Ingrown Toenails in Children

Ingrown Toenails May Be Caused By:

Once an ingrown nail penetrates the skin, the wound will not heal properly unless the spike is removed and the infection is eradicated.

Ingrown Toenails in Babies and Toddlers

Babies as young as 3 months old can develop ingrown nails due to the rapid growth of the nails and surrounding flesh. Nail growth must be monitored from birth as the child is most often unable to verbalise the pain. Symptoms of ingrown toenails can include:

Naturally wider nail plates can also lead to ingrown toenails and must be managed well to avoid complications.

Ingrown Toenails in Children and Teenagers

Ingrown toenails are a common condition that can occur in older children – teenagers in particular. Symptoms may include:

Growth spurts can cause the nail to grow larger than the surrounding flesh or vice versa, and children with wider nail plates face a higher risk of getting ingrown toenails. These must be managed well to avoid any complications.

How Can a Podiatrist Helps?

Podiatrists are foot experts that specialise in performing small delicate procedures with razor-sharp precision, incurring only minimal damage to the areas around the ingrown nail.

A minor in-clinic procedure will be conducted to remove the offending spike and the nail will be trimmed to a length that will promote proper pain-free growth. Following this, your podiatrist will apply a suitable dressing to help encourage wound healing and reduce any localised infection.

Podiatric care for ingrown toenails has several advantages:

Individuals with eyesight problems, mobility issues, diabetes, peripheral vascular disease, or other circulatory disorders should avoid any form of self-remedy and seek immediate medical attention. Ingrown nails can have severe complications and heightened risks for these individuals

A total nail removal surgery may be unavoidable in cases of severe, recurrent, non-resolving, or incurvated toenails where the nail naturally fans outward or involutes (curls down at the sides). Please consult with your podiatrist to find out if you are suitable for this procedure as restrictions may apply depending on your health status.

How to Prevent?

Ingrown toenails can be prevented by:

Contact us if you have any questions or if you would like to make an appointment with a podiatrist to assess your child’s ingrown toenail. Your podiatrist will recommend suitable intervention and suggest prevention methods to reduce the occurrence of future ingrown toenails.

What are the Common Causes?

Overall View of Footwear care

Naturally wider nail plates can also lead to ingrown toenails and must be managed well to avoid complications.

Once a toddler is walking and running around, they usually start spending more time in shoes rather than being barefoot. Your child’s shoes should not be too tight or small as this can place pressure on the toenails, causing them to push into the surrounding skin. This is especially important as your toddler is growing fast and can outgrow shoes in a matter of months.

A child’s shoes should always be checked to ensure that they:

Overall View of Biomechanical issues

As your child starts to walk and run around more you may start to notice the position of their feet and overall posture; perhaps their feet have a different shape to other kids of their age?

Any abnormal foot positioning can increase pressure on the toes and affect the formation of the nail plate. It is important to check your child’s foot posture regularly and visit your podiatrist if you notice any changes.