Dinulos JGH. Nail diseases. In Habif's Clinical Dermatology. 7th ed. Elsevier; 2021. https://www.clinicalkey.com. Accessed Oct. 12, 2021. Instead of curving the toenails to match your toe shape, you should trim them straight across. You can use a nail file or emery board to round the corners gently. Ingrown toenails irritate the skin. As a result, they can make it easier for bacteria and other microbes to get in, which increases the risk of infection. Promptly treating an ingrown toenail reduces this risk. Some signs of infection include: Thankfully, you can prevent ingrown toenails. One of the best ways to avoid ingrown toenails is to practice proper foot care. There are three main ways you can take care of your feet. 1. Inspect Your Foot Regularly gently push the skin away from the nail using a cotton bud (this may be easier after using a small amount of olive oil to soften the skin)

Don't try DIY surgery on your ingrown toenail. Go see your foot specialist, also known as a podiatrist. They will know how to treat the ingrown toenail. 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.You may also choose open-toed shoes often to eliminate the risk of pinching or pressure. However, you should wear protective shoes like steel-toed sneakers or boots if you're doing activities that may cause trauma to your toe. Stop Improper Nail Trimming You may notice some redness and bleeding in the treated part, but this is normal. Your doctor may wrap your toe in a bandage or dressing to prevent infection and bleeding, and promote healing. In case of too much bleeding, you or your doctor can change the dressing. Your doctor may also give you medications to prevent pain. Improve and maintain optimal toenail health with the professional, high-quality foot care products The Toe Bro can offer. applying an antibiotic ointment twice daily or as often as a doctor recommends, if there is an infection

Ensure the lateral horn of the matrix is ablated by moving the electrode laterally beneath the proximal nail fold; a properly treated nail bed appears white after thermal ablation. Gently lift the edge of your nail. Place a small piece of cotton between the nail and your skin. You can also use dental floss under the ingrown toenail. Change the cotton or floss every day. This will help your nail grow above the edge of your skin. Nail clipper/nipper/scissors: If you don’t already own a nail clipper, nipper, or scissors, look for a toenail correction kit that has one or more of these devices. If you don’t keep your toenails properly trimmed, you’ll eventually wind up with problems. While most people use a nail clipper, nail scissors produce a cleaner cut. The next best option is a nail nipper because it’s a far more versatile tool than a clipper. 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.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.

In cases requiring more invasive treatment or surgical intervention for ingrown toenails, podiatrists often use local anesthesia tools to numb the area. These tools encompass syringes for administering anesthesia, needles, and local anesthetic vials. By ensuring the proper administration of anesthesia, podiatrists guarantee a comfortable and pain-free procedure for the patient. Dressings and Bandages Adults 18 years and over with an infected ingrown toenail can get advice and treatment directly from a pharmacy in certain instances. If the pharmacist cannot treat you they may recommend you see your podiatrist or GP. Taping the nail. With this method, your health care provider pulls the skin away from the ingrown nail with tape. Infection. A person may develop an infection following surgery. Surgery creates an open wound that makes it easier for bacteria and other pathogens to enter the body. It is important to see a doctor for any signs of infection following surgery because untreated infections can seriously damage the toe or lead to amputations. Byrne DS, Caldwell D. Phenol cauterization for ingrowing toenails: a review of five years' experience. Br J Surg. 1989;76(6):598-599.Partial nail avulsion removes part of your toenail and is the most commonly used operation for treating ingrown toenails. It’s about 98% effective. The matrixectomy recovery period is about 2 to 4 weeks. By then, your toe will be completely healed. Until then, you must keep the treated area clean and open. So make sure you've got comfortable shoes that fit properly. You should be able to fit a finger between the top of your toes and your shoe.

But what causes ingrown toenails, and how can you fix them if you've already got them? We'll answer these questions in this article. How To Prevent Ingrown Toenails: 3 Tips 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. Aftercare A course of antibiotics may be prescribed if your nail is infected, and any pus will be drained away. Total nail avulsion Nail files, or emery boards, are crucial in the post-trimming process. After nail trimming, these tools gently file down the edges of the toenails. The ingrown nail section is then partly or completely removed. You will not feel any pain during the procedure expect for the injection.

Follow Up

Some doctors offer a sedative or twilight anesthesia during the surgery. With twilight anesthesia, the person remains awake but groggy, and they may not remember the procedure. Several things can put pressure on or damage the nail, increasing the risk of an ingrown toenail. These include: Once the anesthetic is given, your doctor will ensure that your toe is completely numb. They’ll use an instrument to gently pull out the curved or ingrown part of your nail plate. They may also place a splint or wedge under your nail to lift and expose the ingrown section. They will cut the nail along the length to remove the ingrown section. The nail bed and the base are then exposed. Your doctor, orthopedic surgeon, or podiatrist (a foot doctor) can treat an ingrown nail with a minor procedure, or in certain cases with surgery. Ingrown toenails occur when the side or corner of a nail grows into the soft flesh of your toe's nail bed. They may also occur when the skin on the side of the nail grows over the nail edge. They dig into the flesh, causing irritation over time.