little toenail can limit your activities? If you suffer from an ingrown toenail, you understand just how painful it can be. The toenail can dig deep into the skin where the slightest pressure can aggravate the pain. You may have tried for hours to trim the toenail yourself, only to make it worse. This “bathroom surgery” is not recommended practice as it can lead to infection and permanent damage to the nail. To describe the proper ways of treating ingrown toenails, we must first explore the normal toenail and understand why it doesn’t always grow correctly.