Ingrown toenails, what to do to prevent them, to cure them?

Ingrown toenail mostly affects the big toe. One corner of the nail is found to penetrate the skin which can create redness, inflammation, infection and pain. Sometimes an ingrown toenail can cause an infection of the nail, panari skin. The term onychocryptosis is, in medical parlance, the equivalent of ingrown nail.

How to prevent ingrown toenails
We cut our nails straight to avoid the incarnation of the nail. Sometimes it’s easier to do this with a small scissor than a nail clipper.
Choose shoes that do not compress your feet to avoid friction and pressure. If you play sports, check that your shoes are suitable for your sport and that you are wearing the right size.
Change our socks every day to reduce the risk of the infection spreading.
Avoid sweating as much as possible, because it is a favorable environment to maintain an infection. To prevent a recurring problem, it is essential to treat, without delay, any appearance of an ingrown toenail.

How to treat the ingrown toenail
The nail needs to be softened first. We can make the cut after taking a hot bath or we can soak our feet in a foot bath filled with hot water with a little soap for about 20 minutes. You can also add a little salt to help fight infection, decrease swelling and relieve pain. We dry them well afterwards.
We create a space between the nail and the skin so as not to injure ourselves. You can use a cotton swab or a piece of cotton wool held with a toothpick or file. Be careful, do not to push too hard to injure ourselves. The best is to have professional nail pedicure set.
Then an antiseptic ointment is applied in the space created. Repeat this for a few days, while the nail grows back a little, and cut it into a square.

If the nail becomes infected or if you have diabetes, please consult the doctor and do not treat yourself.

The high heels!
The big toe is often the most affected. And in high-heeled shoes, the big toe is crushed forward which makes it more at risk …
Also, if you have an ingrown toenail, these shoes can hurt us more and exacerbate the problem. Avoid them during treatment!

Cutting your nails in a rounded fashion. When they grow back, they are more likely to insert themselves into the skin.

Cut nails too short.
Spending long hours in shoes that hurt us.
Put varnish on an infected nail.
Tearing off cuticles or small skin near your nails, this increases the chances of nail incarnation.
Desperate to want to treat it yourself. If nothing helps, or if you have a recurring ingrown toenail, it’s best to see a doctor to get the problem out of the way for good without risking injury or making your case worse.

Read also: What are the steps of a homemade pedicure?