Ingrown toenails and nail fungus
- What does toenail fungus look like?
- Is it safe to dig out an ingrown toenail at home?
- What makes a toenail grow into the skin?
- How long do nail fungus treatments take to work?
- How is an ingrown toenail removed in the office?
- Can an ingrown toenail get infected?
- Why does toenail fungus keep coming back?
- How can I prevent ingrown toenails?
- Who is more likely to get a fungal nail infection?
"Removed" is the word to watch in nail questions, because it can mean more than one thing. MedlinePlus defines the problem this way: "An ingrown toenail occurs when the edge of the nail grows into the skin of the toe." The definition is about an edge. Any promise of removal should say whether it means that edge, the whole nail, or the problem itself.
Nine questions and the wording each one turns on
- What does toenail fungus look like? Turns on "may" versus "will". Cleveland Clinic words it this way: "With toenail fungus, your nail becomes thick and yellow and may show white spots and streaks."
- Is it safe to dig out an ingrown toenail at home? Turns on "safe" and the condition attached to it.
- What makes a toenail grow into the skin? Turns on "makes": one cause, or several.
- How long do nail fungus treatments take to work? Turns on what "work" is measured by and which day the clock starts.
- How is an ingrown toenail removed in the office? Turns on what "removed" refers to.
- Can an ingrown toenail get infected? Turns on "can" versus "will".
- Why does toenail fungus keep coming back? Turns on "again": the same nail, or a new one.
- How can I prevent ingrown toenails? Turns on "prevent" versus "lower the chance of".
- Who is more likely to get a fungal nail infection? Turns on "more likely", and more likely than whom.
What the nine have in common
Each answer here carries a condition, and the condition is usually in the smaller print. A description that says a nail "may" change is not a description that says it will. A treatment that "works" needs a measure, a start date and an end date.
Readers around Itasca who want the instructions in full can read MedlinePlus on what follows ingrown toenail removal. The AAFP has an onychomycosis page that names nail fungus by its clinical term, so you can match it against the word on a chart or a bill.
A neighboring group where the wording overlaps
The question about trimming toenails when you have diabetes sits under diabetic foot care, where "safe" again comes with conditions attached.