Ingrown Toenail Treatment
ingrown toenails can be a real pain. In fact, nothing can make you appreciate the health and well-being of your nails quite like a painful ingrown toenail. Dealing with the pain can easily ruin your day. Fortunately, you can usually find ingrown toenail relief with Arizona Foot Doctors, the offices of Dr. Steven Burns.
Ingrown Toenail Causes
The culprits for ingrown toe nail cases are most often footwear that fits too tightly. The pressure of tightly fitting shoes can force the edge of the nail down into the skin, causing it to become inflamed. Trimming toenails too short can also cause ingrown toenails, as well as malformed feet or toes. The wear overtime can cause the nail to grown inwardly, into the skin where nerves become activated.
Symptoms of Ingrown Toenails
Ingrown toe nails appear to be curved downward, and have the appearance of the skin growing over the edge of the nail. The skin around the nail is usually painful and inflamed.
Treatment of Ingrown Toenails
Treatment for ingrown toenails mostly involves relieving the pain caused by the downward curving nail.
- Soak your feet in warm water three to four times a day if possible. This will offer some ingrown toenail relief.
- Gently massage the inflamed area around the toenail.
When trimming your toenails:
- Cut straight across, and avoid tapering the nail down at the sides.
- Briefly soak your nails in warm water before trimming, and place a small piece of cotton or toilet tissue under your nail soaked in antiseptic.
- If possible, wear sandals until your ingrown toe nails go away.
- Do not try to cut the ingrown portion of the nail yourself, as this will just make the problem worse.
When To See a Doctor About Treating Ingrown Toenails
Ingrown toenail treatment is usually simple and straightforward. However, if you have diabetes, poor circulation to the foot, or nerve damage in your foot, then you should see a doctor about your ingrown toe nail right away.
If, after trying the above home treatments, your condition gets worse, you should seek treatment for ingrown toenails.
If the ingrown toenail gets worse or keeps recurring, the doctor may surgically remove the problematic portion of the nail. This process is called a partial nail avulsion, and it takes two to four months for the nail to regrow.
Treating infected ingrown toenails is also best left to the doctor. If the nail becomes infected, the doctor may prescribe antibiotic treatment for treating infected ingrown toenails.
Proper foot care is key for treating and preventing ingrown toe nails. For assistance in treating ingrown toenails, contact Arizona Foot Doctors today. We have over 35 Years of experience serving Scottsdale and the Phoenix metro area.
