Зміст
Ingrown toenails are unpleasant. Undercutting alone is not enough, and the pain associated with this condition can be very excruciating. Learn about home remedies (and more!) To stop the regrowth problem.
Where do ingrown nails come from?
There may be several reasons for this. Most often, this is due to damage to the nail plate and affects the big toe. Are you or are you wearing too-tight shoes? Are you trimming your nails too short or trimming the side edges of the plate? This, unfortunately, can lead to the described disease, i.e. “Embedded nail”.
Other causes of ingrown toenails include:
- Mechanical damage to the big toe (from impact),
- Genes (extended toes, abnormal nail growth),
- Foot defects,
- Or a rapid increase in weight (leads to a change in the angle of inclination of the fingers – the nail grows and digs into the skin).
What to do if ingrown toenails?
Wondering what to do with an ingrown toenail when trimming the edge isn’t the best solution? Even worse, it can make painful ailments much worse.
You have a choice: home remedies, medicines available at the pharmacy, a visit to a beauty salon, or, in more serious cases, surgery.
Additionally, you need to remember:
- Comfortable shoes with space for toes,
- Correct nail trimming (straight and not too short),
- Use of cosmetics intended for foot care and softening of the nail plate.
Ingrown toenails – home remedies
Home remedies for ingrown toenails are only recommended when the toes are not sore or severely red. Home treatments help soften the skin (fingertips, or rather nail shafts) and the nail plate. The result is less swelling and less pain.
Try to soak your leg:
- Hot water with gray soap,
- Hot water with soapy flakes,
- Hot water with a few tablespoons of salt
Take a bath each time for 15–20 minutes. Repeat the course of treatment once a day. After bathing, place a piece of gauze or sterile cotton wool under the ingrown toenail.
Change the bandage after each soaking of your feet until the nail grows harmlessly enough. After this time, you can trim it evenly (but not too short, otherwise you will return to the starting point).
Cosmetics for softening nails
After bathing your feet, it is good to take extra care. A good solution is ingrown toenail liquid. Foot creams are not only softening, but also often antibacterial.
Non-invasive methods in a beauty salon
What solutions do beauty salons offer? One of them is the so-called tamponade. A piece of special gauze/dressing is placed near the nail shaft (i.e. the edge of the skin adjacent to the nail) and the ingrown nail.
It can be impregnated with suitable skin softeners. The dressing is designed to absorb tissue fluid or pus in case of inflammation, hence the name of the procedure.
Another method is the Such-Protector tube. We can say that this is also a kind of “insert” that separates the edge of the skin from the ingrown nail. The tube is inserted over the pre-prepared edge of the nail and fixed with a special nail restoration compound. Thanks to this, the nail plate enters the correct growth path.
Another solution – BS Quick buckle – interestingly, they are available for self-purchase, of course, along with instructions for use. They can be used when the inflammation has not yet appeared. When the nail ingrowth stage has reached its advanced stage, it is used in conjunction with Such-Protector tubes. The clip is designed to align the nail plate – it is glued to the top of the nail (that is, in the place where it is most twisted) and pulls the edges of the nail upward.
Surgical steel clamps (e.g. WHO-Foothold®Perfect Buckle) are considered one of the most effective methods. They work similarly to the buckles described above but in a more sophisticated and efficient way. They correct the growth of the nail plate.
In serious cases, surgery by a surgeon.
A less optimistic but largely effective outlook is surgery. It consists of cutting out a part of the nail (its side) or the entire nail with a matrix and applying a bandage.
There are cases of complete and irreversible nail removal, which I do not wish for anyone.
