Your Guide to an Ingrown Toenail
While an ingrown toenail in Clifton NJ or Midtown East NY is a common injury, it can also become an extremely painful one. An ingrown toenail is what happens when the skin grows over the edge of the nail instead of under it. The nail is sharp and cuts into the skin. This condition can happen to any of your toenails, but it's most common with the big toe.
Symptoms of an Ingrown Toenail
Most commonly, you'll feel pain. If it becomes bad enough, it may be painful to walk and you may develop a limp. The toe may become red, swell up, and it can even drain pus. The toe may feel very tender to the touch. If left untreated, the ingrown toenail can become infected.
What Causes Problems With the Nail
You may wish to understand how this happened to your toe. Unfortunately, a lot of the causes of an ingrown toenail are perfectly normal things that happen in day-to-day life, so they're difficult to avoid. Some things can be prevented, though.
For example, ingrown toenails often happen when the nail has been cut too short or when you cut the nail so the edges are rounded. By cutting back the edges, you may get the aesthetic that you want. However, the sides of the nail will often start growing down and into the skin, causing an ingrown toenail. Always leave your toenails a fairly healthy length and cut them straight across instead of rounding them.
An ingrown toenail can also be caused by wearing shoes or socks that are too tight. This can cause the toenail to bend downward and grow into the skin. Wearing comfortable shoes with plenty of room for your toes can prevent this from happening. Roomy shoes can also prevent conditions like a hammertoe, so keep that in mind.
Ingrown toenails can also be caused by everyday injuries. When you stub your toe, there is always the possibility that it may shift the direction the nail is currently growing. If you play a sport like soccer where you are repeatedly kicking a ball, you may be more likely to have ingrown toenails.
If your nails are simply thicker or tend to grow at a curve, this may be a more common condition for you.
Treating Your Ingrown Toenail At Home
There are a couple of things to keep in mind. Make sure to keep the toe clean and avoid doing anything that may lead to an infection. This means that you don't want to dig into the toenail with scissors or anything that can introduce new germs. Your goal with treatment is going to be to relieve pain and to also help the nail grow straight.
The first tip for doing this is to soak your foot in warm water. You'll need to do this for fifteen minutes two or three times each day. This will relieve pain and soften the skin so the nail can loosen.
Get a cotton ball and tuck a small piece of wet cotton under the nail. Change this every time you soak the toe. With time, this will help the nail start to grow up again.
As you are going through this, make sure to wear shoes that give your toe plenty of room. If you can wear open shoes like sandals, do so.
If your ingrown toenail hasn't improved after three days, it's time to visit a doctor.
Also, call your doctor if your toe begins to drain pus or if red lines are leading away from the ingrown toenail. These are signs of infection. You may need antibiotics or further treatment to stop the situation from becoming worse.
