Salt acts as a natural antibacterial, but other ingredients you can add to the water to deter a potential infection include white vinegar, hydrogen peroxide, bleach, and iodine solution. The warmer you make a salt bath, the more fluid you’ll pull out of your toe, which is good for reducing the swelling. If you can find on, borrow or buy a little foot jacuzzi, then use that for the bath because the jets will provide better water circulation and a gentle foot massage.
Flexing your toes repeatedly while in the bath will help with blood circulation. If swelling is a particular problem in your toe, then follow the warm salt bath with cold therapy (ice wrapped in a thin towel) until your toe feels numb (about 10 minutes). Ice helps reduce acute inflammation and dull the pain.
Use your thumb and forefinger to lightly massage the most inflamed part of your toe, starting from the most distal part and pushing towards your ankle. Spend only about five minutes or so of the bath time massaging your toe, as much longer might actually irritate it.
After you’ve dried your toe/foot, elevate your leg on a few cushions while you sit in order to promote blood drainage out of your foot, which helps combat inflammation.
Some compounds around the house that have antibiotic properties include Clorox bleach, hydrogen peroxide, white vinegar, baking soda dissolved in water, iodine solution and fresh lemon juice. Be warned that most home remedies that act as antiseptics will sting if the skin has already been cut by a sharp ingrown toenail. Colloidal silver is a powerful antibiotic, antiviral, and anti-fungal that doesn’t sting or irritate the skin when applied. It can be found at most health food or nutritional supplement stores.
It may take one to two weeks for the ingrown toenail to grow enough so that it doesn’t poke into the skin any longer. Avoid attempting “do-it-yourself" surgery by cutting into the toenail in an attempt to provide pain relief, because it can actually cause the condition to worsen.
If you have your toenails done by a pedicurist, tell them to trim your nails straight across and not too close to the skin. As a guideline, you should be able to fit your fingernail under the sides and end of the toenail. [7] X Research source If home care and changing your trimming technique doesn’t help or prevent your ingrown toenail issue, then see your family physician or a foot specialist (podiatrist) for advice and/or treatment.
In addition to pain and swelling, other signs to look for include redness and tender to touch, along one or both sides of the nail. Ingrown toenails are more common in adolescence and among athletes, especially males.
An infection swells because your immune system sends white blood cells to kill any bacteria within the injury (which is good), but sometimes the bacteria proliferate faster than the immune cells can contain them. If an infected toe doesn’t go away within a week and/or seems to be spreading beyond the affected toe, then see your doctor about it. Your doctor may remove the ingrown nail wedge surgically. If you trim your toenails by tapering the corners such that they’re curved with the shape of your toe, you’re encouraging the toenail to grow into the skin on the sides. [10] X Expert Source Mark Co, DPMPodiatrist Expert Interview. 21 April 2020.
A gout attack comes on quickly, usually within hours, and creates intense pain and inflammation in the big toe. Gout is dietary related — from eating too many purine-rich foods such as seafood and organ meats. A bunion also affects the big toe and is caused mainly by wearing narrow shoes over many years. It’s essentially a chronic joint sprain. The tell-tale signs are a crooked toe and achy, arthritic-like pain. Stubbing your toe or other foot injuries can trigger ingrown toenails.
