Remove an Ingrown Toenail

Anyone who's ever had an ingrown toenail likely knows how painful, annoying, and persistent this condition can be. While the very best way to treat an ingrown toenail is to see your general practitioner or a specialist like a podiatrist, you can treat a minor ingrown toenail at home. However, if you notice any complications, make an appointment with a doctor. In the future, work on caring for your feet to prevent a reoccurrence.

Steps

Removing a Nail at Home

1. Clean the area thoroughly before beginning. With any sort of procedure or treatment, infection is a concern. If you have an ingrown toenail, there's a good chance that the skin around it is tight, irritated and inflamed already, making it vulnerable. Clean your toe using antibacterial soap and water to start.
   • If you notice any signs of infection, such as pus or sharp pain, do not treat the toenail yourself. Cleaning it will not help at this point. Make an appointment with a doctor.
2. Soak your toenail. Before you attempt to remove an ingrown toenail, soak it in a warm bath. This helps soften your skin and reduce swelling, allowing you to get to the toenail easier. Place your foot in warm water with some Epsom salt and allow it to soak for a few minutes before attempting to remove the toenail.
3. Sterilize your tools. It's always a good idea to sterilize and wash any tools you're using prior to removing an ingrown toenail. You will be using tweezers and/or nail clippers to remove a toenail, so sterilize and wash this equipment before proceeding.
   • To sterilize tweezers and nail clippers, wash them in warm water and mild dish detergent. Rinse them completely under running water and then pat them dry with a lint free cloth.
   • If a tool falls anywhere very dirty, like a toilet, throw it out. You're better off using a fresh pair of tweezers or nail clippers than risking infection.
4. Clip the nail. Some ingrown toenails can simply be clipped off. Use a small pair of nail clippers to clip the ingrown nail. Make sure to cut the nail into an oval or curved shape. Simply trimming off the ingrown portion may not be effective, as the nail may grow back in the same fashion. Cutting your nail into a curve can help it grow out normally.
5. Place cotton under the nail. Another option with ingrown toenails is to separate them from the skin and let them grow out of the ingrown shape.To do this, lift the edge of the ingrown nail with a pair of tweezers. Slip a small amount of clean, sterile cotton under the ingrown edge of the nail to prop it up. Gently release your hold on the toenail with the tweezers. The nail edge should rest somewhat comfortably on the cotton. Replace the cotton each night before bed. Your toenail should grow out of the ingrown shape with the help of the cotton.
6. Clean the nail again. Regardless of the method you used, clean your nail again after removing the toenail. If you used cotton, clean around the cotton to avoid getting it wet. Always apply antibiotic ointment after treating an ingrown toenail. This can help prevent infection.
   • You can buy an antibiotic ointment at a local drug store.
7. Watch for complications. After treating the nail yourself, be vigilant. If you notice any complications, you should have the ingrown nail assessed by a doctor. Watch for the following:
   • Intense pain or sensitivity
   • Puss or fluid drainage
   • Abscess (fluid-filled sore or blister)
   • Major redness and swelling
   • Fever or flu-like symptoms
8. See a doctor for any problems. While the home remedies described above may work well for non-serious ingrown toenails, they may not necessarily work for all ingrown toenails or cases that have progressed beyond a certain point. If your ingrown toenail doesn't seem to go away, becomes worse, or shows signs of an infection, make an appointment with your doctor or a foot specialist as soon as you can.
   • Medical professionals have a variety of options available for treating badly ingrown toes, including prescribing medicines and removing part of the affected nail. A qualified doctor will be able to find a method that works given your condition.

Taking Care of a Sore Toe

1. Soak the toe in hot water to ease pain. Even if your ingrown toe treatment is successful, your toe may remain sore for a few days. To reduce pain, soak the affected foot in hot water. The water should be warm, but not so hot that it's painful. Soak your toe for up to 15 to 20 minutes, up to four times each day. Use only clean water and a clean, sterile tub or bowl to soak your foot.
   • Some sources claim that adding Epsom Salts to hot baths can help ease pain more than just hot water. This is not yet definitively proven, but it is by no means unsafe to use Epsom Salts.
2. Apply antiseptic cream. Since preventing infection is a major concern with ingrown toenails, it's a good idea to apply antiseptic creams and ointments to the affected nail semi-frequently to halt the growth of any bacteria. Purchase an antiseptic cream at a local drug store and apply it according to package instructions. If you notice any adverse reactions, stop using the cream and talk to a doctor.
   • If you had your ingrown toe treated at a doctor's office, ask your doctor to recommend an antibacterial cream.
3. Bandage the toe to protect it. One great way to prevent infection in an ingrown toe is simply to keep any sort of infectious material out of the wound entirely. After applying antiseptic, try covering the affected toe with loose gauze or a bandage. This will keep the toe clean and clear of any bacteria.
   • For long-term use, be sure to remove the bandage, clean the wound, and re-apply a new bandage daily.
4. Take over-the-counter medication. If your ingrown toenail is giving you pain or discomfort after treating it with a home remedy, you don't simply have to grin and bear it. Try using an appropriate dosage of an over-the-counter containing Acetaminophen or Ibuprofen (like Motrin, Advil, Tylenol). These painkillers provide effective short-term relief and should make a sore toe much more bearable. Make sure to only take the dosages recommended on the label, and talk to your doctor if you're on any existing medications before taking over-the-counter painkillers.
   • Keep in mind that cheap generic painkillers work just as well as more expensive name-brand equivalents.

Preventing Ingrown Toenails

1. Cut your toenails straight across. One easy, effective way to prevent ingrown nails is to change the way you cut your nails. If you ordinarily cut your nails with a curved or crescent shape, try to start cutting them straight across. This makes it less likely for the nail to grow into the skin and develop into an ingrown nail.
2. Keep your toenails at a safe length. One of the most common causes of ingrown nails is excessive cutting or clipping. Toenails that are too short can be pressed into the skin of the toe by the pressure that comes from wearing shoes, leading to ingrown situations. Toenails should be clipped so they're even with the tips of your toes. Clipping toenails shorter than this can lead to ingrown nails.
   • If you have a habit of picking or biting your toenails, this can make it hard to let your toenails grow to the edge of your toes. In this case, you may also want to talk to a doctor, counselor, or therapist about habit reversal training, a psychological technique that can help control bad habits.
3. Protect your toes from injury. Another common cause of ingrown toenails is injury. Usually, you injure your toes either from something falling onto the foot or smashing into it from the front. If the toenail is damaged, it may not grow properly and can easily become ingrown. If you spend lots of time in situations where toe injury is a major possibility (like working at construction sites), invest in a sturdy pair of steel-toed boots to lessen the risk of the sorts of injuries that can lead to lasting toe damage.
4. Wear the right size shoes. If you wear tight shoes that constantly squeeze your toes, this may be the cause of your ingrown toenail. Try switching to a looser-fitting pair of shoes or wearing less-constrictive shoes like slippers around the house to lessen your chance of ingrown nails in the future. If you're very prone to ingrown toenails, you may even want to visit a specialty shoe store for people with foot problems to get a professional's opinion.
   • Another way to get the same effect is simply to switch to open-toed shoes like sandals and flip flops. These shoes put no pressure at all on the toes, so there's no risk of them causing an ingrown nail.

Tips

• Consider wearing open toe shoes until the infection has subsided.
• Visit a podiatrist or your family doctor, especially for extremely painful or infected conditions.
• Try to soak your feet regularly and Try to not wear tight shoes.
• Trim toe nails straight across.
• Get a pedicure. Pedicurists might easily solve your ingrown toenail problem. Make sure, though, that your pedicurist is using clean implements.

Warnings

• If excessive redness or puss persists (after three or so days), visit a doctor.
• Cotton placed under the nail can harbor bacteria and cause infection.
• Repeated trimming of the nail borders will not solve the problem and can, actually, make the condition worse.

Things You'll Need

• Toenail clippers
• Tweezers
• Nail file
• Strong light source
• Ice (optional)
• Large bowl or basin
• Epsom salts
• Clean towel
• Antiseptic cream
• Gauze
• Adhesive tape
• Plaster packs (optional)
• Pain killers (optional)

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Sources and Citations

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• Treat a Sore Toe
• Get Rid of Foot Odor
• Treat Crepitus in the Knee
• Know if Your Toe Is Broken

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