Prevent and Treat Ingrown Toenails for Young Children

Ingrown nails can happen to anyone, and kids—even those less than a year old!—are no exception. The condition, of course, can be quite painful with lots of redness and swelling. On top of that, kids’ immune systems aren’t as well developed as those of their parents, and not as well suited to fighting off infections. Fortunately, getting an ingrown toenail fixed doesn’t have to be difficult or scary, and recovery times are quite quick!

If you want to help soothe your little one’s mild ingrown toenail, you can soak their feet a couple of times per day in warm water—that will soften them a bit and help with the tenderness and swelling. However, if pain persists, or you see any indication that there might be an infection, take your little one in to see us.

The best way to deal with an ingrown toenail is to remove the portion of the nail causing problems. Don’t worry! This very minor surgical procedure is conducted under local anesthesia, can be completed very quickly, and should not cause any pain for your child. Our team is sure to be warm, caring, and gentle throughout the procedure so that your little one feels as safe and comfortable as possible. If necessary, we can even perform another procedure to prevent that portion of nail from ever growing back.

If you don’t opt for the more permanent removal, there are a couple of tactics you can use with your child to help them prevent a recurrence:

• Make sure their shoes fit. Since kids’ feet grow so fast, tight shoes are a frequent problem. At the same time, shoes that are too big can also cause ingrown toenails if they slide around on feet and bump up against the nails frequently.
• Make sure nails are trimmed properly. Don’t cut them too short and curve them rather than cut them straight across. This presents less opportunity for the nail to grow inward or cut a person due to sharp corners. Teach your kids to trim this way if they are old enough.

Don’t let your little one suffer unnecessarily! Step in to our Wichita office and walk out happy! To schedule an appointment, give us a call today at (866) 222-5177