Ingrown toenails can be quite troublesome especially when wearing shoes. Ingrowns are best described as toenails growing in such a way that they bite into the skin of your nail bed causing you pain when wearing shoes, moving your feet or even tucking your feet under your bedsheets. Fortunately, you can be free from the pain and embarrassment of an ingrown by applying ingrown toenail treatment as soon as possible. However, before you go and look for a treatment, you should know the different causes and symptoms of this nail disease so you can understand it better.

Causes and Symptoms

One of the main causes of ingrown toenails to appear is wearing shoes that don’t fit you well. The pressure that builds up on your toes can cause your nails to grow poorly and cause them to dig into your skin. Other known causes include damp environment while wearing your shoes, soft nail plate that causes the toenails to grow in a sloping manner, genetics and even trauma to your toes.

Picture of ingrown toenail treatment

You will know that you are suffering from ingrown toenails when you see your toes appearing reddish in color with a bit of swelling on the surrounding areas of the nails. Watery discharge accompanied by small amounts of blood and pus are also symptoms associated with this nail infection. If these symptoms are present, you need to look for the appropriate ingrown toenail treatment immediately to help alleviate the pain and damaged appearance as well.

Treatment and Prevention of Ingrown Toenail

There are various treatments available that can help you get rid of your ingrown problem. Usually ingrown toenail treatment is divided into two, the natural way and medical way.

- Natural Remedies – When suffering from ingrown, you might want to soak your feet in warm water at least four times a day. You should also clean the infected area with soap and water and make sure that it stays dry and clean throughout the day. If you are going to wear shoes, make sure that they are comfortable and that your toes are not too cramped. This way, your nails will have more room to breathe.

Another home remedy that can help you fight your ingrown is to attempt to lift the edge of the ingrown and roll a cotton and insert it in between the nail and skin. This ingrown toenail treatment can be painful but it should be done to allow your nails to grow longer and away from your skin so you can cut them easily.

- Medication – A splint may be prescribed by your podiatrist as part of ingrown toenail treatment. Cotton swabs can be turned into splints then inserted in between the nail and the nail bed. Another method that they can use is to cut or file the nail right in the middle to be able to alter the shape of your nails when it grows. If inflammation persists, most doctors prescribe antibiotics to help fight off the bacteria that is present in your toenails.