Content

• Steps
• Advice
• Warning

Ingrown toenails (interstitial toenails) are usually caused by trimming toenails too short, but it can also be genetic (e.g., overly arched nail beds) or lifestyle (wearing high heels often. toe tightening). Ingrown toenails cause pain and inflammation because the angle or sides of the nail grow into the flesh of the toe, especially the big toe. You can control and treat ingrown nails at home, partly by soaking your feet in warm water. However, sometimes you will need medical intervention, especially if the nail becomes infected.

Steps

Part 1 of 3: Foot bath

1. 

   Prepare warm foot baths. The purpose of a foot bath in warm water is to: reduce the discomfort and to soften the nail, so that you can cut the nail or place something under the nail to relieve the pressure. Prepare a container large enough to soak your entire foot and fill it with warm water. You can add Epsom salt to reduce pain and swelling significantly. The magnesium in the salt also helps relax the leg muscles.
   • Salt acts as a natural antimicrobial, but you can still use other ingredients to prevent infection like white vinegar, hydrogen peroxide, bleach and iodine solution.
   • The warmer the foot bath, the more fluid it draws out of the toe, thereby reducing swelling.
   • If you can find, buy or borrow a small Jacuzzi, use it to soak your feet as the tub's jacuzzi effect will help the water circulate better and provide a gentle foot massage.
   • You can use table salt if you don't have Epsom salt at home.

2. 

   
   
   Soak your feet and toes with ingrown nails. After the water is warm enough and you've added Epsom salt and / or a natural disinfectant, soak the entire foot in the water for about 15-20 minutes. Depending on the results, you may repeat 3-5 times a day, so don't empty the salt water. If you use Epsom salt, you will notice your feet "shrink" after 20 minutes, which is a sign that fluid has been sucked out of your feet / toes.
   • Constantly bending your toes while soaking in water will help improve blood circulation.
   • If your toe is swollen, apply cold therapy (wrapped in a thin towel) after soaking until the toe feels numb (about 10 minutes). Ice helps relieve acute inflammation and pain relief.

3. 

   
   
   Massage your toes while soaking your feet. While soaking your feet in warm water, you can gently massage the inflamed tissue in batches to reduce inflammation. During the massage, you will notice some pus or blood discharge from your toes and mix with the water. This is a normal symptom and it will help relieve pressure and relieve pain in the toe.
   • Use your thumb and index finger to gently massage the most inflamed toe, starting with the farthest part and pushing towards the ankle.
   • You should only massage the toes while soaking the foot for about 5 minutes, as longer massaging can cause irritation.

4. 

   
   
   Dry feet thoroughly. After you have finished soaking in warm water, use a clean towel to dry the water on your feet. Keeping your toes dry is also important as bacteria and other potential pathogens (like fungi) that like a warm, moist environment can multiply and grow.
   • After drying your toes / feet, you should raise your feet (put pillows under) while sitting to improve blood flow from your feet, thereby helping to fight inflammation.
   • You can repeat the whole process every time you feel the pain of your toenail.
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Part 2 of 3: Treating ingrown toenails after foot baths

1. 

   Apply an antibiotic cream. Antibiotic creams, lotions, or ointments should be applied to ingrown toes at least a few times a day, especially before going to bed at night. After the cream has seeped into the soft tissue around the inflamed toe, you can wrap a sterile bandage around. Remember to change the bandage every time you reapply the antibiotic.
   • Use household ingredients that have antibiotic properties such as chlorox bleach, hydrogen peroxide, white vinegar, baking soda mixed in water, iodine solution, and fresh lemon juice.
   • Note that most home remedies that act as disinfectants are painful if the skin is cut / cut by an ingrown nail.
   • Colloidal Silver Colloidal Silver is a powerful antibiotic, antiviral, and antifungal that does not cause skin irritation or irritation when applied. You can find colloidal silver at most pharmacies or health supplement stores.

2. 

   Tuck cotton or floss under your toenails. After soaking your feet in warm water, the ingrown toenail will become softer and you can place a clean cotton ball, gauze or floss under the nail to soothe the delicate soft tissues near the nail bed. Be careful when pulling the inflamed skin and pick the nail with a nail file or similar, then gently place the cotton pad under the nail. Change cotton every day.
   • It can take 1-2 weeks for an ingrown toenail to regrow and not back into the skin.
   • Absolutely not "self-surgery" by cutting toenails to relieve pain because this will make the condition worse.

3. 

   Cut your toenails properly. Once the nail grows back long enough, don't let the same mistake repeat itself. Instead, cut nails straight, neatly, and don't cut into the edges of the nail or the corner of the nail. In addition, do not cut nails too short to avoid stimulating ingrown nails.
   • If you ask someone else to cut your nails, ask them to keep them straight and not close to the skin. Ideally, the toenail should be trimmed so that the nail can fit under the sides and the tip of the toenail.
   • If home treatments and nail modifications do not help or prevent ingrown nail growth, you should see a doctor or a podiatrist for advice and / or treatment.
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Part 3 of 3: Evaluate the nail condition

1. 

   Determine the cause of the pain. If your thumb (or other fingers) becomes inflamed and painful, take off your socks or shoes and look closely to determine the cause. Inflammation, pain that develops slowly, gets worse over several days, or if you have cut your toenails too short and / or wear tight shoes, it could be a sign of ingrown toenails. In most cases, it will be easy to spot where the toenail has penetrated or plunged into the soft tissue around the nail bed.
   • In addition to pain and swelling, other signs to watch for include redness and tenderness to the touch on one or both sides of the nail.
   • Ingrown toenails are common among teenagers, athletes, and especially men.

2. 

   Watch for signs of infection. The most serious consequence of an ingrown toenail is an infection that comes from the skin around the nail. An infected ingrown toenail will become more swollen, painful, rather stiff and warm to the touch, and eventually release foul-smelling pus. Due to the warmth and swelling, some areas of the skin will flake off and look like blisters.
   • An ingrown toenail infection is caused by the immune system sending white blood cells to kill bacteria at the site of damage, but sometimes bacteria multiply faster than the immune cells that contain them.
   • Seek medical attention if the infection does not go away after 1 week and / or seems to have spread. Your doctor can surgically remove the ingrown toenail.
   • Cutting the toenails at angles causes the nail to curl in the shape of the toe, causing the toenail to grow into the skin on either side.

3. 

   Rule out other causes of leg pain. There are many other pain problems that are similar to ingrown toenails that you should be aware of.Examples include gout (a type of arthritis), deformity of the big toe (chronic tendon ballooning with deformity), broken or dislocated toe, rheumatoid arthritis, necrosis (tissue death due to lack of source blood supply), neuralgia associated with diabetes, nerve tumors (benign tumors in the little nerves of the legs), fungal infection.
   • Gout can develop quickly, usually within a few hours and causes intense pain with inflammation in the big toe. Gout can be caused by a diet high in purine-rich foods such as seafood and organ meats.
   • A deformation of the big toe affects the big toe and is mainly caused by wearing tight shoes for long periods of time. Essentially, this is a chronic joint sprain. The hallmark is a curled, painful, arthritis-like toe.
   • Stumble or other toe injuries can cause ingrown toenails.
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Advice

• Adding essential oils (just a few drops) to ingrown toenail soaking, such as lavender essential oil, tea tree oil can help reduce infection.
• Wear shoes that fit your feet to avoid putting pressure on your toes, causing the toenails to grow and penetrate the surrounding tissues.
• While you wait for the inflammation in your toenails to subside, wear open-toed sandals or slippers instead of tight shoes.
• Buy shoes in the afternoon, as that's when the feet reach their full size, usually due to swelling and pressure in the soles of the feet.
• If the ingrown toenail has been removed by a doctor, the new nail will take 2-4 months to regrow.

Warning

• Instead of treating ingrown toenails at home, seek immediate medical attention if you have diabetes, nerve damage in your legs, poor blood circulation or weakened immune system.
• A local nail infection can develop into a deeper soft tissue infection (cellulitis) and may eventually cause a bone infection (osteomyelitis). So see if your nail swelling gets worse or doesn't go away after a week.