Ingrown toenails can be very painful! They tend to develop on the big toes, and can be aggravated by the typical ‘home remedies’—cutting out the corners and digging out the skin with nippers until your feet are a bloody, ugly mess. What really helps?
First of all, prevent ingrown toenails by never ever ever ever (did we say never?) cutting the corners of your toenail. This will only create more room for the skin around the corners of your nail to grow in. So even if you think you’ve solved a problem, it’ll actually come back, as the nails push through the skin. So the best thing to do is to stick it out and let the nails grow out. Once you’ve survived those uncomfortable weeks, cut nails straight across.
Second, always pick comfortable shoes that have a wide toebox so your toes aren’t pinched together, or pushing against the top of the shoe. Ballet flats are always a good bet, but if you really love wearing heels, look for one with a rounded toe. And if you’ll be standing or running around a lot that day, opt for the stiletto’s more practical cousin: wedges!
Third, if your ingrown toenails aren’t getting better—or are in such a sorry state that you can’t just hope to grow them out—don’t try to fix them at home. If you cut yourself, you’ll put yourself at risk for infection. And trust us, the only thing more painful and disgusting than an ingrown toenail is an infected, pus-oozing ingrown toenail. Go to a podiatrist to have it fixed.
Photo from ingrowntoenailtreatmentinfo.com