The acute swelling and pain of ingrown toenail cannot be described in words. The stabbing pain of it seems like some pin or a needle has been hammered to your toes and the pain is unbearable. Every time you tend to keep your feet on the ground or tend to walk, the pain tends to increase at an enormous rate. If you ever have been the victim of facing the problem of an ingrown toenail, you will be able to understand how severe the pain is and it tends to last forever.
Also known as onychocryptosis, occurs at any age. It is known to be one of the most common problems when it comes to toes or feet. The feeling is really acute and harshly painful, only if it gets treated with utmost care. Studies and research have conducted that from 14 to 25 years of age, both men and women tend to face such a problem.
Why does this happen?
An ingrown toenail occurs when the edge of your toenail gets curved or it tends to start growing around the toe area or skin region. The pain is quite acute which might result in swelling and redness. Most the big toe of your foot tends to get in such a problem. When you tend to treat an ingrown toenail, you need to be highly careful and perform it with utmost care under experts advice.
What are the common causes of an ingrown toenail?
Some of the most common aspects of an ingrown toenail are –
- Improper cutting of your toenails.
- Wearing tight fit shoes or sandals
- Cutting your toenails way shorter than it should be
- Thickening of the nail palette
- Excessive use of drugs like for such as a treatment of acne
- There is an occurrence of toenail fungus as well. If that tends to grow in your nails, it starts creating small trauma which results in the cutting of the nail or breakage of the nail. To fix an ingrown toenail, you have to take proper care and keep your nail clean and healthy.
Home Remedies to fix an ingrown toenail
1. Soak your feet in the lukewarm soapy water
- Soak your foot in lukewarm soapy water which proves to be highly beneficial for you. It will keep the area clean and bacteria free.
- Repeat the process for nearly 4 to 5 times in a day for nearly 20 to 25 minutes.
- Using Castiole soap is one of the best options. You can also tend to add some Epsom salt to the water for treating the ingrown toenail.
- Wash your ingrown toenail with Apple Cider Vinegar
- The most natural treatment for ingrown toenail is washing it with apple cider vinegar. Having anti-septic properties, apple cider vinegar has the pain-relieving ability and also has anti-inflammatory properties.
- Add a quarter cup of vinegar in purified water. This is one of the solutions that help to treat an ingrown toenail and prevent it from bacteria.
- The solution will help in making your ingrown toenail clean and prevent it from bacteria. Though it will not help in the complete healing of the ingrown toenail.
2. Pack the area with Dental Floss
- Placing the dental floss under the area of your ingrown toenail will help in shifting the nail in a proper direction instead to growing through the skin.
- Try to live the nail from the corner of the skin and place a tiny amount of cotton gauze, rolling it like a wick, in between the nail plate and the nail fold.
- For an easier method, use a dental floss that is not flavored else you will suffer from the burning sensation. Keep the nail elevated to help it grow out from the skin. The process is a bit uncomfortable but is helpful to treat an ingrown toenail.
3. Use Essential Oils To remodel inflammation
- Essential oils like tea tree oil, clove oil, lavender oil, rosemary oil, and carrier oil as well as coconut oil are highly beneficial for treating an ingrown toenail.
- Mix all the essential oils together properly and apply the mixture to the treated area.
- It helps in the prevention from the natural pain and provides relief to the ingrown toenail, making the area clean and healthy for ingrown toenail removal.
4. Apply Antibiotic Ointment
- Using antibiotic ointment over the area can help o treat the ingrown toenail. It helps in healing properly and also prevents it from further spreading of the infection.
- As per the manufacturer’s instruction, apply the ointment nearly 3 to 4 times a day.
- Make sure that you use a bandage to cover the area post the application of the cream for the proper healing process of your ingrown toenail.
5. Wear Comfortable Shoes or Sandals
- Wearing too tight shoes or sandals makes your feel too crowded leading to the cause of ingrown toenails.
- To prevent such an occurrence from happening, it is always better to wear socks and shoes that are not too tight to your feet.
- During the time when you are suffering from an ingrown toenail, it is better to avoid wearing such shoes or sandals and keep your feel as relaxed as possible.
6. Use a toe protector
- A toe protector acts as a cushion barrier for your ingrown toenails.
- These protectors are available in the form of rings which completely fits the affected area and helps in covering the entire toe area.
- There are some brands that come with a medicated gel that helps in the softening of the toenails and helps in easy ingrown toenail removal.
7. Opt for Toe Brace
- Mostly made of thin adhesive, it is a composite material that gets glued to your nails, then the top of your toe.
- This actually helps to provide a protective layer to your skin so that you can easily remove the ingrown toenail and life the edges of the nail as the nail tends to grow.
8. Oral Antibiotics
- Oral Antibiotics should only be taken under the expert’s advice. if you have a weak immune system or infected nail, the doctor will prescribe you to make the pills.
- Infections such as puss, throbbing pain, swelling, the foul odor can be prevented with the intake of such antibiotics.
- Never take the medicines without consulting the doctor beforehand.
9. Go for Nail Removal
- In case the above-mentioned factors are not working for you, opt for going for a session for nail removal.
- Consult a local anesthetic and let the doctor help in the removal of the ingrown toenail from the nail’s border.
- In most of the severe cases, the entire ingrown nail is removed. It tends to be highly painful. There are chances where it can spread the infection or chances of the nail not growing back.
- Doctors recommended treatment for ingrown toenail
10. Lift the nail
When you are getting the ingrown toenail at the initial position where there are redness and pain but no puss, the expert might slight lift up the ingrown nail edge and place the dental floss underneath. This will help in the separation of the nail from the skin and get it to its normal positioning. When at home, you can conduct the process by altering the material.
11. Removing the nail Partially
If the ingrown toenail has grown to be more severe, the expert might trim the area and remove of the portion of the nail. Before conducting the procedure, the area will be numbed by the professionals so that you do not feel the acute pain.
12. Removal of the nail and tissue
If you consistently have the same problem, again and again, it is better to opt for the removal of the nail and the tissue. The procedure might prevent the nail from growing back as there is the implementation of the chemicals and laser methods involved.
Final Words –
In most cases, ingrown toenails are never that serious. Then tend to improve within a span of a week if treated with utmost care. If you are leaving it untreated, you will have to face acute pain, swelling, and redness which might get worse with time. Just take the necessary prevention so that it doesn’t happen to you again. Try to trim your nail not less than the tip of your toe along the same time wear protective foot gear. It is always mandatory to keep your nail clean and healthy and free from bacteria and fungus. The more you take care of your nail, the lesser is the chances of such problems hampering you.