Maybe it happened when you cut your toenails a little shorter than you intended. Or, maybe your shoes were too tight. Whatever the cause, now you’re looking for an ingrown toenail treatment to find some relief from this painful annoyance.
An ingrown toenail typically occurs when people groom their own feet, cut their own toenails, but fail to cut them evenly. Another cause of an ingrown toenail is from wearing shoes that narrow at the toe and don’t fit well.
While all of the above might seem like minor causes, an ingrown toenail can be extremely painful. And, surprisingly, it can actually become a serious foot condition, if not treated.
Find the Ingrown Toenail Treatment that Works for You
If you’ve tried soaking your feet, massaging them and it’s been more than a week, it’s time to book an appointment with a podiatrist. Even if it has been just a few days, but your foot has become red, painful, swollen, and inflamed, see a podiatrist immediately.
Once you have an appointment, there is a simple ingrown toenail treatment your podiatrist can perform in the office to take care of your toe. It usually involves numbing it and taking off a sliver of the actual nail.
If I Avoid My Visit to the Podiatrist, What Will Happen to My Ingrown Toenail?
Putting off ingrown toenail treatment can lead to the following:
These above issues are all the more reason not to let an ingrown persist.
And, once you have received proper ingrown toenail treatment, the best way to avoid ingrowns, in the future, is to cut your toenails straight across. When you cut each corner of the toenail too far back, the skin grows over the edge and the nail is unable to come out, turning into, you guessed it: an ingrown toenail.
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