Practical therapy for ingrown toenails.

The etiology, prevention, and previous therapies for ingrown toenails are presented. A simple, quick, relatively painless method for treating ingrown toenails is described, in which a cotton wick saturated with iodine tincture is inserted into the affected sulcus, separating the nail plate from the skin. Granulation tissue is treated with a cotton applicator saturated with a 50 percent silver nitrate solution. This method works on more than 80 percent of the ingrown toenails seen by this dermatologist, and is well tolerated by the patient.