Buzz
An ingrown toenail can cause discomfort and pain. However, there are measures you can take to prevent your toenail from piercing your skin. Doing so might even spare you from needing surgery to extract the ingrown toenail! Just ensure that your ingrown toenail is not infected by checking for warmth, pus, redness, and swelling. If you observe any signs of infection, consult a physician.
Procedures
Treating an Ingrown Toenail
Consult your doctor or podiatrist first, especially if you have diabetes. Maintaining foot hygiene and monitoring for issues like ingrown toenails is crucial for diabetics. However, your physician may advise against self-treatment of an ingrown toenail due to safety concerns. Prior to attempting any home remedies, contact your doctor for guidance.
Soak your foot in a mixture of lukewarm water and Epsom salt. Avoid using hot water as it can cause swelling around the ingrown toenail. Perform this soak for 15-30 minutes at least twice daily. The objective is to soften the toenail and prevent infection.
Prepare your materials. Have a cotton round, cotton ball, or unflavored dental floss ready, along with sanitized tweezers and a toenail lifter.
Keep your toenail elevated. Use a sanitized implement to insert a small piece of cotton or unflavored dental floss between your toenail and the skin to prevent the ingrown toenail from recurring.
Let your toe breathe! Avoid wearing socks or shoes while indoors.
Monitor your progress. With proper application of the cotton or dental floss splint and good foot care, your ingrown toenail should grow out within a few weeks.
Consult your healthcare provider regarding taping. If your nails continue to cut into the skin, you might want to explore taping as an option. Taping involves securing a band-aid to the underside of your toe and pulling the skin away from where the nail is cutting into the nail bed. The aim is to alleviate pressure in the area and, if done correctly, facilitate drainage and drying. However, mastering this technique can be challenging, so it's advisable to seek guidance from your healthcare provider.
Exploring Unverified Home Remedies
Soak your foot in cool water mixed with a povidone-iodine solution. Add one or two teaspoons of povidone-iodine to cool soaking water instead of Epsom salts. Povidone-iodine serves as an effective antiseptic.
- Note that this won't cure an ingrown toenail, but it may help prevent infection.
Apply a combination of lemon juice and honey, then bandage the toe overnight. Coat the toe with fresh lemon juice and honey or Manuka honey, then wrap it with gauze and leave the bandage on overnight. The lemon and honey may aid in combating infection overnight.
- Lemon possesses antimicrobial properties, although it won't eliminate an ingrown toenail.
Utilize oils to soften the skin surrounding the toenail. Applying oils to the toenails can help moisturize and soften the skin, reducing pressure when wearing shoes. Consider the following oils for rapid relief:
- Tea tree oil: this essential oil acts as both an antibacterial and antifungal agent with a pleasant aroma.
- Baby oil: another fragrant mineral oil, lacking the antimicrobial properties of tea tree oil but effective for skin softening.
Tips for Avoiding Ingrown Toenails
Maintain moderate toenail length and trim them straight across. Rounded nails are more prone to growing into the surrounding skin, causing issues.
- Use toenail clippers or nail scissors for trimming. Regular nail clippers often leave sharp edges near the toenail's corner.
- Ideally, aim to trim your toenails every 2-3 weeks. Trimming too frequently may increase the risk of them becoming ingrown, unless your toenails grow exceptionally fast.
Avoid pedicures if your ingrown toenail is causing discomfort. Pedicures can exacerbate skin irritation beneath the nail, and unsanitary pedicure tools may worsen or cause infections.
Ensure your shoes fit properly. Ill-fitting shoes that exert pressure on your toenails can lead to ingrown nails. Opt for spacious, well-fitting shoes over tight ones.
- Consider wearing open-toed footwear to alleviate toe pressure. If coverage is necessary, use bandages or wear socks with sandals. Though not fashionable, it's preferable to surgery.
Stay vigilant if you're prone to ingrown toenails. Neglecting proper foot care after experiencing an ingrown toenail increases the likelihood of recurrence. However, proactive measures can prevent its return.
Apply antibiotic ointment to your feet twice daily. After your morning shower and before bedtime, apply antibiotic ointment to the ingrown toenail and surrounding area. This helps reduce the risk of infection, which can lead to complications and increased discomfort.
Soak your feet in lukewarm, soapy water for 15 to 30 minutes. After soaking, rinse your feet thoroughly to remove all soap residue. Then, pat them dry with a clean towel. Optionally, you can apply Neosporin and a bandaid to safeguard the area around the ingrown toenail.
Suggestions
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Avoid painting your toenails while dealing with ingrown nails. Exposure to unnecessary chemicals may cause irritation. Moreover, concealing any redness or discoloration with nail polish could delay detection of infection.
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Focus on resolving the ingrown toenail rather than enduring escalating discomfort. If home remedies prove ineffective, seek medical advice; your doctor may need to trim/remove the nail and prescribe antibiotics if an infection is present.
The guidance provided here is drawn from the firsthand experiences of Mytour readers like yourself. If you have a helpful tip you wish to contribute to Mytour, please share it below.
- Consider cutting a small v-shaped piece from the center of the toenail to prevent ingrowth. This encourages the nail to grow towards the center, pulling the edges inward rather than growing into the sides of the toe.
- Exercise caution not to trim the toenail too short and maintain a straight edge. Use a file to soften the corners. Gently lifting the corners with tweezers as the nail grows can also be beneficial.
- Soak your feet in warm water with Epsom salt, then add hydrogen peroxide to the affected area. Repeat daily until the infection subsides.
Cautions
- Ingrown toenails are prone to infection, so ensure proper coverage and cleanliness to prevent serious complications.
- If your ingrown toenail is swollen or has pus, it's likely infected. Seek medical attention for antibiotics before attempting the cotton or dental floss method. Note that antibiotics only reduce infection and won't resolve the nail growth issue; you can use cotton or dental floss along with antibiotics if approved by your doctor.
- If the cotton method combined with antibiotics fails, consult a doctor or podiatrist as surgical nail removal may be necessary.
Essentials
- Foot soak with cool or warm water
- Epsom salt
- Povidone iodine
- Cotton round or ball
- Tweezers or toenail lifter
- Antibiotic ointment
- Bandages
