If you have a painful ingrown toenail, you will need to visit your podiatrist as soon as possible. If you fail to do so, your risk for infection may rise. While waiting to see your foot doctor, here are some home strategies to help relieve pain, inflammation, and infection risk associated with your ingrown toenail.
Foot Soaks
Effective ingrown toenails treatment often includes foot soaks. Soaking the affected foot in a saltwater solution will help soothe infected tissues, relieve redness, and reduce infection risk. Salt has antibacterial properties, and may help draw out purulent drainage from deep within the soft tissues of your toe.
Soak your foot in the warm saltwater solution until the water cools. You can repeat this process multiple times a day until your symptoms subside. If possible, avoid wearing shoes for a day or so until the sensitivity of your toe subsides. Saltwater foot soaks may also make it easier for podiatrist to access the embedded ingrown toenail so that he or she can remove it from the soft tissue of your toe because the salinity of the water reduces inflammation.
Antibiotic Ointment
If you are suffering from throbbing pain as a result of an ingrown toenail, you may have an infection. Try dabbing a small amount of an over-the-counter antibiotic ointment over the affected area to treat the infection until you see your podiatrist. If your foot doctor determines that the toe is still infected by the time he or she examines you, they may order an oral antibiotic instead of the antibiotic ointment that you have been using.
After you have followed your podiatrist's ingrown toenails treatment plan for a week or two, you will need to return to the office for a follow-up visit so that the doctor can examine the toe for signs of infection. If the toe is still draining, the podiatrist may take a culture of the fluid and have it analyzed to determine which type of bacteria is responsible for the infection. If the infection is especially resistant, a different oral antibiotic may be prescribed.
If you develop an ingrown toenail, see your foot doctor for ingrown toenails treatment as soon as possible. In the meantime, make sure that you cut your toenails straight across when trimming them, avoid wearing shoes that are too tight, and avoid pointy-toed shoes that may cause crowding in the toe box of your shoe. While ingrown toenails are painful, they are usually preventable.
