Easy Treatments For Ingrown Toenails

Ingrown toenails aren’t pleasant, especially if you have to deal with them over and over again. They can make even walking a painful experience.

The good news is that most of us don’t have to go to a podiatrist to get a solution for this problem.

Need to See a Podiatrist

Now before we can talk about home brewed solutions to ingrown toenails you should know that some people really do have to work with a professional. That’s because ingrown toenails for them can lead to more serious complications later.

For example, if you have poor blood circulation or diabetes, you should always have your ingrown toenails taken care of by a professional. In fact, you should be having your feet checked periodically to make sure you don’t end up with these types of problems.

Soaking & Coating

A few of the best ways to deal with ingrown toenails could be classified as either soaking or coating. With early problems that are aching, you should get a basin of warm water with some Epsom salts added in.

If you put your toe in the mixture for a few minutes a couple of times a day, you should see some improvement and some pain relief.

You could also use an astringent solution available over-the-counter, too. This will help keep bacteria from making the problem worse.

If you’re not keen on soaking, trying coating your ingrown toenails with topical ointment. This is a good idea if the toenail has broken the skin because you could get an infection easily.

Cutting Carefully

You definitely want to be careful if you’re going to be cutting your toenails. In fact, you shouldn’t try to cut ingrown toenails at all! Most of the tools you would be using aren’t going to be sterilized so you would be making infection much easier.

That’s the same case for getting pedicures as well. In most of those places, you have no idea whether or not the tools are sterile so skip them.

To reduce risks of ingrown toenails, cut them straight across or have them trimmed by your podiatrist. Never cut them too short either.

Watching Shoes & Socks

Wearing sandals can help ingrown toenails because you won’t be putting pressure on the improperly growing nail. Avoid colored socks, too. The dyes can actually irritate ingrown toenails and make things worse when you sweat.