Hands, feet, and nails, are often the most ignored part of our bodies, but the slightest inconvenience and injury can be a toll. For toenails, the most common issue that we all face sometimes is the ingrown toenail.
It might sound that the ingrown toenails are not a severe issue and they can be managed without special care. In reality, it can be really painful when one has an ingrown toenail. The good news is that ingrown toenails can be treated at home, however, when not treated properly it can lead to different complications.
What is an ingrown toenail?
Do you think you can control the growth of your nail? It is naturally impossible; the ingrown nails are the ones that did not grow according to the natural pattern by mother nature. As the name implies the ingrown toenails are the ones that tend to pierce your skin around the toenail and make it very sore.
The causes for ingrown toenail
To treat ingrown toenails, it is very important for you to first understand the underlying causes of this unusual disease. It is not something complicated. The main causes for ingrown toenails are simple lifestyle habits. The following are some causes for ingrown toenails.
- When you do not cut your toenails properly, chances are that they will grow in the wrong direction.
- The shape of the toenails.
- Wearing tight shoes that can put pressure on your toes.
- Not maintaining the right posture.
- Kicking a ball while bare feet.
- Toenail injury.
- Dirty feet.
- Uncut nails.
- Sweaty feet.
- Involving in sports.
Home remedies for ingrown toenail
Before we share the complicated treatments for ingrown toenails. It will be better to share simple home remedies as many people would not visit a doctor to treat the ingrown toenail. The following are some home remedies for ingrown toenails.
- Soak your feet in a tub of water for almost 30 minutes. It will soften your skin which is important to take out the ingrown toenail. Try having warm or lukewarm water for it.
- Get some olive oil, soak a cotton ball or Q-tip in it, now try to push the skin around the ingrown toenail away. The olive oil will soften the skin and thus it will be easier for you to uncover the ingrown toenail. It might feel a bit painful, but so far this is the best way to take out the ingrown toenail.
- Get simple over the counter medicines to minimize the pain caused by ingrown toenails. You can try the very famous over the counter medicine Tylenol for this.
- In some cases, when the ingrown toenail starts becoming an infection you can try some topical solutions or antibiotic medicines too.
Surgical treatment for toenail fungus
Besides the home remedies, which are not that effective, there are surgical treatments which are performed by Podiatrists like Dr Tina which you can check on bvfootclinic.com.
However, the surgical treatment for ingrown toenails is not an easy one. It can be really painful too. The podiatrists will perform anaesthesia to treat it.
The most common surgery is partial nail removal. The Podiatrist will first numb your toenail, and then lift the nail a little bit and cut the ingrown toenail.
For partial nail removal, the Podiatrist will raise your toenail with the help of a cotton ball. After the surgery you will be asked to keep cotton dipped in phenol until the toenail recovers.
How can you prevent the ingrown toenail?
If you do not want to experience this pain, then you should follow these tips.
- You should not trim your nails too much.
- While cutting your toenails you should make sure that the toenails are not curved at the edges.
- Wear shoes of your size.