How to Fix In-grown Toenails

In-grown toenails are frequently encountered by a large portion of the population, but few of us ever know how to prevent and/or how to fix them. Whether caused by poor cutting or by tight socks, in-grown toenails are easily treatable, so long as you notice them quickly enough.

Preventing in-grown toenails:

1. Avoid tight socks and small shoes. When the articles constrict on your toes, the flesh of a toe may be pushed against the tips of your nail. If that pressure last long enough, you can end up with that nail embedded in the toe. When choosing socks and shoes, pick ones that leave some space for your toes to spread. If you ever find your socks or your tights putting too much pressure against any of your toes, simply pull them slightly at the toe-end to achieve the required spacing.
2. Don’t cut your nails too short. Your toenail typically grows along a straight path. When the nail’s cut below its appropriate length, it can easily lose its track, causing it to grow into the skin instead of above it.
3. Cut straight across, not diagonally. If you cut the sides of the nail too low, it’s even more likely that you’ll have a problem. By cutting the entire nail to the same length, it’ll be easier to fix if it does become in-grown.

Diagnosing an in-grown toenail’s seriousness:

As with most medical issues, cases of in-grown toenails can vary greatly from person to person. Of course, other issues can arise from in-grown toenails, so knowing how bad your case is stays very important in your treatment of the problem.

• Less progressed cases of in-grown toenails are usually when the toe has only recently covered the nail. Symptoms are limited to a slight, to sharp, pain at the point of contact.
• Swelling and/or redness around the problem area shows that an infection may be occurring or may soon occur. This is still quite treatable at home.
• Small amounts of pus emerging from the toe means that the toe has become slightly infected. It is possible to fix this problem at home if you can remove the embedded part of the nail easily, but you may have to visit the hospital for professional treatment, or at least for some antibiotics, should the infection persist.
• Sore, bright, fleshy parts of skin growing over the infected area means that the in-grown toenail has become very infected. You should consult a doctor and have them decide what forms of treatment suit your situation.

Treating your in-grown toenail:

1. While pulling gently pushing back on the skin, try to lift the embedded part of the nail.
2. Soak the toe in warm water. If there’s some pus in your toe, you may want to add some epsom salts to the water, thus further cleaning the in-grown toenail.
3. Pat dry the toe, and repeat step 1. If you have excess, sore skin overgrowth, you may want to use a Q-tip to push that back to the edges of the nail. This helps you gain access to the nail, and it reduces some of the pressure that you feel.
4. Using a Q-tip or a toothpick, push a tiny amount of cotton wool under the nail. This helps move the skin away from the nail; and it lifts the embedded nail over the toe, letting the nail regain a natural path. If at all possible, manoeuvre the cotton so it sticks out slightly at the top and the side of the nail. Be sure to remove the cotton that night or as soon as you wake up the next day.
5. To pull the skin away from the nail, stick a band-aid to the skin and stick the other end far enough away that there’s a slight pull on the skin. Do not pull too tightly, or you may create discomfort or cause the band-aid to fall off.
6. Repeat the steps daily.
7. If the in-grown toenail worsens, you should visit a medical professional.

With any luck, you may be able to fix the toenail without having surgery or any infection. Even if you do require surgery, these methods will help alleviate some of the discomfort that you experience during your wait.

Image: Flickr.com/Glench