How To Trat An Ingrown Toe Nail

What is an ingrown toenail?

An ingrown toenail occurs when the side of the smash curls down and grows into the pare effectually the nail.

Whatsoever toe can be afflicted but it commonly occurs in the large toe.

An ingrown toenail can become painful and inflamed (tender, ruby and swollen).

Sometimes, it tin can become infected, which, if left untreated, can spread and infect the underlying os.

What are the symptoms of an ingrown toenail?

If you have an ingrown toenail, the area may be:

painful or tender
cherry
swollen
surrounded past hardened pare

If the area becomes infected, you lot may detect fluid or pus, and symptoms that get worse rather than better.

Illustration comparing an healthy nail to an ingrown nail. — An ingrown toenail occurs when the side of the nail grows into the skin around the nail. Information technology can get painful and sometimes go infected.

What causes ingrown toenails?

You lot tin get an ingrown toenail if y'all:

have tight plumbing fixtures shoes, socks, or tights that crowd your toes, putting force per unit area on your toenails
cut your toenails too short or non directly beyond
injure your toe, for example past stubbing it
pick or tear the corners of your toenails
have sweaty feet, making your skin soft and easier for toenails to dig in
take toenails with naturally curved edges or that are fan-shaped

Ingrown toenails become more than mutual in older people every bit the nails get thicker with age. They are more likely to get infected in people who have diabetes or circulation problems.

How are ingrown toenail treated?

If you take diabetes, nervus damage in your leg or foot, poor blood circulation to your foot or an infection around the nail, run across your doctor or podiatrist (a trained therapist who diagnoses and treats human foot conditions) immediately.

Otherwise, try this:

Soak your feet in warm water for 15 to 20 minutes, 3 or 4 times a 24-hour interval.
And then apply a cotton wool bud to gently push away the skin from the nail.
Repeat each day for a few weeks, allowing the blast to grow.
As the end of the nail grows forward, push a tiny piece of cotton fiber wool or dental floss under it to assist the blast grow over the skin and not grow into it. Change the cotton wool or dental floss each time you soak your foot.
Do not pick at the toenail or effort to remove it yourself.

An infected toenail may be treated with antibiotics. Your doctor or podiatrist may need to drain the pus. In severe cases, part or all of nail may demand to be removed.

Tin can ingrown toenails exist prevented?

To assistance prevent an ingrown toenail:

clothing shoes that fit properly
proceed your feet clean and dry out
trim your nails properly — briefly soak your human foot in warm h2o before trimming, and make certain you cut straight across, without tapering or rounding the corners or cutting them too short

People with diabetes or persistent human foot issues should see a podiatrist regularly for routine foot checks and nail care.