Antibiotics are often used to treat the infected ingrown toenail, but don't forget that the cause of the infected (the ingrown nail) is still there, so there is not a lot of point in treating the infection while the cause remains. Sometimes antibiotics are used to help the infection clear after the nail has been removed.A skilled Podiatrist can easily remove the corner or spike that has penetrated the skin, often with relatively little discomfort. If the ingrown nail is too painful, a local anesthetic may be needed to do this. Don't forget that unless the offending piece of nail that is causing the ingrown toe nail is removed, the infection is likely to persist.
After this some antiseptic dressing for a few days is all that is needed to clear up the infection, especially if you are healthy and have no healing problems. Antibiotics and/or prolonged period of dressings are needed, especially if there is a problem with wound healing or if the circulation is poor or if you have diabetes.
Occasionally, after the above treatment if the pain persist - this may be due to there being another spike of nail deeper down causing the ingrown toenail.
Ongoing treatment of the ingrown toenail (onychocryptosis):
Ingrown toe nails have a great tendency to happen again. They happen in the first place because of a number of reasons - the most common of those reasons is the shape to the nail. Generally, this is if the nail is curved down the side. With good self treatment (see above), it may be possible to prevent it reoccurring.
Regular treatment by a Podiatrist can often be needed, as a conservative approach to prevent the nail becoming a problem is can be recommended.
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