Usually affecting the big toe, an ingrown toenail happens when the corners of your nails grow into the skin next to the nail.

Although ingrown toenails can be treated at home, they can also lead to complications that may necessitate medical treatment.

You’ll have a higher risk of complications if you have conditions like diabetes or those that cause poor circulation.

What causes ingrown toenails?

Both men and women can have ingrown toenails, but they are more common in people with sweaty feet, such as teenagers. However, toenails thicken with age, making older people at higher risk as well.

The following are factors causing ingrown toenails:

• genetic predisposition
• poor posture
• kicking a ball repeatedly
• toenail injuries, including dropping something heavy on your foot or stubbing your toe
• irregular, curved toenails
• incorrect cut of toenails, such as cutting toenails too short
• improper foot hygiene - always keep your feet dry and clean
• wearing footwear that are too tight, narrow, or flat for your feet, cause a lot of pressure on the big toes

Athletic activities involving extensive use of your feet can also make you especially susceptible to ingrown toenails. Putting pressure on your feet for extended periods of time or activities involving repeatedly kicking an object can cause toenail damage, thereby increasing your risk of ingrown toenails. These activities include ballet, soccer, football, and kickboxing.

Symptoms of ingrown toenails

Ingrown toenails are typically painful. They also worsen in stages.

Early-stage symptoms may include pain when pressure is placed on the toe, fluid buildup around the toe, and skin next to the nail becoming swollen, tender, or hard.

In addition, symptoms may include pain, red, swollen skin, bleeding, oozing pus, and overgrowth of skin around the toe if your toe becomes infected.

To avoid worsening symptoms, it is ideal that you treat your ingrown toenail as soon as they occur. Mild cases can be treated at home, but serious cases may require surgical intervention.

Here’s how to fix an ingrown toenail plus when to see your doctor.

1. Soak the affected foot in apple cider vinegar

A folk remedy for almost everything, including ingrown toenails, apple cider vinegar is believed to have pain-relieving, antiseptic, and anti-inflammatory properties.

You can try soaking the affected foot in a basin of warm water combined with 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar for up to 20 minutes every day. After soaking, make sure to dry it thoroughly.

2. Soak it in warm water with soap

Soaking the affected foot in warm water covered with soap three times a day for up to 20 minutes at a time may help reduce swelling and ease pain. Vegetable oil-based hard soaps like Castile soap are a great option. Add Epsom salts for additional relief.

3. Pack the affected area with waxed dental floss or small bits of cotton

Although not every medical group agrees, Mayo Clinic recommends tucking waxed dental floss or small bits of cotton under the edge of an ingrown toenail to promote proper growth of the nail.

Placing cotton under your nail may allow harmful bacteria to flourish and thereby increase pain, according to the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons. To help reduce this risk, make sure to soak the floss or cotton in alcohol before application.

4. Apply antibiotic ointment to the affected area

Applying over-the-counter antibiotic ointment to the affected toenail can help reduce the risk of ingrown toenail infection and promote healing.

Make sure to apply the ointment in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions, which is typically up to three times a day. These ointments include Bactroban, Polysporin, and Neosporin. Don’t forget to bandage afterwards.

5. Take an over-the-counter pain reliever

Over-the-counter pain reliever, such as acetaminophen (Tylenol), may help ease ingrown toenail pain. Unless you take it with alcohol or take more than the daily recommended dose, which is 3, 000 mg per day, you are unlikely to experience side effects.

Ibuprofen (Advil) may be a better option if swelling is present, as it relieves both swelling and pain. Upset stomach, abdominal pain, and diarrhea are some common side effects of ibuprofen.

Nevertheless, you can take all over-the-counter pain relievers as advised by your doctor or the manufacturer.

6. Wear comfortable socks and shoes

Socks and shoes that are too tight are considered one of the leading causes of ingrown toenail as they can crowd your toes.

Thus, wearing comfortable socks and shoes can help prevent an ingrown toenail from worsening or developing.

Also, avoid wearing shoes during the healing process, and use sandals instead to limit pressure on your toenails.

7. Try a toe brace

Usually made of adhesive, thin, composite material, toe braces are meant to help protect your skin from a sharp ingrown nail by lifting the nail edges as your nail grows.

They are glued to the top of your toe. You can buy them online or in some pharmacies.

8. Use a toe protector

Available as a covering for the entire shoe or as rings that fit around the affected area, toe protectors function as cushion that prevents the toe from touching the inside of the shoe. It basically provides a cushioning barrier for ingrown toenails.

Some toe protectors have a medicated gel to help soften toenails for easy trimming.

9. Consult your doctor for oral antibiotics

Oral antibiotics have not been found to improve ingrown toenails; thus, they are not routinely prescribed for uninfected ingrown toenails.

But you may need oral antibiotics if you have a weakened immune system or an infected nail.

Signs of infection include increased swelling, increased redness, throbbing pain, foul odor, pus, and warmth in the affected toe as well as its surrounding area.

Amoxicillin, vancomycin, and ampicillin are just some of the antibiotics used to treat infected ingrown toenails.

10. Consider nail removal

Partial or full nail removal may be necessary if an ingrown toenail does not improve after applying some of the abovementioned home remedies.

Your doctor may remove the underlying nail bed or a part of the nail’s border or a part of the middle growth plate using a local anesthetic.

However, the entire ingrown nail may need to be removed in severe, recurring cases as a last resort. Note that it is a painful solution that may increase your risk of infection, as well as the risk that your toenail will misshapen when it grows again.

When to see a doctor

Although minor foot problems can be treated with home remedies, they can also cause serious complications in some people.

If you have an ingrown toenail and you have a compromised immune system or an underlying condition that causes poor circulation, then you should see your doctor.

Additionally, you should also talk to your doctor if your ingrown toenail doesn’t improve with home remedies, if pain and swelling are severe, if you have an allergic reaction after applying some of the home remedies, or if you want to know how to properly care for an ingrown toenail.

How to prevent ingrown toenails?

You can prevent ingrown toenails from occurring by making several lifestyle changes:

• Don’t cut your toenails too short.
• Wear comfortable socks, shoes, and tights.
• If you work in hazardous conditions, wearing steel-toe boots is ideal.
• When trimming your toenails, make sure the edges do not curve in – trim them straight across.
• Ingrown toenail surgery may be needed if your toenails are abnormally thick or curved to prevent ingrown nails.

Conclusion

Although most ingrown toenails can be treated at home and should improve within a week or so without leaving permanent damage, they can also lead to complications that may need medical treatment if left untreated.

If you don’t take steps to prevent ingrown toenails, they are most likely to recur. They may cause terrible pain and infection that could expand to the bone.