Ingrown Toe Nail?

[Mark Wilson]

I have an ingrown toe nail. Have had it for a while and i went to see a doctor and all that.

So it's finally getting better. Just slowly.

Do you guys have any at home remedies for it? I did the whole shoving toilet paper underneath it to help it grow up, which actually helped!
Now, I just tried cutting the middle in a V shape, to see if that really helps any.

So, any input guys?

[Curtybob]

I got lucky with mine. I suffered through it for about 5 months, and finally had enough and did the worst thing possible: home surgery. I got a pair of surgical scissors, and cut the side of my toenail off in a wegde shape up to where the skin grows over the root.

It sucked, and it bled profusely. I got lucky in two ways. It grew back correctly, and the infection went away with antibiotic ointment (or possibly this did nothing and I fought it off myself).

Point is, I'd not recommend any home surgery.

But you asked for remedies, so I'll assume you want temporary relief. A nice big bowl of hot soapy water. Just soak your foot in it until it gets cold. It will give a little bit of relief.

The V shape thing is not so much about the V in the middle, its more about keeping the edges long enough that they dont dig in and spur. So you can keep the center trimmed nice and straight, just leave those edges square. No rounding, and don't cut them short enough that the skin on your toe can enshroud the corners. That's the best medicine.... prevention.

[Captain Chaos]

I rip them off, painful! but it helps!

[MAJOR METAL]

Saint Mark if you put a bottle of Canadian Whiskey out for us I will get us both numb and show you how to pull them out.

[i_got_a_mohawk]

Find a good local chiropodist. When my mum still practiced she had a lot of patients who had tried the DIY approach and only made things worse.

[hover]

So many people with this problem that it should be taught in school how to properly cut toenails.

h

[i_got_a_mohawk]

Originally Posted by hover

So many people with this problem that it should be taught in school how to properly cut toenails.

h

True, it is something so simple too, just cut it straight, dont cut in at the ends. Though that is fairly general and the different shapes of nail etc can sometimes need cut differently. Remeber, it isnt always self inflicted either.

[MakiSupaStar]

Video the pus and post it on youtube.

[MatticusMania]

I had a pretty bad ingrown toenail last summer, removed it myself, with a little bit of ouch. But it saved me on a doctors visit, so I was able to smile afterwards.

[etoncrow]

Originally Posted by Curtybob

I got a pair of surgical scissors, and cut the side of my toenail off in a wegde shape up to where the skin grows over the root.

I had one; was afraid to cut it cause I thought I would make it worse. Went to a Podiatrist. He cut a wedge shape out of the corner with a surgical shears like Bob said. By the way, that 'V' shape cut is a hoax. Think about it, it grows from the back, not the front. How's the 'V' suppose to work?

[Ezbass]

Sharpen a bolster chisel, get a one or two kilo sledgehammer, drink a bottle of scotch and.................

Oh you want serious ideas. Let it grow out, putting cotton wool under the edge that grows in until the groove that directs it into your flesh has gone and don't cut them too short. But it sounds like you've done that. The V thing? Makes holes in your socks. I just cut it back down one side before it grows in which sometimes requires a little digging around. After all these years any soreness is very temporary. I like the chisel idea though

[ElephantTalk]

I've never had one get to the point of infection. When they get to the point of starting to hurt, I slide the nail-file part of the clippers under the edge, wince at the pain, then bend the nail upward and clear out anything underneath.
Then I slip the clippers in from the side, make a cut in the nail and peel that sucker out.

I've heard that filing the edge of the nail helps to control the growth. But I've never tried.

[Curtybob]

Originally Posted by ElephantTalk

I've never had one get to the point of infection. When they get to the point of starting to hurt, I slide the nail-file part of the clippers under the edge, wince at the pain, then bend the nail upward and clear out anything underneath.
Then I slip the clippers in from the side, make a cut in the nail and peel that sucker out.

I've heard that filing the edge of the nail helps to control the growth. But I've never tried.

The best bet is to always cut the corners square. No rounding, no digging, no ingrown toenails.

[Joe Gress]

Soak it in epsom salt.

[Mark Wilson]

Yea, I thought about the V thing after I did it. but hey, it's worth a shot. It's just a nail.

The pain has really gone down, but there's still some redness. But hardly any pain any more.
I need to buy some salt and soak it for a while.

I'll keep you guys updated!

[Sonic_Death]

As someone who has gone through it for 3 years straight, I recommend just going to a doctor.

Save yourself the time and pain of trying to take care of it yourself, trust me.

[hover]

Yeah, a podiatrist has neato things like localized painkillers...and specialized cutters.... why introduce trauma to the soft tissues that could exacerbate the situation? You could end up with a really jacked up hammertoe.

[MatticusMania]

But my hammertoe pwns!

edit: and pwnage is good!

[DigMe]

I had this for the first time recently. Wife's a doc and she told me to soak it twice a day in hot water (morning and night) and then after the soak pull back on the skin part or kind of push it over for a minute or so. Then put the cotton or TP under the edge of the nail. I also applied the antibiotic ointment. It healed rather quickly.

bc

[MAJOR METAL]

How are you feeling Mark ? If you pull it out remember to go all the way down, taking the top layer will only prolong the issue.