An ingrown toenail is a common condition often seen in the big toenail, but can occur in all nails. They occur when the toenails grow inwards and dig into the flesh, which causes pain, redness and swelling of surrounding tissues. The main causes of an ingrown toenail are improper trimming of the toenail, an inherited or hereditary condition, poor gait, trauma and improper shoe fitting.
It is important to immediately treat painful, persistent ingrown toenails to prevent ingrown reoccurring. If left untreated an ingrown toenail can lead to infection.