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Dr. Chrysoula I. Liakou MD, PhD
- Treated online: Partly. A doctor by video can assess the toe, advise on care at home and treat infection; removing part of the nail is done in person.
- What it is: the side or corner of a toenail digging into the skin next to it, most often on the big toe.
- Common causes: shoes that are too tight and nails cut too short or rounded at the corners.
- Self-care: warm, salty soaks 2 or 3 times a day, wide shoes or sandals, and pain relief while the nail grows out, which takes 2 to 6 weeks.
- Emergency: call 112 for spreading redness up the foot or leg with a high temperature and feeling very unwell.
Redness spreading up the foot or leg with a high temperature, shivering, or feeling very unwell or confused needs 112. If you have diabetes or poor circulation and the toe is red, swollen or weeping pus, get prompt in-person care rather than waiting.
Can an online doctor treat an ingrown toenail?
Partly. An ingrown toenail is easy to recognise on camera, so a doctor by video can confirm it, tell you whether it is infected, explain how to ease it at home, and prescribe antibiotics when there is infection. When the nail keeps digging in, or comes back again and again, part of the nail needs removing by a podiatrist or doctor in person, and the online doctor tells you when that is the next step.
How an online consultation helps with an ingrown toenail
- Infection checked: Redness, swelling, pus and fever are checked first, and antibiotics are prescribed when the toe is infected.
- Care that works: How to soak the toe, what to wear, and why cutting the nail edge out yourself often makes it worse.
- The right next step: When the nail needs a podiatrist, and what partial nail removal involves.
- Fewer repeats: How to cut your nails and choose shoes so it does not come back.
What the doctor checks in an online consultation
The doctor asks about:
- The toe: which nail, how long it has been sore, and whether it is red, swollen, weeping or bleeding.
- Signs of infection: pus, spreading redness, a high temperature, or feeling hot and shivery.
- Your health: diabetes, poor circulation, a weakened immune system, and numbness in the feet.
- How you cut your nails: short, rounded at the corners, or trimmed down the sides.
- Shoes and activity: tight or pointed shoes, sport, and recent injury to the toe.
- Earlier ingrown toenails: how often it happens and what was done before.
Before the call, wash and dry the foot, find good light, and have both feet ready to show on camera.
Ingrown toenail symptoms and stages
An ingrown toenail usually affects the big toe, most often the outer edge. The toe is red, painful and swollen, and the nail may curve into the skin. It tends to move through three stages:
Swipe sideways to compare →
| Stage | What you notice | What usually helps |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Inflamed | Redness and mild swelling at the end of the toe, with no pus | Warm, salty soaks, roomy shoes and pain relief |
| 2. Infected | White or yellow pus or discharge, more pain and swelling | A doctor’s assessment; antibiotics if infected |
| 3. Overgrown | Soft, red, raw-looking tissue growing over the nail edge, more swelling and pus, sometimes fever | Treatment of the nail by a podiatrist or doctor in person |
An infected toe may leak fluid with a bad smell. Infection can spread into the skin of the toe and foot. Hot, red, swollen skin that is spreading is cellulitis, which needs prompt treatment.
What causes an ingrown toenail?
The two most common causes are shoes that do not fit and nails that are cut the wrong way. Other causes include:
- cutting the nails too short, which is the most common cause, or rounding off the corners
- tight, narrow or pointed shoes, and tight socks
- an injury to the toe, such as stubbing it or dropping something on it, or repeated pressure from running and kicking
- a family tendency: it often runs in families
- sweaty feet, which soften the nail and the skin around it
- a fungal nail infection that thickens the nail
- a naturally curved or wide nail
- some medicines, such as retinoid tablets
A painful, swollen fold around a fingernail or toenail without the nail digging in is often paronychia, an infection of the skin around the nail.
How to treat an ingrown toenail at home
Mild ingrown toenails often settle with care at home while the nail grows out:
- Soak the foot in warm, salty water for 10 to 20 minutes, up to 3 or 4 times a day, to soften the skin and lower the risk of infection, then dry it well and keep it dry for the rest of the day.
- Wear wide, comfortable shoes or open sandals.
- Take paracetamol or ibuprofen for the pain, following the leaflet.
- Leave the nail to grow out rather than cutting into the corner.
- Do not pick at the toe or the nail.
A pharmacist can advise on pain relief and how to avoid infection. See a doctor if home treatment is not helping, if the toe is painful and swollen with pus, if you have a high temperature or feel hot, cold or shivery, or if you have diabetes.
How long does an ingrown toenail take to heal?
There is no overnight fix. A mild ingrown toenail often settles with care at home over days to weeks, as the nail grows out. When a doctor or podiatrist lifts the nail edge with cotton, floss or a small splint so that it grows over the skin, this takes 2 to 12 weeks. The quickest lasting fix for a badly ingrown nail is a minor procedure: after partial nail removal, most people are back to normal activities the next day, and the side of the nail takes 2 to 4 months to grow back, unless the root was treated so that it does not regrow.
Can an ingrown toenail be dangerous?
Rarely. The risk is infection spreading from the toe into the foot as cellulitis, which needs prompt treatment. With diabetes or poor circulation, a minor problem such as an ingrown toenail can heal poorly and become infected, so get it checked early.
Which ingrown toenail treatment might the doctor recommend?
Treatment depends on the stage, whether the toe is infected, and how often it has happened. This is the framework the doctors use, in line with NHS and dermatology guidance.
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| What you have | Likely first step | Suitable for online care? | When in-person care is needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red, sore toe, no pus | Soaks, roomy shoes and pain relief while the nail grows | Yes | Not usually needed |
| Pus or discharge from the nail edge | Antibiotics, with soaks and care at home | Yes | If it does not improve |
| Spreading redness on the foot | Antibiotics for cellulitis | Yes, to assess | If you are unwell or it spreads fast |
| Overgrown tissue, or keeps coming back | Partial nail removal by a podiatrist | Yes, to assess | For the procedure |
| Diabetes or poor circulation | An early check of the foot | Yes, to assess | Often, to examine the foot |
Toe red, swollen or weeping? A doctor can check it on camera and treat infection in one consultation.
See available times →Treatment options for an ingrown toenail
What you can do yourself
- Soak the toe in warm, salty water, and keep the foot clean and dry afterwards.
- Wear wide shoes or sandals until the toe settles.
- Use paracetamol or ibuprofen for the pain.
Prescription treatment
A prescription is never issued without a consultation. When the toe is infected, the doctor can prescribe antibiotics, as a cream or ointment for mild infection or tablets when it is spreading. Antibiotics treat the infection but do not fix the nail, so care at home continues. If the doctor prescribes, use the prescription at a pharmacy near you.
Nail procedures
A podiatrist or doctor may first lift the edge of the nail with cotton, waxed floss or a small splint, or tape the skin away from the nail, so that it grows over the skin. When the nail keeps growing in, a podiatrist can cut away the side of the nail, or occasionally remove the whole nail, after numbing the toe with a local anaesthetic injection. A chemical such as phenol is often applied to the nail root so that strip of nail does not grow back. Surgery prevents it coming back better than the other methods, though it can still recur.
This is a short procedure done in person. Most people have little pain afterwards. Rest and raise the foot for the first 12 to 24 hours, take pain relief as needed, and do not swim or use a hot tub until the podiatrist says it is fine.
What does not help
Digging the corner out yourself, picking at the toe, or cutting the nail shorter and rounder often makes it grow back into the skin. Cutting a notch in the nail does not stop it curving down, and pharmacy products may ease the pain but do not fix the nail. Tight, pointed shoes keep the pressure on.
How to prevent an ingrown toenail
- Cut your toenails straight across, not down the edges.
- Do not cut them too short or round off the corners: keep them level with the tips of your toes, so that you can slip a fingernail under the edges.
- Wear shoes and socks that fit properly, with room for your toes.
- Wear protective footwear, such as steel-toe-capped boots, if your work or sport risks injuring your toes.
- Keep your feet clean, and dry them thoroughly, especially between the toes.
- If you have diabetes, check your feet every day, and see a podiatrist if you cannot trim your nails safely.
Special situations
Diabetes
Foot problems can be more serious with diabetes, and an ingrown toenail can lead to an infection that is easy to miss when the feet are numb, so see a doctor early. A podiatrist can help with nail care.
Poor circulation or a weakened immune system
Healing is slower and infection spreads more easily, so the doctor has a lower threshold for antibiotics and an in-person check.
Runners and footballers
Repeated pressure from running and kicking can push the nail into the skin. Shoes with room at the toes, socks that are not tight, and nails cut straight across and not too short lower the risk.
Ingrown toenails that keep coming back
Repeated ingrown toenails on the same side are the main reason for partial nail removal with treatment of the nail root.
After nail surgery
Keep the dressing clean and dry, wear loose shoes, and follow the aftercare advice from the podiatrist. Increasing pain, redness or pus after the first few days may mean infection and needs checking.
Children
Mobi Doctor consultations are for adults aged 18 and over. A child who is unwell needs a paediatrician or a local doctor in person, and emergency signs in a child mean 112.
When an ingrown toenail is treated online, and when you need in-person care
Treated online: a red, sore toe from an ingrown nail, care at home, infection that needs antibiotics, advice on nail cutting and shoes, and checks after nail surgery.
In-person care: partial or full nail removal, overgrown tissue at the nail edge, ingrown toenails that keep coming back, spreading infection in someone who is unwell, and foot problems with diabetes or poor circulation that need examination.
When to get in-person care
Call 112 or go to an emergency department now for:
- redness spreading quickly up the foot or leg with a high temperature, shivering, or feeling very unwell or confused
Get medical advice the same day for:
- a red, swollen toe with pus and a high temperature, or feeling hot and shivery
- redness spreading from the toe onto the foot
- an infected toe if you have diabetes, poor circulation or a weakened immune system
How Mobi Doctor works
- Book a time that suits you: daily 7am–11pm CEST. You can see a doctor over video, usually within 15 minutes. No subscription, and the exact price is shown before you pay.
- Speak to a licensed doctor about your toe: show the nail and the skin around it on camera in good light, and mention diabetes or circulation problems.
- Leave with a plan: what to do, what to take and for how long, and which signs mean you should be seen in person. If the doctor prescribes, use the prescription at a pharmacy near you.
No sign-up needed
Not sure it’s an ingrown toenail? Tick every symptom you have to see each condition page that mentions it. It finds the right page, not a diagnosis: a doctor gives you that on a video call.
Tap the body — an area or a point — to browse symptoms anywhere
Similar symptoms, different condition? Paronychia can start the same way. Compare them, or look up any other symptom in the full symptom checker.
Frequently asked questions about ingrown toenails
What does an ingrown toenail look like?
With an ingrown toenail, the skin at the side of the nail, usually on the big toe, is red, swollen and painful, and the nail may curve into it. When it is infected there may be pus, and later soft, red tissue can grow over the nail edge.
How do I know if my ingrown toenail is infected?
Pus coming from the edge of the ingrown toenail, increasing pain and swelling, redness spreading onto the toe or foot, and feeling hot or shivery are signs of infection.
What is the fastest way to get rid of an ingrown toenail?
There is no overnight fix. A mild one often settles with warm, salty soaks, wide shoes and pain relief as the nail grows out. For a badly ingrown nail, the quickest lasting fix is partial nail removal under local anaesthetic, after which most people are back to normal activities the next day.
Will an ingrown toenail go away by itself?
A mild ingrown toenail often does, with care at home, as the nail grows out over days to weeks. One that keeps digging in, becomes infected or keeps coming back usually needs treatment.
How do you treat an ingrown toenail at home?
For an ingrown toenail, soak the foot in warm, salty water, dry it well, wear wide shoes or sandals, take paracetamol or ibuprofen for pain, and leave the nail to grow out without cutting into the corner.
Do I need antibiotics for an ingrown toenail?
Only if the ingrown toenail is infected. Antibiotics clear the infection, but the nail can still dig in, so care at home and sometimes nail surgery are still needed.
Is it okay to dig out an ingrown toenail?
No. Digging out the corner of an ingrown toenail or cutting the nail shorter and rounder often makes it grow back into the skin. Leave it to grow out, and see a podiatrist if it keeps happening.
How do I drain pus from an ingrown toenail?
Do not cut or squeeze it yourself. Warm, salty soaks keep it clean, but pus from an ingrown toenail means infection, so see a doctor, who may prescribe antibiotics or refer you to a podiatrist to remove the part of the nail that is digging in.
Can an ingrown toenail kill you?
Very rarely. The risk with an ingrown toenail is infection spreading into the foot or leg, which needs prompt treatment. Spreading redness with a high temperature or feeling very unwell needs 112, and people with diabetes or poor circulation should get any infected toe checked early.
Why do I keep getting ingrown toenails?
Cutting nails short or rounded, tight shoes and a naturally curved nail are the usual reasons for repeated ingrown toenails. If it keeps coming back on the same side, partial nail removal with treatment of the nail root is the usual next step.
Is an ingrown toenail dangerous with diabetes?
It can be. An ingrown toenail, like any foot problem, can be more serious with diabetes, and infection is easy to miss when the feet are numb, so see a doctor early about any red, swollen or weeping toe.
Can an online doctor treat an ingrown toenail?
Partly. A doctor can assess an ingrown toenail on camera, advise on care at home and prescribe antibiotics for infection. Removing part of the nail is done by a podiatrist in person.
- Ingrown toenail, NHS, National Health Service (UK), reviewed 30 June 2025.
- Ingrown toenail, DermNet, New Zealand, 2005.
- Ingrown toenails: diagnosis and treatment, Mayo Clinic, updated 30 April 2025.
- Ingrown toenails: symptoms and causes, Mayo Clinic, updated 30 April 2025.
- Ingrown toenail, American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons, FootHealthFacts, accessed 15 October 2026.
This page is for information only and is not a substitute for a medical consultation. Guideline links are provided for transparency; treatment decisions are made with your doctor.
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