What is Ingrown Toenail?
Also called onychocryptosis, ingrown toenail is a fairly common issue. It happens when the side edge or the corner of toenail grows and pierce into the soft flesh nearby. This problem can bring you tremendous amount of discomfort. This condition is often seen in toenail but fingernail is not the exception.
What cause Ingrown Toenail?
The factors which make toenail become ingrown can be shoes which are tight-fit, trimming nails improperly, injury to the nails or sometimes the toenails are curved abnormally.
Moreover, people with poor circulation of blood as well as diabetes are more vulnerable to this problem.
What are the symptoms of Ingrown Toenail?
There are some obvious symptoms which are swelling, redness and pain as well as infection in case it is not treated properly.
If the nail becomes infected, there will be swelling and redness at the area surrounding the nail, watery discharge as well as drainage of pus and even blood.
Here are the top 10 most recommended tips from the natural ingrown toenail treatment that you can use in order to get rid of ingrown toenail and prevent any infection.
1. Warm Water
This simple tip from the natural ingrown toenail treatment can help you significantly relieve the tenderness, pain and swelling.
- Put some warm water into a tub.
- Put your feet into the tub and soak for about 15 minutes.
- Practice 3 – 4 times per day.
2. Cotton Wedge
You can apply this tip right after using the warm water in order to achieve a better natural ingrown toenail treatment. After soaking in warm water, you can put a cotton wedge underneath the ingrown toenail so that it can start growing outward. Furthermore, it will help you alleviate pain as well as accelerate the healing.
- After soaking in warm water, dry your feet meticulously.
- Then use a pair of blunt tweezers to lift up the ingrown toenail in order to insert the cotton piece underneath it.
- Change the cotton each time the feet are soaked in order to avoid infection.
Note: There will be pain at first; however, it will reduce shortly. Do not push the cotton deeper than the swollen skin.
3. Epsom Salt
This ingredient from the natural ingrown toenail treatment can help you soften the surrounding skin of the ingrown toenail so that the ingrown toenail can be drawn out easier. Moreover, Epsom salt can even soothe the inflammation.
- Put a tbsp of Epsom salt into the tub of warm water.
- Put your feet into the tub and soak for about 20 minutes.
- Then dry your feet meticulously.
- Practice 3 – 4 times per week.
4. Apple Cider Vinegar
This ingredient can make an excellent natural ingrown toenail treatment due to its anti-inflammatory and antiseptic effects. Moreover, the mild acidic nature can help you avoid infection rather efficiently.
- Put apple cider vinegar and water in equal amount into the tub together. Put your feet into the tub and soak for about 20 minutes. After that, dry your feet meticulously.
- Also you can use the cotton ball to soak some apple cider vinegar and put it onto the ingrown toenail. Use the bandage to cover for few hours before removing.
- Practice either of those methods above for 2 – 3 times every day.
Read more: how to get rid of sulfur burps.
5. Hydrogen Peroxide
This disinfectant is an essential component within the natural ingrown toenail treatment because it can lower infection risk while alleviating inflammation and pain.
- Put half a cup of hydrogen peroxide into the tub of warm water.
- Put your feet into the tub and soak for about 20 minutes.
- Practice 1 – 2 times every day.
6. Turmeric
The curcumin compound from turmeric is considered an incredible natural ingrown toenail treatment due to its pain-relieving, anti-inflammatory and antiseptic effects. Inflammation and pain as well as other discomforts from ingrown toenail are no longer the concern with the application of turmeric.
- Create a paste from mustard oil and ½ tsp of turmeric powder. Put the paste onto the ingrown toenail and use the bandage to cover. Practice 2 – 3 times every day for couples of day.
- Also you can use the antibiotic cream which contains curcumin in its ingredients to put on the ingrown toenail before covering with bandage. Practice 2 – 3 times every day.
- You might as well put a tsp of turmeric into some milk and boil. Ingest twice every day.
7. Tea Tree Oil
This strong essential oil is highly regarded among the natural ingrown toenail treatment because of its antiseptic effect.
Put some drops of tea tree oil into a tbsp of any other carrier oil like coconut or olive oil.
- Then put that mixed oil onto the ingrown toenail before covering using bandage.
- Practice 3 times every day.
- Besides tea tree oil, you might also use oregano or lavender oil.
Note: In case, there is irritation from applying the essential oil, cease the application immediately.
8. Indian Lilac
Containing pain-suppressing and inflammation-reducing effects, it is no wonder that Indian lilac is included in the natural ingrown toenail treatment. This herb can help you alleviate swelling, inflammation and pain remarkably while lowering the risk of developing infection and improving the healing.
- Put some neem leaves into water and boil. After straining and cooling, use that solution to soak your feet for about 15 minutes. Then dry your feet meticulously. Practice twice every day.
- Also you can put some neem oil onto the ingrown toenail before bedtime and keep it on overnight. Practice every day.
9. Trim Correctly
Remember to trim the nails straightly across all the nails as well as avoid making a curved shape for the nails. Also make sure to start trimming from the edges and never from the middle.
Furthermore, always file the nails in order to prevent sharp edges. Additionally, the file and clipper should be of high quality.
More importantly, you should keep the length of your toenails moderately. If the nails are trimmed too short, they will pierce into the skin while growing.
Note: In case you are having some particular medical conditions that prevent you from trimming the nails, you can have them trimmed by the some professional one.
10. Sensible Footwear
When you are having ingrown toenail, it is recommended to wear sandals or shoes which are open-toed in order to give more room for the toe to breathe and heal quicker.
In order to prevent the nail from grown inward, you should wear some sensible footwear which is not tight or poor-fitting.
The most ideal footwear is the one with soft fabrics and roomier toe. Also people should not wear shoes which apply pressure on the toes. Especially, women should keep out of high heels in order to free your toes from pressure.
Source:
[2] http://www.healthdirect.gov.au
[3] https://authorityremedies.com
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