When you start to feel discomfort, redness, or swelling in your toe, it could be the result of an ingrown toenail. Thinking that it will go away is not the right mindset because it will not do so without treatment. When you notice your toenail is growing abnormally, you should start home remedies to relieve the pain and resolve the problem.
Prolonged periods with no treatment leave you susceptible to infection and the need for medical intervention. Below are a few ideas on how you can treat your ingrown toenail yourself.
Diabetic Patients Beware
If you suffer from diabetes or any other medical condition that complicates circulation you should not treat your own ingrown toenail. Those with blood circulation problems take much longer to heal and are more likely to get an infection. You should immediately speak with your doctor as you don’t want to end up risking infection or even the need for amputation.
Soak Your Feet
Who doesn’t like to pamper themselves? Well it is a good idea to soak your feet when dealing with an ingrown toenail. Soaking your feet will relieve the pain and pressure that you feel. You should get a container and fill it with warm water.
Add to the water a bit of Epson salt for extra relief. Soak your foot for about five to ten minutes each day. The hopes is that the swelling will go down and the ingrown toenail will begin to grow normally or can at least be clipped.
Ointments
If your toenail has already begun to show signs of breaking the skin, you need to be in proactive mode. This will mean applying a topical antibiotic cream to the affected area to prevent infection. Many medical professionals would suggest using Neosporin.
Cotton or Dental Floss
If you want you can try and train your toenail to grow the right way. This would mean that you will need to place a piece of cotton or dental floss underneath the ingrown toenail after cleaning it thoroughly. As time goes on, the toenail will begin to grow straight and away from the toe skin.
Wear Proper Footwear
Another solution to treating an ingrown toenail on your own is to wear the right footwear. This might mean wearing sandals or wide shoes so that your foot has room to breathe and also so that your toe does not have a lot of pressure on it while you walk. This helps lessen the chance for fungi or bacterial infections and also relieves the pain.
The last bit of advice would be to take a pain killer that also acts as an anti inflammatory medication. This will help with the swelling and help you get through the pain while waiting on your toe to heal.
If you find that after a few weeks these solutions are not working you should get to a medical professional right away for advice and further treatment. Letting it sit leaves room for further complications including the loss of your toenail.
