When your toenail is ingrown, the side or corner of the nail bends down and enters the skin of the toe. If this happens, the finger may swell, hurt, develop a rash, and sometimes, ooze pus. This condition, also known as onychocryptosis, usually affects the big toe, although all toes are still at risk for ingrown toenails. This condition is easy to treat, but while you wait for your toe to heal, you will be in pain. After making the diagnosis, use home remedies to relieve the pain. If your pain is too severe or your toenail is infected, see a doctor.
Step
Method 1 of 5: Making a Diagnosis
Step 1. Look for swelling of the toes
Ingrown toenails are usually slightly swollen on the sides. Compare that toe to the same toe on the other side of the foot. Do ingrown toes look bigger?
Step 2. Look for any pain or sensitivity in the ingrown area
The skin around the toenail will feel tender, or painful to the touch/pressure. Press with your fingers around the ingrown area to find the source of the pain.
Ingrown toenails may also ooze a little pus
Step 3. Check the location of your nails
In an ingrown toenail, the skin on the side will appear to be growing over the nail, or the nail may appear as if it is growing under the skin. You may find it difficult to find the top corner of your nail.
Step 4. Consider your health condition
Generally, ingrown toenails can be treated at home until they heal. However, if you have diabetes or another health condition that causes neuropathy/nerve damage, you should not try to treat the ingrown toenail on your own. You should make an appointment with a doctor immediately.
If you suffer from nerve damage or poor blood circulation in your leg/calf, your doctor will immediately examine your ingrown toenail
Step 5. Talk to the doctor
If you're not sure if you have an ingrown toenail, see your doctor. He or she can diagnose your toenail and give advice on how to treat it.
If your condition is very severe, he may advise you to see a podiatrist/podiatrist
Step 6. Don't let your toe get worse
If you have an ingrown toenail, you should start treating it right away. Otherwise, ingrown toenails can lead to more serious problems, such as infection.
You should see a doctor if the symptoms of ingrown toenail last more than 2-3 days
Method 2 of 5: Try Home Treatments
Step 1. Soak the feet in warm water
Use a large basin or tub to soak your feet. In this way, the swelling and tenderness will be reduced. Soak for about 15 minutes. Repeat 3-4 times a day.
- Add Epsom salt to the water. Epsom salt is known for its ability to reduce pain and swelling. Epsom salt can also soften toenails. Place 1 cup of Epsom salt in a bathtub filled with a few inches of water or foot soak mixture.
- If you don't have Epsom salt, use regular table salt. Salt water will reduce the growth of bacteria in the infected area.
- Gently massage the ingrown area. This will help the water seep into the nail, eliminating the bacteria and reducing the pain and swelling you feel.
Step 2. Use a cotton swab or thread to carefully pull out the edges of the nail
After soaking the feet, the nails will become mushy. Use dental floss carefully; place it under the edge of your nail. Gently pull the edges of the nail so it doesn't grow deeper into your skin.
- Try this approach every time after soaking your feet. Use long enough floss.
- Depending on the severity of the ingrown toenail, this method may be a little painful. You can take painkillers to hold it in.
- Do not plant the thread too deep in the toenail. You can cause a more serious infection, which requires medical intervention.
Step 3. Take painkillers
Over-the-counter medications like these can relieve the discomfort that strikes you. Try nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen, naproxen, or aspirin. NSAIDs can help reduce pain and inflammation.
If you can't take NSAIDs, try acetaminophen
Step 4. Use an antibiotic cream
These creams help fight infection and are available at drugstores and supermarkets.
- Antibiotic creams may also contain a topical anesthetic such as lidocaine. Lidocaine can provide temporary pain relief.
- Follow the directions for use on the cream packaging.
Step 5. Wrap your toes to protect them
To prevent the toe from getting further infected or getting caught in the sock, use a bandage to wrap it around.
Step 6. Wear open sandals or loose-fitting shoes
Give your feet extra room by wearing open-toed shoes, sandals, or other loose-fitting shoes.
Shoes that are properly sized can cause ingrown toenails to get worse
Step 7. Try homeopathic remedies
Homeopathy is an alternative medicine based on herbs and other natural ingredients that is used to treat various ailments. To treat ingrown toenails, try one of the following homeopathic remedies:
Silicea Terra, Teucrium, Nitric Acid, Graphites, Magnetic Polus Australis, Phosphoric Acid, Thuja, Causticum, Natrum Mur, Alumina, or Kali Carb
Method 3 of 5: Helps Heal Toenails
Step 1. Soak feet for 15 minutes
Use warm water and Epsom salt. This will help soften your nails, making it easier for you to pull them away from your skin.
Step 2. Pull the toenail away from the skin
Carefully pull the skin along the toenail. This will separate the skin from the nail so you can see the edges of the nail. Use dental floss or a tipped file to separate the nail edges from the skin. You may need to start with the non-ingrown side of the nail, then direct the thread or file to the ingrown side.
Make sure you clean the file with alcohol or hydrogen peroxide before you use it
Step 3. Clean the toes
When the nail separates from the skin, pour clean water, alcohol, or other disinfectant under the nail. This will prevent bacteria from accumulating in the area.
Step 4. Tuck the gauze under the edge of the nail
Prepare a small amount of gauze and wedge it under the raised nail. The point here is to prevent the edge of the nail from touching the skin, so the nail can grow away from the skin instead of piercing it further.
Step 5. Apply antibiotic cream around the nail
Once the gauze is in place, cover the area with an antibiotic cream. You can choose an ointment that contains lidocaine, which will numb the ingrown area.
Step 6. Apply plaster
Wrap gauze around the toe, or use a toe tape or sock (single toe wrap).
Step 7. Repeat the process every day
Continue the action so that the ingrown toenail heals. As it heals, the pain from the ingrown toenail and swelling of the finger will lessen.
Make sure you change the gauze every day so that there are no bacteria on the toenail area
Method 4 of 5: Asking Professionals for Help
Step 1. Seek medical help after 2-3 days
If home remedies don't fix the ingrown toenail after 2-3 days, call your doctor. If you have diabetes or another medical condition that causes nerve damage, see a doctor immediately and consider seeing a podiatrist.
- If there are red streaks on the toes, see a doctor immediately. This indicates a serious infection.
- You should also see a doctor if the ingrown toenail oozes pus.
Step 2. Talk to your doctor about your symptoms
He or she will ask when the ingrown toenail started and when your finger started to swell or redden and hurt. He or she may also ask if you have certain symptoms, such as a fever. Make sure you tell all the symptoms you are feeling.
General practitioners are usually able to treat ingrown toenails. However, if your case is more severe or recurring, see a podiatrist (foot specialist)
Step 3. Ask for an antibiotic prescription
If the toenail becomes infected, your doctor may prescribe oral or topical antibiotics. This antibiotic is useful for clearing the infection and preventing new bacteria from growing under the nail.
Step 4. Allow the doctor to try to remove the nail
He or she will probably try the mildest procedure, which is to lift the toenail slightly away from the skin. If he is able to do this, he will tuck gauze or cotton wool under it.
The doctor will give instructions for changing the gauze every day. Follow the directions to make sure your toenail heals
Step 5. Ask about partial nail trimming options
If an ingrown toenail is very infected or grows significantly in the skin of the finger, the doctor can remove it. He will give a local anesthetic, then cut the edge of the nail to remove the ingrown area.
- Toenails will grow back in 2-4 months. Some patients worry about the appearance of their toes after this procedure. However, if the nail has grown into the skin, your toe will usually look better after trimming the nail.
- Nail trimming may sound extreme, but it can actually relieve the pressure, irritation, and pain caused by an ingrown toenail.
Step 6. Ask about permanent nail trimming options
If you have frequent ingrown toenails, you may want a permanent solution. In this procedure, the doctor will remove part of the nail and the underlying tissue, so that the nail does not grow back in the same area.
This procedure is performed using lasers, chemicals, electric currents, or other surgical methods
Method 5 of 5: Preventing Indigestion
Step 1. Trim your toenails properly
Many cases of ingrown toenails occur because the toenails are not trimmed properly. Cut straight. Don't follow the circular shape.
- Use clean nail clippers.
- Don't cut your toenails too short. You can also leave it a little longer, so the nail doesn't grow into the skin.
Step 2. Visit a foot care clinic
If you can't trim your toenails yourself, visit a foot care clinic to do it. Check with a hospital or medical center in your area and look for a place that provides regular toenail trimming services.
Step 3. Avoid tight shoes
If the shoes you wear press against your toes, you may be at risk for ingrown toenails. The side of the shoe can put pressure on the toe and cause the nail to grow improperly.
Step 4. Protect the feet
If you are doing activities that could injure your fingers or toes, wear protective shoes. For example, wear shoes with iron toes on a construction site.
Step 5. Get help with toenail care if you have diabetes
People who suffer from diabetes usually feel numb in the legs. If you cut your own toenails, you may accidentally hit your finger without knowing it. Visit a foot care clinic or ask someone to trim your toenails.
