It is a painful condition in which the nail grows or cuts into one or both sides of the nail bed. Some of the known breeding grounds for ingrown nails are:

• Shoes that don’t fit, like those that are too narrow or too short can cause bunching of the toes causing the nail to curl and dig into the skin.
• Poor maintenance, like cutting the nail too short, rounded off at the tip or peeled off at the edges (versus being cut straight across), is likely to cause ingrowths.
• Trauma to the nail plate or toe, such as can occur by stubbing the toenail, dropping things on the toe and going through the end of your shoes’ in sports, can cause the flesh to become injured and the nail to grow irregularly and press into the flesh.
• Predisposition, like abnormally shaped nail beds, nail deformities caused by diseases, and a genetic proneness to nail problems can mean a tendency to ingrowths.

If there are signs of infection see your doctor immediately.