Dear B,
What you describe sounds like an ingrown toenail-- when your toenail grows in a way that the edge presses against its adjacent skin, causing pain and discomfort. Ingrown toenails usually occur because of wearing tight shoes or stockings, or incorrect nail clipping. Sometimes there is added pain because an infection can take place after the nail grows inward.

To prevent ingrown toenails in the first place, or their recurrence, cut your toenails straight across (the end of the toe nail should be angled) without trimming too close and cutting into, or damaging the skin at the corners of the nail. Don't tear off the nail; cut it neatly with scissors or nail clippers. Ingrown toenails are likely to recur, so preventative measures are important.

Treatment for an ingrown toenail-- non-surgical by any standard, includes the following steps:

• soften the nail by soaking the toe in warm water
• to stop the nail from puncturing the skin, push a few thin lengths of absorbent cotton with an antibiotic ointment like Bacitracin on it under the nail
• wear open shoes
• if the toe bleeds, excretes pus, or swells up, have it checked by a medical provider. Oral antibiotics are often prescribed to treat a toenail infection.

Alice

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