Ingrown Nails – What Can I Do?

People who suffer from arthritis, obesity, circulatory disorders or a weakened immune system are most at risk of ingrown nails.

Nails grow in when a nail grows into the flesh or nail bed and the surrounding skin becomes red and inflamed. This can happen on any toe, but it is most common on the big toe.

Most common causes

• Wrong cutting technique. If you cut the nail round or too deep, it can grow incorrectly. To prevent this from happening, it needs to be cut straight so that the corners don’t bend and grow into the surrounding meat.
• Very tight shoes with very high heels  interfere with proper nail waxing and can also cause ingrown nails.
• Incorrect cleaning of the feet can cause dirt to accumulate under the nails, which can also cause ingrown nails.
• Repeated blows or bumps to the toes , whether doing a sport or at work, cause the toes to suffer and the nails to become damaged and ingrown.

Symptoms

• Pain in the affected toe
• Redness on the toe
• swelling
• Inflammation and tenderness
• Possible infection

People suffering from arthritis, obesity, circulatory disorders, or a weakened immune system are most at risk of suffering from ingrown nails.

Home remedies to treat ingrown nails

• Place a crushed clove of garlic on the affected area. Bandage the toe, then let the garlic sit all night.
• Another option is to treat the affected area with a little onion juice.
• You can also use hot water with salt to treat the diseased nail. Then cover the toe all night.
• Baths are most commonly used for ingrown nails . You can dissolve some marigold tincture in half a liter of warm water and then soak the toe in it for about 30 minutes. After that, the toe is wrapped with a clean towel all night long. The next day you will already feel improvement.

• Heat half a lemon on the heater, then make a small hole in it so that the toe fits in. Then leave the affected area in the lemon for about 20 minutes, it will calm the pain.
• You can also wash, peel, and then grate a carrot to reduce inflammation. Put a little of the grated carrot on the diseased area, then let it sit for at least an hour or two.

Recommendations for correct nail regrowth

• Cut the nails straight. You should never cut the nails round, otherwise there is a risk of ingrowth.
• Take lukewarm baths to ease the pain. Soak the affected area several times a day for half an hour. This will reduce the pain and then correct the nail.
• Use good footwear. The shoes should be wide at the front so that the toes have enough space. The height of the heels should then ideally be 2 to a maximum of 2.5 cm.

• Use sandals at home. This allows the ingrown nail to recover faster.
• Avoid stumbling as much as possible.  If you trip, the ingrown nail can grow even deeper. So be careful, especially if you are wearing sandals!
• Go to the doctor.  If you have diabetes, see a doctor as soon as you discover the ingrown nail. There may be symptoms of poor blood circulation.