Ingrown toenails on the big toes

Toenails that grow into the skin are one of the most common and painful foot problems. The most common causes are improper nail care and wearing tight, uncomfortable shoes. To understand just how serious the problem of ingrown toenails is, one need only visit the surgical ward of any hospital. Most patients there are people who have let the condition of their big toe nail deteriorate to the point where a surgeon can no longer treat them without surgery.

Treatment and Prevention of Ingrown Toenails

On the other hand, ingrown toenails did not cause as much discomfort in the past as they do today, but today they appear suddenly and unexpectedly. Toenails do not grow as quickly, and many people are not in the habit of trimming them regularly and tend to put off trimming them until the last minute. The result is that the outer edge of the nail plate grows into the surrounding soft tissue of the big toe, causing pain and redness, followed by pus formation and skin irritation. The big toe swells, and the pain becomes more intense with each passing day. This is particularly noticeable when the toe is accidentally injured or when wearing tight shoes.

Surgical treatment for an ingrown toenail involves removing the edges of the nail on both sides, cleaning the wound of pus, and reducing swelling and inflammation of the surrounding tissue. In addition, the surgeon carefully removes the nail matrix and pushes the skin fold as far away from the nail plate as possible. However, no matter how skillfully the surgery is performed, the nail may grow back, and the problem may recur. To prevent this, follow these simple nail care guidelines

• Once a week, soak your feet in a warm bath with a weak chamomile solution or a potassium permanganate solution. After steaming the nails, carefully trim the cuticle with manicure scissors.
• Treat the reddened area with vodka or rubbing alcohol, reapply iodine, and press the cuticle back against the skin, gently rolling it from side to side.
• If there is redness around the nail, examine your toe daily, monitor the condition of the skin on your foot, and place a piece of cotton wool with synthomycin ointment between the nail and the skin.
• Avoid wearing tight-fitting shoes.
• Shape the nail so that it forms a semicircle on the foot rather than a straight line. Sharp corners of the nail can lead to amputation.

1. Take one fleshy aloe leaf, grate it, and squeeze out the juice. Soak a cotton pad in the juice and apply it to the affected area on the nail plate. Wrap your fingers in plastic wrap and put on socks. By morning, the nail will have softened and can be easily removed with sharp scissors.
2. Prepare a foot bath. Take 6 tablespoons of chamomile flowers, pour 2 liters of boiling water over them, cover the container, and let it steep until warm. Then strain the infusion, pour it into a basin, and soak your feet for 30–40 minutes. After the soak, carefully separate the ingrown toenail from the surrounding soft tissue and place a cotton ball moistened with iodine underneath it.
3. In spring and summer, an ingrown toenail can be treated with plantain leaf compresses. Soak the foot in a weak potassium permanganate solution and apply a plantain leaf to the sore spot where the nail is thin. Wrap the affected area in plastic wrap, pressing it against the toes, and leave the compress on overnight. By morning, the inflammation will have subsided, and you can trim the ingrown toenail yourself.