5 Home Remedies to Help Manage Ingrown Toenails
Two in every ten people struggle with an ingrown toenail. They’re painful and can often make life's basic tasks extremely difficult, especially those that require you to be on your feet. In severe cases, ingrown toenails are dealt with medically. However, there’s a lot you can do before getting to this point to alleviate the pain and potentially the condition. Below are some home remedies that can help you manage an ingrown toenail.
What Causes Ingrown Toenails?
Ingrown toenails are a common issue that people face all over the world. They are caused by the edge of your toenail curving and growing into the skin, affecting the big toe. Some of the most common reasons an ingrown toenail forms include trauma to that area, wearing shoes that are too tight, cutting your toenails incorrectly, and excessive sweating. Usually, the symptoms of an ingrown toenail would include:
● Pain when pressure is applied
● Swelling
● Pus, especially if infected
● Fever, also if infected
● Redness and inflammation around the ingrown area
Remedies You Can Use At Home For Ingrown Toenails
If you can treat your ingrown toenails as soon as you notice them forming, you can significantly reduce infection or several of the symptoms above. Following these home remedies can help promote healing and prevent pain:
1. Soak your feet
There are a variety of foot soaking remedies you can try. First, we’d recommend soaking your foot in warm water for about 20 minutes. This should help reduce swelling and inflammation around the area. 
2. Over-the-counter antiseptic ointment
If you’re worried about your toe getting infected, buying an antiseptic ointment or cream from your local pharmacy could help reduce the risk of infection and possibly help reduce inflammation and pain, depending on the OTC you buy. Most OTCs have neomycin, bacitracin, and mupirocin, all ingredients with anti-bacterial properties.
3. Over-the-counter pain medication
In addition to ointments and creams, you could also get standard OTC pain medication. Common pain meds can help you manage the pain and often have anti-inflammatory properties, which could reduce swelling near the infected area.
4. Wearing the right shoes and socks
Like we said above, one of the causes of ingrown toenails is wearing shoes and socks that are too tight and too small. When you wear shoes and socks that constrict your feet regularly, the pressure applied could cause your nails to grow irregularly.
Likewise, wearing shoes that are too big for you could cause your toes to hit the front of the shoe while you walk or run. This is also a problem as toe trauma can cause ingrown toenails as well. So, one of the first things we recommend is to get a pair of shoes and socks that fit your feet properly, giving them the right amount of space to move.
5. Wearing a toe protector
If you’re worried about getting ingrown toenails from the shoes you’re wearing or the activities you’re doing, then you might want to consider investing in a toe protector.. Toe protectors cover your toes, cushioning them from impacts. You can buy them as rings that fit around the infected area or as a cover for your whole toe.
The Next Step
Unfortunately, these are only home remedies; we can’t promise they’ll work for your condition. However, we can point you in the right direction if they don’t. The next step for you would be to seek professional help. A podiatrist may give you oral medication, such as antibiotics to treat the infection or anti-inflammatory meds to reduce swelling. Or, they may schedule you for surgery where they remove the ingrown section of the nail.
Need Surgery?
Surgery is one of the most successful methods of dealing with an ingrown toenail. If you need ingrown toenail surgery, get in touch with The Feet People, professionals with years of experience assisting people with foot issues. They’ll assess your ingrown toenail and advise you on whether surgery is needed, and if no,t they will get you on another treatment, ensuring that your condition is dealt with.
Final Thoughts
If you’ve ever had an ingrown toenail or are struggling with one now, then you know precisely how that sharp, debilitating pain can hinder your ability to walk, run, and enjoy life. Try out some of these home remedies, and if they don’t work, as a last resort, you may need to consult a professional to get your nail sorted out.