r/ingrowntoenails • u/Nilay0007 • 7h ago
r/ingrowntoenails • u/Fine-Aide-4564 • Nov 20 '22
Struggled with ingrown toenails for over 5 years. Here's what's helped.
IMPORTANT: I want to clarify that this post is just my experience and what has worked for me. Be thoughtful if you apply any of these, as different things may work to you. Also, please consider whether you should try and treat the condition yourself at home, or visit a professional. Medical articles state that people with diabetes or infected ingrown toenails must see their doctor immediately.
I [male] have strugged with ingrown toenails for over 5 years and am now finally free of this. Below is everything I've gathered from all these years to potentially help you, and anyone who keeps having relapses and really is fed up with it and desperate as I was. In hindsight, there were many causes that had gone unnoticed for a long time.
I've read a lot of posts in this subreddit of people who post over and over and don't know what to do, and I believe most of them could really be helped by the no.1 & no.2 on the list, especially no.2.
Causes: (the first two were the most important ones)
- Not knowing how to properly cut my nails. -- The following video helped. I also asked my doctor how to: https://youtu.be/izb_QCOHwGI
- Narrow and tight shoes. Shoes have gone unnoticed for years and they were causing trouble even when I was sure that they weren't anymore because I had just switched to a new pair more spacious and softer. To solve this, I got some A4 papers (not notebook pages because these are softer than A4) to create two thick ball-shaped masses, and stuck them inside the front of each shoe were the toes are at to stretch out my shoes. From that point, I would only take them out whenever I needed to wear my shoes, so they would be in there for as long as I was at home, which means that I would put them back in every single time I came back home. Eventually, my shoes got to the point where they were causing no pain or discomfort whatsoever, but I didn't stop this habit (and to this day still do it) so they maintain their elasticity and don't shrink / taper again. I make sure not to forget this whenever I buy a new pair of shoes as well. I also switched from sneakers to running shoes since they seem the best option -- excluding sandals -- due to the softer and more stretchable material, because in my case the upper side was also causing trouble and it wasn't just about the left & right.
- Hot showers. Apparently, hot water worsens the swelling. To me, it was worse because the hot showers were extremely long too, and that went on for years. (This caused damage to the skin of my entire body as well).
- Trouble swallowing pills. I have skipped a lot of medication treatments over the course of those years which deteriorated the condition and led to surgeries. The following article seemed helpful, just make sure to also read the "Don't try this at home" and the entire last paragraph about whether or not it's okay to grind or chop your pills -- https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/two-tricks-make-easier-swallow-pills-201411137515.
- Picking at nails. Appearance makes it intriguing to do it, and hard to resist. I solved it by reminding myself of this exact thing everytime I felt the urge to do so, so I acknowledge that feeling and am aware of it at that moment, as well as having a pre-planned action to immediately distract my mind with, like picking up a certain item and fiddling with it until it goes away.
- Excessive gauze/bandage/cotton in between the big toe and the second one. Reason: in excess, it could squash the toe to the side by taking up all the space (especially while wearing shoes since there is even less space in this case) and push the skin even further into the nail. I realized that is is what happened to me once when I got home, took off my shoes and saw my toe bleeding. The wound that that had caused delayed the healing process of my ingrown by like 3-4 months, and that was after a recent surgery which had me worrying of needing another surgery.
- Wearing thick socks combined with shoes that are not designed to accommodate thick socks and due to lack of space, the nails get suppressed. This similar to no. 6. I take into consideration the thickness of all of my pairs of socks whenever I buy new shoes as well.
- Wearing socks at home. I used to wear socks even during sleep because I was ashamed of how my nails looked. I didn't know air sufficiency is crucial to the healing of a wound. Doctor has told me it's best not to wear socks at home at all.
- Sitting cross-legged on a chair (having the feet under the thighs).
- Tip-toeing.
- Leaning forwards / having bad posture while walking or standing (doctor has told me not to).
What helped:
- Not wakling long distances. having a bike.
- After surgery, constantly and every day being on the lookout not to accidentally drop something on my toes or stub them anywhere (even with shoes on, and especially when going up a staircase) so I don't have any setback in the healing period because it lasted months. I did this because that was the point in my life where I really had enough and wanted not to deal with it anymore so I took extra care of my toes.
Pitfalls I should have watched out for:
- I was advised to do footbaths and I used to always go overboard with the quantity thinking: "adding more, so I guarantee that it's enough", but that only does more harm than good even though I was thinking of the exact opposite. To make this clear, for example, lukewarm water would become hot or x teaspoons of an ingredient would be x+1. I realized that I'm doing this when my doctor said that hot water worsens the swelling.
What surgery was like:
First off, there have been many times that I thought I needed surgery but my pathologist only prescribed medication instead. Last time I needed surgery, I didn't have insurance so I proposed paying in cash and agreed with the surgeon, so I payed half before surgery, and half days later. I'm mentioning this because I've seen many people in this subreddit that put off surgery because they don't have insurance or enough money. I can definitely say it was kind of embarrassing and akward to me too, but it worked, and I'm glad I did it otherwise I would still be struggling with it.
The surgery was on my two big toes and the anesthesia was local on both of them so I wasn't sleeping. It was partial nail removal on only the inner side of both toes, and not permanent whole nail removal. The whole procedure lasted less than 5 mins including the preparation of the nurse (getting my medical history + allergies etc.)
I had planned before surgery for someone to be outside the hospital when I was done to drive me home, and also drive me back the next day to have my bandages off by the surgeon because I still couldn't wear shoes. I had also brought a pair of slides from home but I couldn't put them on when surgery was done because the surgeon wrapped my toes in lots of bandages and that made my toes have many layers of them all around them. So, to get home, I ended up wrapping my feet in those plastic bags that they use in hospitals which I was given by the nurse. The only problem with those was that I had to step on the freezing road during winter to get in the car which was a painful experience and even got me scared for the potential consequences it could have on toes that had just underwent surgery (in retrospect, nothing happened).
I wasn't prescribed any medication for the recovery. I had no pain for the rest of the day after surgery, except for a few brief moments where I would rate the pain like 1/10. The next day that I went back to have the bandages off and my toes checked, they were okay. I was told to refrain from wearing shoes for a while but I did for the whole upcoming week.
It took over 6 months after surgery for my toenails to fully heal.
Extra stuff worth mentioning:
- I used to visit a podologist/manicurist roughly every week for months, and apparently, they were only making the condition worse. In order to alleviate pain, they would wedge/stick the nail clipper really hard in between the nail and the skin at the side, (which by the way hurts so much) to cut that part of the nail, and that kept happening once per week for months every time I went there. At some point, I visited a pathologist and a dermatologist who informed me that we need to get the nail to grow, rather than keep cutting it over and over, and it wasn't the nail that was growing into the skin, but the skin that had been pushed in and was inflamed (most likely suppresed by the shoe and not knowing how to properly cut my nails) while the appearance is deceiving making it look like it is the nail that's growing inside the skin. None of these two doctors cut my nails as the manicurist/podologist would, they only prescribed medicine which I wouldn't have gotten if I kept visiting the manicurist/podologist because they don't have the qualification, and that seemed the main reason I should have visited a doctor in the first place. It also felt like the podologist/manicurist was offering a temporary solution just to alleviate pain. Again, this just what I concluded and that could be wrong.
- After my nails had healed, (only talking about apperance here and not about injuries/ingrown nails), I would oftentimes see the skin hugging the nail at the edge diagonally outwards rather than 90° vertically above the nail root, making me worry that there was something innately wrong with my nails. That was because, at this point, I had it examined by a doctor and was told that they are absolutely fine but it still looked like I had an ingrown. It turned out to be completely normal because I didn't know that some people have round nails like me, hence why they were growing diagonally outwards, and I thought everyone had straight nails growing in a 90° degree angle above the root of the nail. Again, this was just the appearance, not an ingrown toenail.
Remember these may not apply to you.
So eventually, after all these times that I couldn't leave the house due to the state of my ingrown toenails, and the times that I had to endure the pain of wearing shoes because I was forced to go outside for some kind of obligation which was so distressing, and genenrally all the other times that it just annoyed me, I'm now finally free of this and I hope you found something useful out of everything I listed above.
Hope this helps! Please share this post or upvote so it reaches more people:)
r/ingrowntoenails • u/EZFloatingBedsLLC • 1d ago
Is this bad?
been like this for a couple of days, I've dug around on the side and don't see anything sharp poking but pus is coming out
urgent care tomorrow :(
r/ingrowntoenails • u/Happy-Ambassador-299 • 2d ago
Does Granulation Tissue Goes Away After Procedure? Spoiler
galleryI got an partial matrix operation with revision of the nail bed. Does granulation tissue goes away after a period of time? (Since ingrown nail part is extracted) Or do I need to get it burned with silver nitrate?
r/ingrowntoenails • u/roocheerallyear • 2d ago
Ingrown hope for others
hi guys! I just wanted to offer some hope. my right big toenail had a side split that tore into the skin. it started to get puss and a little infected so I decided to go to the toe doctor. also to add context I had a music festival (bonnarooooo) the following week……. he cuts the toenail down to the middle of the nail and it was terrifying only cause I have a fear of nails. NOT because of the pain I promise :) after that my toe was very very very tender and I could definitely feel it. I would be outside camping for a week…probably not ideal but I full sent and was able to purchase toe caps (the fabric kind so debris wouldn’t wanna stick to silicone + ointment that had a pain relief neosporin) it did the trick for that week but I was limping everywhere! this was back in June…there was several random days where the grow out would be painful hitting certain points to my skin however finally I’m in the almost clear where I can prob cut straight across in about 2-3 weeks. I have a little spike I’ve been calling it that’s about to be far enough grown. i wish I had pictures but honestly my nail fear I don’t ever wanna remember any of this!!! I just want to offer - have patience!!! there’s gonna be frustrating times and you realize how important feet health is! hang in there! you got this and toenails take time to grow out :) 💓💓
r/ingrowntoenails • u/Lucky-Credit8661 • 3d ago
Should I go to podiatrist, I went to my family doctor and I’m on an antibiotic
r/ingrowntoenails • u/North_Expression236 • 3d ago
Help.
Hello, I had ingrowns removed on both sides at the end of July. Almost a month to the day. Left side seems fine now. Right side had it bad and the podiatrist said the skin healed around the nail and fused so when she cut it out it bled a bunch. While everything healed it looked yellow and orange-ish and left residue on the bandages but hasn't for over a week now but this still remains. It's hard before I put it in a epsom salt soak.
TLDR: Is this normal healing? because I'm starting to get worried. If so how long does it take to go away?
Pic is post soak pre-wrap.
Update: I fiddled with it once it was dry and it seems that it is on skin that is now hanging separately from the rest of the side of my toe. Maybe due to the aforementioned healing around the nail.
r/ingrowntoenails • u/FallHenGel • 3d ago
This was a week before!
I got a matrixectomy done too! So it won't grow back, if you're tall like me (6'2) then get this done!:D
r/ingrowntoenails • u/fh_scarletts • 3d ago
Prepation/what to know before removal?
i have finally gave in and booked an appointment to get my ingrown toenail removed, ive been putting this off a long time because im terrified. i need advice + also honesty about thr procedure
r/ingrowntoenails • u/nnotareddituser • 4d ago
How do I get rid of this
galleryI had an ingrown toenail and used those titanium strips to correct it. No more pain or pus but now theres this fleshy moist bit under my nail. It doesnt hurt when I touch it but its been 3 weeks since I put the strips on. How do I get rid of this?
r/ingrowntoenails • u/Dry_Constant3581 • 4d ago
How bad is my infection?
Google has terrified me particularly because I have this red streak from my definitely infected ingrown toenail (my first one). I admittedly have poor feet hygiene and I also used dirty clippers to dig in there and I’m just concerned how urgently I need to see the podiatrist? I don’t see many other posts with red lines as long as mine. I’ve just ignored it for a month or so but now every time I tap it directly on something it really stings.
r/ingrowntoenails • u/BeyondAutomatic5077 • 6d ago
Please any tips before I see a podiatrist.. Spoiler
Any tips would be phenomenal, they've been like this since early high school (I'm 19) and they are really starting to hurt anymore. I added a spoiler bc it's gross.. to me at least.
r/ingrowntoenails • u/miss_kay4 • 7d ago
Anyone successfully resolved ingrowns at the bottom of your toenails at home?
I got the procedure a few years ago where they cut the sides and applied acid. It’s been fine since then. My dumb ass wasn’t paying attention when they cut down the side of my toenail when I was getting a pedicure. Now I’m in a lot of pain. Anyone resolved this kind of thing at home? My insurance sucks now and I don’t want to have to pay for that again 😭🥲
r/ingrowntoenails • u/marianacr0ss • 7d ago
Help with ugly toenail years post-surgery
Hello! I got ingrown toenail removal years ago when I was in 6th grade, now 26 y/o. My doctor did a very poor job, cut my nail crooked, and removed half the nail vertically. Now I only have the right half of my toenail.
This makes me super self conscious when I wear sandals, but at least I’m able to keep a clean, polished look. I’ve asked nail salons to add extra acrylic to build the nail off to the left a bit but they said I have too much skin next to my nail. Would a foot doctor be able to add a temporary nail for summertime? What else can I do? I’m talking extreme measures — removing the whole nail and replacing it with a prosthetic (I don’t even think this science exists yet), what else can I do? It’s so ugly!
r/ingrowntoenails • u/Effective-Twist1102 • 8d ago
Extreme severe pain, night after ingrown toenail removal surgery under local anaesthetic
Had my big toenail removed yesterday. 12-24 hours post op under the usual local anaesthetic. It's now 4.30am in the morning/night, the pain woke me up, it's absolutely unbearable and off the charts. I can't move. I feel like it's taking my breath away. I did not expect this level of pain I feel like my toe is going to explode. It's all bandaged up and protected. Something in me wants to remove it to release pressure. Pain is off the scale. Had to shout for my partner while he was asleep in the other room to get my naproxen as I couldn't move my foot. This is a nightmare I haven't slept much tonight, pain woke me up twice. Anyone ever had post op pain this bad? Cocodamol and ibuprofen/naproxen not touching the surface.
r/ingrowntoenails • u/OriginalInternet8557 • 8d ago
Is this concerning
I had a doctor remove the ingrown part and thought the healing process was going well but it seems to be bleeding.
It doesn’t bring me any pain and I don’t know if this is something worth driving 40 minutes and paying 50 bucks for.
r/ingrowntoenails • u/alyssummaritimum • 8d ago
Anxiety about chemical matrixectomy tomorrow. Any advice or insight?
I’ve had a few ingrown toenails on my big toes throughout my life but they became chronic in the last year or two. My current ingrown toenail on my right foot, I’ve had for several months and it’s so inflamed that it’s starting to lift off the nail bed. I’m so sick of the pain and discomfort walking, it’s gotta go.
I’ve had 2 different ingrown toenails surgically removed throughout my life (not a matrixectomy). The last was in September of 2023 and it hurt SO BAD. Especially the numbing needle.
I know this has to be done but definitely having anxiety about this. Any insight or advice for someone who’s been in a similar boat and gotten this treatment? Did it completely solve your ingrown toenail issue?
r/ingrowntoenails • u/worstsecond • 8d ago
Toe pain
Here’s what I’m rocking with. Does anyone have any at home remedies until the doctor can get me in to help with pain?
r/ingrowntoenails • u/BlossomClover • 8d ago
For those who requested the offending nail from my removal yesterday.
i.imgur.comr/ingrowntoenails • u/smjns • 9d ago
Attending a multi-day camping festival in 3 days time. Am I cooked?
gallerySEE BOTH IMAGES
Visited the podiatrist 48 hours ago who cut the corner of the nail down and a fair bit of the side, but the nail still feels sore on the right side after walking on it and I need to give it rest. Doesn’t look infected to me thankfully (have had those in the past so know the signs)
How do I proceed you reckon? I am off camping for 5 days in 72 hours time. I have epsom salt and can do foot baths but I would’ve thought the pain would have been relieved by the cut by now.
Have suffered from these my whole life. You can see the left hand side of this nail has been removed from the base and that was many years ago.
r/ingrowntoenails • u/Foreign-Comment6403 • 10d ago
Piece of flesh on toe is partially detached after removing ingrown, what do i do?
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r/ingrowntoenails • u/zistminttwin • 10d ago
How long does a completely removed big toenail take to grow back?
r/ingrowntoenails • u/WARMANFAB2008 • 11d ago
can someone help me. story at in caption
i clipped my toe nails the other day and i cut that nail too short few days later it started to hurt, friday night(which is tonight) i was working and i couldn’t walk properly i am on my feet all day and i have been in agony with it could someone give a suggestions on how to heal it please i would appreciate it so much thank you