An ingrown toenail only affects a small part of your body, but it can cause a lot of pain. Untreated, an ingrown toenail could even develop into a serious infection, threatening your foot. So when you notice an ingrown toenail, what should you do?
Dr. Stephen G. Eichelsdorfer (“Dr. Ike”) and our team of podiatry experts at Town Center Foot & Ankle of Kingwood, Texas, take care of new and existing patients who have painful ingrown toenails.
Here, we advise you on how to care for an ingrown nail at home. We also let you know about warning signs to watch out for and when it’s time to reach out to a doctor for professional treatment.
A toenail becomes ingrown when a sharp nail edge starts to press against the surrounding skin of your toe, creating a small wound. Irritation can worsen over time, and the break in your skin leaves you vulnerable to infection.
Often, an ingrown toenail starts due to issues with the way you trim your nails. If you cut your nails too short or trim them on a curve, you put yourself at risk of painful ingrown toenails.
Some people experience curved toenail growth. You can also experience this common podiatry problem due to a foot injury or overly tight shoes.
If you’re only experiencing mild tenderness along one side of your toenail, at-home care may be able to resolve the problem. Don’t try to fix an ingrown toenail by cutting the nail or your skin. This puts you at increased risk of infection.
Start by soaking your feet for 15-20 minutes in warm water a few times daily. This softens the nail, as well as the skin around your nail bed, and may allow the nail to stop protruding painfully into your skin.
After soaking your toe, place a small piece of damp cotton beneath the corner of the nail where it presses into your skin. A piece of a cotton ball works well for this purpose. Change the cotton daily.
This holds the sharp nail edge away from your skin and allows healing as the nail grows out enough so you can trim it correctly.
If the pain and other symptoms associated with your ingrown toenail worsen to become more severe, contact Dr. Ike and our Town Center Foot & Ankle team for professional support.
You don’t want infection related to an ingrown toenail to threaten the health and strength of your feet. If you’ve tried home remedies for more than three days, reach out to us for evaluation and treatment.
Watch out for pus appearing around the edges of your nail or red streaks in your skin radiating from the affected toe. Redness, inflammation, and swelling can all serve as warning signs that it’s time to take your toes to the doctor.
Dr. Ike may need to trim your toenail or even perform an in-office surgical procedure on the affected nail to separate the ingrown nail from the surrounding tissue. It may be necessary to remove the ingrown nail. You may also need a prescription for antibiotics to fight off infection.
With the right at-home care and professional support, ingrown toenails won’t become a problem for your foot health. For help with an ingrown toenail, request an appointment online with Town Center Foot & Ankle using our booking tool, or call us today at 281-361-7400.
