HOW TO TREAT AN INGROWN TOENAIL

WHAT ARE INGROWN TOENAILS?

Ingrown toenails arealso known as Onychocryptosis it is caused due to the pressure on feet and the edges or corners of your nails grow into the skin next to the nail which becomes red, swollen and painful.

Causes of ingrown toenail

·         Wearing too tight shoes for long hours.

·         Trimming toenails too short

·         Poor posture is responsible for ingrown toenail.

·         Genetic predisposition

·         Improper foot hygiene, not keeping your feet clean, neat and dry.

·         Irregular curved toenail.

·         Sometimes toenail injury, dropping something heavy on your toenail or kicking ball regularly may cause ingrown toenail.

Moreover people who make use of their foot extensively like dancers, athletes, sportsperson are especially prone to getting ingrown toenail, laying constant pressure on your feet leads to the risk of toenail damage. Ballet, football, kickboxing or soccer are the relative examples.

Symptoms of ingrown toenails

·         Skin next to the toenail becomes hard, swollen and itchy.

·         Becomes painful when pressure is laid on the toe.

·         Fluid accumulates around the toe.

·         Their can be bleeding.

·         Oozing pus.

·         Overgrowth of skin around the toe.

Treatment for ingrown toenails

1.    SOAK YOUR FEET IN WARM WATER: to relieve your feet from full day pressure after removing shoes soak them in warm water it will help you ease pain and reduce swelling. You can soak your feet in warm water for 20 minutes at a time if you wish you can add soap and Epsom salt for additional relief and cleanliness.

2.    SOAK IN APPLE CIDER VINEGAR: to learn How To Treat Ingrown Toenails you must soak your feet in apple cider vinegar water for 15 to 20 minutes daily the antiseptic, anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving abilities helps in treating ingrown toenails. Take a bucket filled with warm water and add ¼th cup of apple cider vinegar and soak your feet in it for 20 minutes daily.

3.    APPLY ANTIBIOTIC CREAM: using antibiotic cream on the ingrown toenail soothes you from pain and helps in healing it also reduces the risk of infection, apply ointment thrice a day for quick relief. Before applying any cream or ointment over your skin take its patch test to check if you are not allergic to it.

4.    WEAR COMFORTABLE SHOES: avoid wearing shoes or socks that are too tight as this can crowd your toes, to prevent worsening or developing of ingrown toenail wear loses shoes and socks which provides ample space to the toe bed to move well.

5.    KEEP TRIMMING: to stop ingrowth of toenail keep trimming it, use clippers specifically designed for toenails as it helps maintaining the shape of toenail and also provides enough force to quickly trim the toenails. Always remember to wash your clippers before and after use as dirty clippers may cause bacteria and infections into skin under the toenail.

If above mentioned methods are not helping you and ingrown toenails have developed infection then you must visit your doctor immediately to seek medical help and proper treatment.