Ingrown toenails can cause pain and discomfort. Here's a way to stop toenails growing before they penetrate your skin, as well as some general tips for dealing with them. This article might even keep you away from having to have surgery to treat an ingrown toenail!
Step
Method 1 of 3: Cotton Ball
Step 1. Soak your feet in a mixture of warm water and Epsom salt (adjust the temperature of the water according to your ability to withstand heat)
Do this for 15-30 minutes at least twice a day. The purpose of this is twofold: to soften the nail and prevent it from becoming infected.
Step 2. Prepare your equipment
Get a cotton ball, tweezers, and something with a slightly sharp tip (like the tool you use to remove dead skin).
Step 3. Trim your toenails, being careful where they penetrate the skin
Make sure your toenails are trimmed perfectly straight without leaving sharp edges. Toenails that are cut in circles are more likely to grow through the skin.
Step 4. Pinch your toenails so they lift up a bit
Using a cotton swab, tuck it between your toenail and your skin, this will prevent the ingrown toenail from happening again.
- Take a small piece of cotton using tweezers from the cotton ball you have prepared.
- Pinch this cotton ball with tweezers and insert it into the crooked corner of your foot.
- Use something slightly sharp to push the cotton so that it can get into the corner under your toenail. Don't press too hard or you'll get hurt! The cotton swab should form a small ball under your toenail at the corner. Adjust the size of the cotton so that it is not too small and not too big so that the cotton sticks out. Use an amount of cotton that is comfortable for you.
- Change the cotton every day to clean the ingrown area and reduce the risk of infection.
Step 5. Stop the infection
Use an anti-infective ointment and keep your ingrown toenail bandaged. Neosporin is an effective ointment for this.
Step 6. Give your toes some air
Don't wear socks or shoes when you're at home.
Step 7. Check again
If you put a cotton swab in and care for your feet properly, then your toenail that penetrated through the skin and caused the ingrown toenail will return to normal in a few weeks.
Change the cotton every day to keep the toes from getting infected. If your toenail hurts, change the swab every other day and check it daily for signs of infection
Method 2 of 3: Unproven Home Treatments
Step 1. Soak your feet in a mixture of warm water with povidone-iodine liquid (usually this ingredient is in Betadine)
Place a cap or two of povidone-iodine in warm water, not Empsom salt water. Povidone-iodine is an antimicrobial liquid that fights infections and fungi, which works by creating a protective film until the liquid is rinsed off.
Step 2. Wrap your toes with a slice of lemon and leave it overnight
Tie a thin slice of lemon to your toes using gauze. The acidity of the lemon will fight infection when you leave it overnight.
Step 3. Use the oil to soften the skin around your toenails
The oil can help moisturize and soften the skin, so the pressure you put on your toenails will be less when you put on your shoes. Use the oils below as a quick solution:
- Tea tree oil: this essence oil is an anti-bacterial and anti-fungal oil that smells great.
- Baby oil: this oil is also a mineral oil that has a nice scent, doesn't have the antimicrobial elements like tea tree oil, but is effective at softening the skin.
Step 4. Try using liquid potassium permanganate
This liquid is a home care liquid that is commonly used for athlete's foot. For 2 to 3 weeks, mix 0.04% potassium permanganate in water and soak your feet for 15 to 20 minutes. Do this once a day. Your feet will be a little brown, but the permanganate is a natural disinfectant that will help keep the feet and nails clean.
Step 5. Reduce pressure and increase dryness by applying plaster
Apply the tape to the bottom of your toe and guide it from the location where the nail penetrates the nail bed. The key here is to keep the skin surface away from the nail growing through the plaster coating. This can reduce pressure in the area, and, if done properly, dry out the wound.
Method 3 of 3: General Tips for Preventing Ingrown Toenails
Step 1. Keep your toenails at a moderate length and trim them as soon as that happens
Nails that are cut in circles have a higher risk of growing through the skin and causing problems.
- Use toenail clippers or nail clippers to trim your toenails. Don't use standard nail clippers that are too small to leave sharp edges in the corners of your toenails.
- Trim your toenails every 2-3 weeks. Unless your toenails grow very quickly, trimming your nails frequently will not increase your risk of developing an ingrown toenail.
Step 2. Avoid a pedicure while you still have an ingrown toenail
Pedicures can worsen the condition of the skin under your nails; pedicure tools may also be unhygienic and may worsen or cause infection.
Step 3. Make sure your shoes are the right size
Shoes that are too small and press on your toenails can cause these toenails to penetrate the skin. Choose shoes that are larger and more spacious, not smaller and more comfortable.
Wear shoes with open toes to prevent pressure on your toes. Since you still have to cover your ingrown toenail, use a bandage or socks when you're wearing sandals. Although this method is not fashionable, you are better off doing it than having to go through a surgical procedure
Step 4. Watch out for frequent nail growths that penetrate the skin
If you've had it, chances are you will, so take the necessary steps to prevent it in the future.
Step 5. Apply an antibiotic cream to your feet twice a day
After you finish showering in the morning, and once before you go to bed, apply the antibiotic cream all over your feet, not just the toes. This antibiotic cream will reduce the risk of infection, which can lead to complications and worsening pain.
Step 6. Soak your feet in warm soapy water for 45 minutes
Apply Neosporin on the corners of your toes, at the site of the ingrown toenail. Wrap with plaster. Leave it until the nail condition improves, then remove it.
Tips
- Focus on getting rid of the nail growing through the skin rather than waiting and watching it get worse and more painful.
- Don't paint your nails when you have an ingrown toenail. Unnecessary chemicals can lead to infection.
- Cut or remove dead/dry skin on the edges of the nails. In addition to feeling pleasant, this will help breathing in the area.
- Trimming the part of the nail that covers the skin feels good, but it will only make your treatment process take longer.
- Squeeze out the pus and then use a wet tissue to wipe it off. Leave your feet exposed to air, do not use plasters as this can slow down the healing process of the ingrown toenail.
- Soak your toenails in raspberry water for a faster healing process.
- Cover your feet to prevent infection. Use socks! However, don't wear colored socks; when your feet sweat, the dye can run off and infect your feet. Use clean, colorless socks.
Warning
- If your toenail is very swollen and oozing pus, you most likely have an infection. See your doctor for antibiotics before inserting the cotton swab. Be aware that antibiotics will only relieve the infection and will not cause your nails to grow back normally, so cotton swabs should also be used along with these antibiotics.
- Your toenails are very susceptible to infection when you have an ingrown toenail, so cover and clean your nails as best you can to avoid serious consequences.
- If cotton and antibiotic methods fail, see a doctor or podiatrist as you may have to undergo surgery to remove the nail.
- Do not remove dead skin from your toenails as this can irritate them and increase the risk of ingrown toenails.
