Ingrown toenail or also known as onychocryptosis is a common discomfort that can happen to everybody around the globe. This is a situation where the sharp edge of your nail grows into the skin and causes an annoying pain or even worse, infection.

In early stage ingrown toenail as mentioned before an annoying pain that can get worse when you walk or wearing the wrong type of shoes, in later stages, ingrown toenail can cause inflammation, infection or even worse a yellow fluid drainage from the extra tissue that materialized. However, in most cases, unless you are having diabetes or any other disease with circulation, an ingrown toenail needs nothing more than a home remedy to cure it.

Causes of ingrown toenail

There are numbers of our daily activities that we might not realize can cause an ingrown toenail. Below are some of them that we would like to show you for our prevention.

• Tight fitting shoes

Wearing tight fitting shoes especially the ones that are tight fitting in the front side can increase the risk for you to have an ingrown toenail. This happens because of the pressure that tight fitting shoes can causes an abnormal growth of your toenail to the wrong direction.

• Family members

If your family members have history of experiencing an ingrown toenail, you are most likely will experience the same nail growth disorder as well. Some people’s nail are naturally have more rounded shape than other which can increase the risk of having an ingrown nail.

• Improper trimming

Improper way of clipping your toenail can also cause the edge of your nail to grow into the soft tissue of your skin. The right way of clipping your nail is to cut them across and not rounded.

• Nail disorder

Nail disorder includes fungal infection. This can cause your toenail to become thicker and develop a wider toenail which later will increase the risk of become an ingrown toenail.

• Repeated damage

Repeated injury or damage such as playing soccer or any other activity that might cause rough rub or a direct hard pressure on your toe can increase the risk of having an ingrown toenail.

Home remedies for ingrown toenail

As stated in the beginning of this article that unless you are having a more serious disease that can affect your blood circulation, an ingrown toenail is not something that you need to worry about. Not worrying, however, does not mean ignoring your ingrown toenail. You still need to give the needed first aid for your ingrown toenail so it will not develop into something that is worse such as pus drainage and infection.

Home remedies for ingrown toenail will include points as follow:

• Soak your toe

Soak your toe with ingrown toenail in warm water about three or four times a day to soften the skin around the ingrown nail so it will easier for you to clip the nail later on. Adding salt is optional as this particular ingredient is believed can help you killing the bad bacteria. But just warm water also will do.

• Wash your foot

Washing your foot properly with water and soap especially the one with ingrown toenail is an important point to do. This will help you prevent infection to occur. Ingrown nail that has grown pretty deep into your skin can make a tear and any tear can be a nice breeding place for germs and bad bacteria that will lead to infection.

• Wear proper shoes

Avoid wearing high heels or any type of shoes with closed ended point in front side as this can give pressure to your nail and cause your ingrown toenail to get worse. Consider wearing sandal or any other type of open ended foot wear if you are currently experiencing an ingrown toenail.

• Dental floss

Threading a dental floss transversely under your nail and then glued the edges on both sides of your nail and skin can help re-directing the growth of your ingrown toenail. This might need a detailed attention and patience on practicing, however this step is needed to cure your ingrown toenail.

• Going for pedicure

There is another step that might be easier for all of us that is going to a nail parlor where you can get pedicure treatment. They most probably will lift up the ingrown toenail as well as cleaning and trim the nail properly. However, make sure that the tools that they use are clean as the toe itself contains many bacteria and germs.

When to seek medical help?

If your ingrown toenail is not treated properly or it gets worse every day, you might need to go to your doctor as an ingrown toenail can cause further complication such as bone infection if your underlying bone is infected. If you are a diabetes patient, a late treatment of ingrown toenail can lead to amputation. Gangrene might also take place if your ingrown toenail has affected the blood flow system in your toe or your body.

So if you are experiencing one of the cases above, seeking medical help on the early stages of your ingrown toenail is recommended. However, even if you are not experiencing the above situation but your ingrown toenail is not getting better after practicing all the home remedies available, you might also need to seek for further medical help to avoid any further complication.