Getting Help With My Feet

Ingrown toenails can cause you pain in the side of your toe, but if it's infected it could cause you pain all over your toe and up your foot. If you have an ingrown toenail you may or may not know that you have one. Ingrown toenails grow into the skin on the side of your toe where the nail meets the skin. If you feel pain in this area, it is most likely an ingrown toenail. Read on for information to help you if you have an ingrown toenail.

Don't Try To Clip It Out

Do not try to clip out the ingrown nail yourself. If you have an ingrown toenail and you do try to dig it out with nail clippers or some other type of tool, you could end up with an injury or an infection. Either way you'll be in more pain that you already are. If you have a painful ingrown nail see the podiatrist for help relieving the pain and to pull the nail up and away from the skin. Don't attempt to do this yourself.

Clear Up The Infection

If you have an infection in this area you should heal the infection using alcohol wipes. Apply the alcohol wipes and then use a bandage to cover the area until you can get into the podiatrist for treatment. If it feels hot to the touch you can use a cold compress to alleviate any swelling and pain. Taking an over-the-counter pain reliever can also help with any pain from an infected toenail.

Ingrown Toenail Prevention Tips

Ingrown toenails can happen to anyone - young, old, male or female. They occur for a number of reasons, although if your toes have an abnormal nail growth they may happen more often. Other reasons include clipping nails wrong, wearing poor-fitting shoes or injury. Preventing ingrown nails can be done by:

• Cut Nails Straight Across. Your toenails should always be clipped straight across, not at an angle or clipped so low that you expose the skin next to the nail. This will only cause the nail to grow back in wrong and into the skin, causing the ingrown nails.
• Wear Comfortable Shoes. Shoes that are too tight for your toes can cause ingrown nails. This is because the nails are being pressed into one another and can eventually grow into the skin.
• See The Podiatrist. A visit to the podiatrist, especially if you've experienced a foot injury can be beneficial. If your toenails were affected and begin to grow in wrong your podiatrist can spot this issue before it becomes a painful ingrown toenail.

Ingrown toenails can be very painful especially if they become infected. Visit the podiatrist if you have an ingrown toenail for ingrown toenails treatment.