Did my ingrown toenail develop into a skin abscess? i've always had irritation from ingrown toenails. lately, i have even more redness and swelling on my toe near the nail. i clipped the nail several days ago there is still swelling. i actually went to my

It's : It's hard to say without examining you whether you actually have an infection, an abscess, or just an overgrowth of granulation tissue from the ingrown nail. If your primary care doctor is unable to help you, you may want to contact a podiatrist in your area. If needed, they can cut out the piece of the nail that is ingrown - sometimes at the root of the nail - and apply a medication to stop the nail from re-growing in that spot and becoming ingrown again. In the meantime, make sure you are soaking your toe in warm water 2-3 times a day for 20 minutes at a time. If it is worsening instead of improving, or if you have increased redness, swelling, pain, drainage, or fever, call your doctor immediately.

It is possible.: Ingrown toenails can be temporarily remedied through soaking your foot in warm water, removal of embedded debris from the nail borders, and applying an antibiotic ointment to temporarily soften the corners. If you have redness and drainage, get it looked at by a professional as you may need to have the ingrown nail border removed and you may need antibiotics.

Removal, antibiotics: If your ingrown nail is infected, you might need antibiotics, and maybe a nail procedure. Just the painful border can be removed, or the entire nail (you're numbed up for this, don't worry!). While waiting to see your doctor, soak the toe 10 min/day in luke warm water and epsom salts, use a small amount of topical antibiotic ointment, and cover with a bandaid. Don't go after it yourself!

Probably: The nail is considered dirty. If it actually breaks the skin you usually get an infection. This can become an abscess if not treated. There may also be a spicule present under the skin that you can not see or get to. See a podiatrist.

Typically : Typically ingrown toe nails cause a localized infection of the skin surrounding the nail (cellulitis) which could eventually lead to an abscess if left untreated. What you described sounds more like cellulitis. The treatment for this is antibiotics. The treatment for an abscess is the same, however in some case it may need to be opened and drained. If your primary care doctor is not treating your problem then you should ask for a referral to a podiatrist (foot doctor). You also probably need the ingrown toe nail to be surgically removed. Best of luck.

Get it looked at.: The ingrown part of the nail is not always visible. Try soaking your foot in warm water, removal of embedded debris from the nail borders, and applying an antibiotic ointment to temporarily soften the corners. If you have redness and drainage, get it looked at by a professional, as you may need to have the ingrown nail border removed. You may need antibiotics.

Yes: This probably developed into an abscess. You will need to go to your podiatrist to get this taken care of. This is very routine and will be done in the office. They will numb your toe and remove the side of the nail and clean out the infection. Good luck.

Ingrown nail: This sounds like infection. The right thing to do is see your podiatrist for treatment.