Even though it is called hangnail, it is not a painful situation that is caused by disruption on your nail. Many people is still mistaken between hangnail and ingrown nail. Ingrown nail is when the small tip of your nail is growing into your skin near your nail bed. Yet hangnail is a flap skin usually on the side of your nail that is triangular shaped.

Hangnail can happen on your finger nail or even on your toe. In most cases, this will not cause you any harm unless your hangnail is infected. Your hangnail considerably in a high risk to be infected since it is basically a torn on your skin so if it is gotten in touch with bad bacteria or fungus, it most probably will be infected.

If your hangnail is infected, you might be experiencing some symptoms such as redness on the setting of your hangnail, swollen on your finger, or further even pus is present on your swollen finger where the hangnail is. If this circumstance is happening, getting an antibiotic ointment or oral medication might be necessary.

Causes of infected hangnail on a toe

In general, hangnail can occur when the hygiene level of your skin around your nail is not well taken care of. Dry skin around your nail that is topped with nail biting habit is the main reason behind hangnail in most cases. Some people even cannot stand having a hangnail on their finger, so they straight pull them and causing a tear on the skin that can make the hangnail worse or even infected since they also accidentally remove the healthy skin.

Specifically on a toe, hangnail is mostly happen because of dry skin and the presence of some germs around the toe area which is normal considering the location of a toe. Bad habit such as biting or peeling your nail (even your toe nail) is also can be the reason behind the hangnail on your toe.

As long as infection does not take place. Most hangnail cases even the ones happen on a toe can be cured with home remedies.

Home remedies for hangnail on a toe

If you are currently suffering from a hangnail on a toe, it is necessary to try the following steps:

1. Soak your hangnail

Soak your toe that has hangnail on it in a bowl of warm water that has been added with a pinch of salt. This is to soften your hangnail so it is easier for you to clip it later.  A pinch of salt will act like a mild antibacterial that can prevent your hangnail from infection.

2. Clip your hangnail

After your hangnail is softened, clipping your hangnail with a sharp cuticle clipper is recommended. If your hangnail is not well clipped, do not pull it straight away as it will cause even worse pain and new cycle of hangnail days after.

3. Apply lotion

Applying lotion is a very good help for your skin to regrow and heal itself. As with vitamin E, studies have shown that lotion enriched with vitamin E is good for your skin collagen’s regrowth as well as keeping it moist to prevent any new hangnail to appear.

4. Covering up

If your hangnail torn is pretty deep or long, covering it with bandage might be necessary to avoid any infection to occur. However, please note that changing the dressing as well as the bandage every day is important to keep the skin clean.

Home remedies for hangnail on a toe that has pus

Pus is a sign that your hangnail is infected. This is not an everyday case, however if you are experiencing this, do not panic. This situation considerably still treatable with home remedies but should the infection stays for days, seeking for professional medical help is always a good option.

If your hangnail is infected, soaking it in a bowl of warm water is still a recommended step to do. Do it two or three times a day to soothe the pain. After that clean the affected area either with water and soap or with cotton all soaked in alcohol.

The best thing to do after that is to drain the pus. The above step of soaking your toe in a bowl of warm water with a pinch of salt three or four times a day is the best step to do at home should you don’t have any medically sterilized tools that can help you making a tear to accommodate the pus to drain. This warm water treatment will help to break open the pus area and drain the fluid.

Applying antibiotic ointment afterward is a great help to avoid any more bacteria to get in contact with your hangnail and make it even worse infected. If after some days your infection is not healed or the pain level is increasing, you are always recommended to seek for professional medical help for the hangnail on your toe.