We speak of ingrown toenail at the toes of the foot when a piece of nail has penetrated the flesh. This injured area becomes very sensitive, especially on palpation or during walking. It can then quickly swell, blush and become painful and embarrassing. If healing an ingrown toenail is not complex, here are our tips to maximize the chances of healing before inflammation, apart from consulting a podiatrist in Montana .
Causes of the Appearance of an Ingrown Toenail
- A bad cut of the nails, too close to the side edges
- A malformation of the nails or toes (hereditary)
- Poor nail regrowth following shock, injury or trauma to the foot or toes
- Wearing shoes too narrow resulting in compression of the toes or excessive sweating of the feet
- Poor hygiene of the feet, nails or lack of maintenance
4 Health Tips to Treat an Ingrown Toenail
If your ingrown toenail is not painful, if you do not notice the presence of a bead, edema or purulent discharge, you can treat it with antiseptic care at home.
- At home, the care of an ingrown toenail must always begin with a foot bath. To do this, soak the affected foot in hot water with a disinfectant, antiseptic (natural or medical) for at least fifteen minutes and this three times a day to soften the skin and nails. This step is inevitable because the care of the nails is always more complex and dangerous on a hard and dry skin.
- To prevent the ingrown toenail from puncturing the skin, then very gently place a piece of compress or cotton soaked in antiseptic between the corner of the ingrown nail and the skin using an eyebrow, and this after each footbath. Then let your foot breathe, if you can, stay barefoot for as long as possible or wear open shoes. In any case, wear comfortable shoes, without heels, and see if it heals over the days.
- As the nail grows, cut it straight but do not cut it too short. To do this, get the right tools, nail clippers, nail file or even ingrown nail clippers. To get rid of an ingrown toenail, you have to have a real pedicure kit in order to work accurately on the toes. After the pedicure, do not hesitate to brush your toes with antiseptic and soothing cream to promote the healing of the nail and protect your foot infections.
- It is sometimes difficult to judge whether the situation of an ingrown toenail is improving or not. To evaluate your healing, consider assessing the sensitivity of your foot to this nail. If the pain in feeling your foot is decreasing as the days go by, it’s because your nail is definitely healing.
