Why Your Ingrown Toenail Keeps Growing Back & How to Fix It

From tenderness in your toe to experiencing pain when wearing covered shoes – these are the signs of an ingrown toenail that most of us are well acquainted with. And I am sure most readers can also relate with the frustration of dealing with an ingrown toenail as sometimes, no matter how many times you trim the wayward growth, it keeps coming back.

If you clicked on this article, chances are, you are currently suffering from an ingrown nail. The good news is, a permanent medical solution to recurring ingrown toenail growth exists: partial nail avulsion. Offered by accredited medical clinics like The Clifford Clinic and Surgery, partial nail avulsion (wedge resection) is a minimally invasive ingrown toenail treatment that is claimable under insurance in Singapore.

If you are interested in how partial nail avulsion surgery works and what is causing your ingrown toenail to keep growing back, read on.

My toe is sore, how do I know if an ingrown nail is the cause?

Let’s first make sure that you are indeed suffering from an ingrown toenail before we explore what causes ingrown nails to become a recurring problem and if partial nail avulsion surgery is the solution for you.

Ingrown nails (onychocryptosis) is a very common nail condition that most of us experienced at least once in our life and as the term “ingrown nails” suggests, this condition can occur on any toe, contrary to common perception that an ingrown toenail can only occur on the big toe(s).

Anyone can suffer from onychocryptosis, even infants and newborn babies can develop ingrown toenails. Children may not tell their parents about their ingrown toenail as they do not recognise the signs of an ingrown nail or are unable to verbally communicate their pain, additionally, parents may not be on the lookout for signs of onychocryptosis in their young children as it is a common misconception that ingrown toenails only occur in shoe-wearing adults or adolescents.

Unsure if you or your child are suffering from an ingrown toenail? Here is how to spot an ingrown toenail:

• Redness/inflammation/swelling at the corner of the nail on one side of the toe.
• The skin/flesh at the tip of toe that grows along the nail is growing over the nail.
• When observing the nail, the edge of the nail can be seen growing into the flesh/ soft tissue around it.
• Formation of a granuloma (inflamed tissue) at corner of the nail.
  • In server cases, the granuloma may be bleeding or producing pus.

I already trimmed the ingrown nail, why does it keep coming back?

So, you have identified that you have an ingrown toenail, and you have taken action against it by cutting the offending portion of your nail away, but it keeps growing back. Why isn’t cutting the ingrown section away a permanent fix?

For most people, the reason they suffer from ingrown toenail recurrence is due to using improper nail trimming techniques in addition to not correcting the root source of their ingrown toenail after trimming the affected nail.

Poor nail trimming techniques

Cutting your toenails improperly can cause you to develop onychocryptosis, if you currently do not suffer from it, or cause chronic ingrown toenail growth, if you just removed an ingrown toenail.

Trimming your toenails too short/far back, overly rounding the corners of the toenails, pulling or picking at the nails, or using blunt clippers that break the nail and causes the edge of the nails to become jagged/rough can make it easier for the nails to dig into the flesh or curve downward as they grow out; When trimming your toenails, you should always aim to cut your nails straight across to keep the tips of the nails elevated above your skin.

Improper or ill-fitting footwear

When buying shoes, most people focus on the length of the shoe and neglect the shape of the toe box. A poorly fitted shoe or unsuitable toe box shape can cause your toes to become crowded together, resulting in your nails pressing against the flesh of the toes or against the shoe.

Constant pressure on the nail can encourage it to grow into the flesh surrounding it, sometimes puncturing the flesh and causing an infection. If you suspect that this may be the cause of your ingrown toenail, we recommend changing shoes or reducing how often you wear this particular pair of shoes.

Lifestyle

Certain activities like running or sports that result in constant impact to the foot or toes (such as soccer) can encourage the formation of ingrown toenails. Wearing well fitted shoes and keeping your feet as clean and dry as much as possible can reduce your risk of ingrown toenail recurrence.

Genetics

Tendency for ingrown toenail formation is usually inherited; you may just be unfortunately genetically predisposed to developing ingrown toenails.

If you suffer from pincer toenails or have nails that naturally curl inwards as they grow as opposed to growing flat, nail avulsion surgery may be a viable permanent solution for you to correct recurring ingrown toenail growth.

Surgical ingrown toenail correction as a permanent fix

While usually just an annoyance and not debilitating, an ingrown toenail can impact your quality of life if left unchecked; In more severe cases, the pain can become so unbearable that it hampers your ability to wear certain kinds of shoes, even the weight of a bedsheet or mild pressure from a sock can become intolerable for some.

Partial nail avulsion is a quick and minimally invasive surgical procedure that removes a wedge of nail (hence the alternate name of the procedure: wedge resection surgery) from the affected side of the toe. The removed wedge being the section of the toenail that is constantly growing into the flesh.

More than just a pedicure

The Clifford Clinic and Surgery offers partial nail avulsion with chemical matrixectomy; Unlike a pedicure that trims just the part of the nail that is digging into the skin, The Clifford Clinic and Surgery’s Ingrown Toenail Correction Procedure surgically removes the entire section of the nail that is producing the ingrowth as well as chemically removing the nail-forming tissue attached to said section to ensure that the ingrown toenail can’t grow back.

If you are interested in knowing more about partial nail avulsion surgery with chemical matrixectomy, we have a full walkthrough of the procedure on our service page. And if you would like a professional gauge on the severity of your ingrown nail or if you would like to know if surgical ingrown toenail correction surgery is suitable for you, please don’t hesitate to drop by our clinic and surgical centre for a consultation session with one of our doctors.