Can an Ingrown Toenail Heal on Its Own?

If you’ve ever had an ingrown toenail, you know how easily minimal tenderness turns into something far harder to ignore. While some mild cases resolve on their own, many worsen without professional treatment. 

Many residents of Alexandria, Virginia, turn to Leland Gilmore, DPM, and Shalin Panchigar, DPM, of Capital Podiatry Associates for all podiatry needs, including ingrown toenail treatment. Here, we explain the causes of ingrown toenails, when they can heal on their own, and how we can help.

What causes ingrown toenails?

An ingrown toenail develops when the side or corner of your toenail grows down into the skin rather than straight out from your nail bed. This most commonly affects the big toe, but can occur on any toe. 

Some people are predisposed to ingrown toenails because of the way their nail beds are positioned and the way their skin grows around their toenails. Other contributing factors include:

• Cutting toenails with tapered or curved edges
• Trimming toenails too short
• Wearing tight shoes
• Being an adolescent (because your skin is softer from increased perspiration)
• Having an injury, like a stubbed toe
• Running or kicking a ball
• Decreased ability to care for your feet and toenails (e.g., arthritis, limited flexibility)

As you can see, some of these factors are within your control, while others are not. 

Can an ingrown toenail heal on its own?

In some cases, when the toenail barely encroaches into the skin, an ingrown toenail may be able to heal on its own. This is especially true when a specific incident led to the ingrown toenail, like a few days of wearing tight shoes or damage to a nail during a soccer game. 

If you trimmed your toenails with rounded edges and notice an ingrown toenail developing, you could try to gently lift the edge of the nail to allow it to grow out normally. But once the nail has grown deeper into the surrounding skin, it likely won’t heal without intervention. 

Some people experience recurring ingrown toenails no matter what steps they take. In these cases, working with a professional is best. If you have diabetes, always have a podiatry specialist address any skin disruptions on your feet, including ingrown toenails.