Why is the skin around my big toenail red and swollen?
An ingrown toenail may cause pain, inflamed skin, swelling and, sometimes, infection around the toenail. Often you can take care of ingrown toenails on your own. If the pain is severe or spreading, your health care provider can take steps to relieve your discomfort and help you avoid complications of ingrown toenails. And, if the infection continues to be left untreated, it can even enter the bloodstream and cause a serious condition, such as sepsis or gangrene. If you have diabetes, you’re at greater risk for developing complications from ingrown toenails.It can happen to any toe, but is most often experienced in the big toe. An untreated ingrown toenail can eventually lead to an infection, which can subsequently spread through the bone structure of the foot and result in substantial pain.Ingrown Toenails and Diabetes People with diabetes have an increased risk of developing ingrown toenail-related complications, some of which could be severe.Ingrown toenails are a common condition in which the corner or side of a toenail grows into the soft flesh. The result is pain, inflamed skin, swelling and, sometimes, an infection. Ingrown toenails usually affect the big toe.
What does a sepsis ingrown toenail look like?
You’ll likely be able to tell if you have an ingrown toenail just by looking at your foot. The toenail itself will be curved down into the skin, and you may not be able to see the edges of the nail. You may also notice swelling, redness or pus around your toenail. With infection, this redness expands beyond the immediate area, sometimes creeping up the toe or spreading to adjacent skin. Watch for red streaks extending from the toe toward your foot. These lines indicate the infection is moving through your system and requires immediate medical attention.The biggest risk of an ingrown toenail is that it may become infected. An infection can lead to a condition called gangrene, in which tissue dies due to a lack of blood supply. In severe cases, gangrene can even lead to amputation.An infected ingrown toenail can lead to redness, warmth, pus, and increased pain. If the infection spreads, it may require antibiotics or more intensive treatment. Ignoring an ingrown toenail can lead to recurring issues. The nail may continue to grow abnormally, causing permanent damage to the nail bed.Signs of a more serious infection include fever, warmth surrounding the toe, or red streaks moving up the foot. Without treatment, an infection can spread to deeper tissues, increasing the risk of serious complications.
What does a septic ingrown toenail look like?
Signs of an ingrown toenail infection It’s a good idea to see a primary care doctor or a foot specialist (such as a podiatrist) if you notice the following: Your toe is inflamed, swollen or bleeding. There’s white or yellow pus around your nail. Your toe is painful or feels warm when you touch it. It is possible with paronychia that you may develop a pus-filled abscess at the site of the hangnail or other broken skin. Left untreated, the nail may also grow in abnormal patterns like waves or ridges, become discolored, or even fall off.Paronychia is not contagious, but if the cuticle or skin around the fingernails becomes damaged, then care must be taken to prevent bacteria and other organisms getting into the area and causing damage, or spreading to more than one finger.Symptoms. An acute paronychia causes throbbing pain, redness, warmth and swelling in the skin around a nail. In some cases, a small collection of pus forms under the skin next to the nail, or underneath the nail itself. Often, only one nail is affected.You may be able to treat mild cases of paronychia at home. Soak the infected area in warm water for about 15 minutes a few times a day. Be sure to dry the area thoroughly. Soaking the cuticle and nailbed helps pus drain from under the skin.
What draws out an infection in the toe?
Soak Your Toe: A warm saltwater soak (using about a teaspoon of salt in a basin of water) can help reduce swelling and draw out infection. Do this for 15–20 minutes, a few times a day. Apply an Antiseptic: After soaking, gently pat your toe dry and apply an antiseptic cream to prevent further bacterial growth. Healing Time for an Ingrown Foot Nail Moderate Cases: If there’s mild infection or inflammation, healing can take one to two weeks with proper care, including keeping the area clean and using over-the-counter medications.Retronychia is a lesser known nail condition that can sometimes be mistaken for an ingrown toenail. While ingrown toenails occur when the side of the nail curves into the skin, retronychia develops when a new nail plate grows underneath the old one instead of pushing it forward.Often, soaking the infected nail in warm water for 20 minutes a few times a day will help it heal on its own in a few days. An over-the-counter topical anti-bacterial ointment may be recommended too. If there’s an abscess, a doctor might need to drain it. In rare cases, part of the nail may have to be removed.In serious cases, an ingrown toenail infection can spread to other areas of the body. It’s possible to develop a bone infection or even gangrene, which can sometimes require amputation.
What does a bacterial toe infection look like?
While some clear fluid might appear with any ingrown toenail, pus indicates bacteria have moved in. This discharge often appears yellow, white, or greenish and may have an unpleasant odor. You might notice it when removing your sock or see crusty residue on your nail bed. If you have a moderate or severe paronychia, your doctor may treat it with an oral antibiotic. You also will be told to elevate the injured finger or toe, and to soak the infected area in warm water two to four times a day. If pus has accumulated near the nail, the doctor will numb the area and drain the pus.If left untreated, a collection of pus may develop as an abscess around the perionychium. Fluctuance and local purulence at the nail margin may occur, and infection may extend beneath the nail margin to involve the nail bed. Such an accumulation of pus can produce elevation of the nail plate (Table 1).
When to worry about an infected toe?
You should seek immediate medical attention if you have a fever and notice red streaks on your skin that lead away from the infected area on your toe, as these symptoms indicate a more severe infection. Call your doctor now or seek immediate medical care if: You have signs of new or worsening infection, such as: Increased pain, swelling, warmth, or redness. Red streaks leading from the infected skin.