When should I be concerned about ingrown toenail?

When should I be concerned about ingrown toenail?

Call your doctor if your toe is red, warm, swollen, or drains pus, or if there are red streaks leading from your toe. Your doctor might give you antibiotics. If your toenail is very ingrown, your doctor might suggest minor surgery to remove all or part of the ingrown nail.

What are the symptoms of nail cancer?

Symptoms

• brown or black streaks in the nail without any known injury.
• streaks on the nails that increase in size.
• a bruise on the nail that will not heal or move up as the fingernail grows.
• fingernails or toenails that separate from the nail bed.
• darkening skin next to the nail.
• a nail that bleeds or develops a nodule.

Can an ingrown toenail turn into cancer?

Toenail melanoma is another name for subungual melanoma. It’s an uncommon form of skin cancer that develops underneath the fingernail or toenail. Subungual means “under the nail.”

What happens if ingrown toenail left untreated?

When left untreated, an ingrown toenail can lead to infection. This can lead to worsening pain and even fever. In some cases, an untreated ingrown toenail can spread the infection to the bone beneath the nail.

Where does toenail cancer start?

What does melanoma of the nail unit look like? Subungual melanoma often starts as a pigmented band visible the length of the nail plate (melanonychia). Over weeks to months, the pigment band: Becomes wider, especially at its proximal end (cuticle)

Can you get sepsis from an ingrown toenail?

Even a particularly bad ingrown toenail that becomes infected can lead to sepsis, he says, although that is not a common occurrence.

What happens to an untreated ingrown toenail?

What are the causes of ingrown toe nails?

Common ingrown toenail causes include: 1 Wearing shoes that crowd your toenails 2 Cutting your toenails too short or not straight across 3 Injuring your toenail 4 Having unusually curved toenails More

What kind of cancer is under your toenails?

A black spot under the nail can indicate a type of melanoma called acral lentiginous melanoma (ALM). These melanomas can appear anywhere on the body, including underneath fingernails and toenails. The sub-type of ALM that affects the nail is called subungual melanoma.

What happens if you have a tumor on your toe?

Some of these toenail tumors are harmless and easily treated, while others are cause for serious concern. Some of them can permanently alter the shape or appearance of the nail plate (what you probably think of as “the nail”), or even destroy it.

Who is most at risk for ingrown toenails?

Anyone can get an ingrown toenail. People at higher risk include adolescents, athletes and those who have: Diabetes. Severe nerve damage in the leg or foot. Poor blood circulation. An infection around the nail. How common are ingrown toenails?