Prevention is the best cure, so make sure you inspect your feet regularly to prevent any potential issues before they arise. You may be able to spot a nail curving improperly and trim it before it grows into your skin. 2. Keep the Feet Clean and Dry Ingrown toenails can be painful and cause a host of foot problems. Thankfully, you can avoid ingrown nails by avoiding tight-fitting shoes, trimming your nails properly, and understanding your genetic predisposition. If you've already got an ingrown toenail, you can soak it in warm water or visit your foot specialist for professional treatment. Wash your feet every day, dry them thoroughly and use foot moisturiser. You can also use a foot file or pumice stone to remove hard or dead skin. It is important to seek professional help from a qualified podiatrist who utilizes essential tools and techniques to ensure optimal foot health and prevent potential complications. Remember to prioritize your foot health and seek appropriate treatment to maintain overall well-being. This gentle filing action smoothens rough edges and prevents the formation of sharp corners that have the potential to penetrate the surrounding skin, leading to further discomfort. Podiatrists use ingrown toenail files to ensure a more comfortable and appropriately contoured nail shape. Ingrown Nail Lifters

Use a pair of tweezers to gently push a tiny piece of cotton or gauze into the corner of your toenail where it’s ingrown. This helps to make a space between the nail and the skin. Romero-Pérez D, Betlloch-Mas I, Encabo-Durán B. Onychocryptosis. Int J Dermatol. 2017;56(2):221-224. A course of antibiotics may be prescribed if your nail is infected, and any pus will be drained away. Total nail avulsion Di Chiacchio N, Di Chiacchio NG. Best way to treat an ingrown toenail. Dermatol Clin. 2015;33(2):277-282.To help reduce the pain, you may need to take a painkiller, such as paracetamol, and wear soft or open-toed shoes for the first few days after surgery. Preventing ingrown toenails Taping the nail. With this method, your health care provider pulls the skin away from the ingrown nail with tape. The Toe Bro’s professional nail nipper is the ideal tool for your toenail hygiene, combining all the qualities of the tools you’d find in any podiatry office: Peggs JF. Ingrown toenails. In: Pfenninger JL, Fowler GC. Pfenninger and Fowler's Procedures for Primary Care. 2nd ed. Mosby; 2003:269–272. In severe cases, your healthcare provider may need to remove part of your nail surgically through a procedure called nail avulsion. Ingrown toenail surgery keeps the edge of your nail from growing inward and cutting into your skin.

In some instances when poor hygiene is ruled out, repeated fungal infections in the toenail may be a symptom of an underlying health condition such as poor circulation or diabetes. Key considerations Toenail 101 Probes and elevators, slender instruments with curved or angled tips, are pivotal in the podiatrist's arsenal. Podiatrists utilize these instruments to gently lift and separate the skin from the ingrown nail. This gentle maneuver effectively alleviates discomfort, reduces inflammation, and facilitates the proper positioning of the nail as it grows. CurettesMany people use toenail clippers to trim and shape their toenails into a curved shape, but this actually damages the toes. You may think that curved toenails look attractive, but they increase your risk of getting an ingrown toenail.

Constrictive footwear: Footwear that is too tight around the toes applies pressure to the toenails. Again, as dead cells are pushed forward, they conform to the pressure and grow in the direction of least resistance, which is often up or into the nail folds. Pcs Professional Pedicure Tools】The most valuable ingrown toenail tools kit in the market with the most tools (9 Pcs) in 1 Kit. Dualeco professional ingrown toenail tool kit contains 9 useful tools for daily nail care and 1 detailed manual. Gutiérrez-Mendoza D, De Anda Juárez M, Ávalos VF, et al. “Cotton nail cast”: a simple solution for mild and painful lateral and distal nail embedding. Dermatol Surg. 2015;41(3):411-414. If you have ingrown nails often, your surgery may include use of a laser or chemical procedure to remove a part of the nail bed permanently so that it no longer grows as wide. AftercareSurgery on the tip of the toe. If other surgeries are unsuitable for a person, or previous procedures have failed, a doctor may remove and reshape the soft tissue at the tip of the toe. You’ll first want to take a closer look to decide how severely ingrown your nail is. You can often treat a slightly ingrown nail by yourself.

Soak your foot in warm water for 10 to 30 minutes to soften the nail and skin. You can add Epsom salt, tea tree oil, or other disinfecting essential oils to the footbath. You can also try a vinegar foot soak. Improper trimming: One of the biggest reasons people have problems with ingrown toenails is because they round the toenail when they trim it. If you cut the corners off the front of your toenail, as the dead cells are pushed forward, they will burrow into the nail folds and cause pain and possibly infection.

A. When the edge or corner of a toenail (usually on the big toe) grows into the skin surrounding the nail, you have an ingrown toenail. You’ll likely first notice an ingrown toenail because it’s uncomfortable. The skin around the nail may be swollen, tender, red, or hard. As the condition advances, the pain will intensify, possibly making it hard to wear shoes or walk. The area surrounding the toenail may even begin to bleed or ooze pus. An ingrown toenail won’t go away on its own, so you must take action to remedy the situation. With the proper tools and procedures, most ingrown toenails can be treated at home. Q. What causes an ingrown toenail?