An ingrown toenail occurs when the center or corner of the big toe nail grows into the nearby skin. Although not a serious condition, ingrown toe must be treated immediately, so as not to cause infection.
An ingrown toe will make the big toe painful, swollen, and red. To overcome this, you can do a simple treatment yourself at home. However, it should be noted that this treatment is recommended for mild cases of ingrown toe and has not developed into an infection.
Various Causes of Ingrown Toe
If you don't take good care of your feet, your risk of developing an ingrown toe will increase. However, that is not the only cause. There are several other things that can also cause an ingrown toe, including:
- Trimming nails not straight or too short.
- Wearing shoes or socks that are too narrow.
- Injuries to the toenails, for example from tripping, bumping or falling heavy objects.
- Curved or wavy nail shape.
- Suffering from a fungal infection of the nail that causes the toenail to thicken.
How to Overcome Ingrown Toe
The following are simple treatments that you can do at home to treat an ingrown toe:
1. Soaking the feet in warm water
In cases that are not severe, you only need to soak the ingrown foot in warm water for 15-20 minutes. Do it 3 times a day so that ingrown toenails heal quickly.
2. Soak your feet in apple cider vinegar
You can use apple cider vinegar to treat an ingrown toe. It's easy, just mix cup (about 60 ml) of apple cider vinegar in a bowl of warm water. Soak feet for 20 minutes, then pat dry. Although not much research has been done, apple cider vinegar is considered to be able to treat ingrown toes because it has antiseptic, anti-pain, and anti-inflammatory properties.
3. Propping nails with cotton
The next way that can be done is to give a cotton pad between the skin and an ingrown thumb nail. It's easy, take a small piece of cotton that has been soaked in alcohol, then place the cotton under the ingrown toenail. This method can shift the nail so that it grows in the right direction.
4. Applying an antibiotic cream or ointment
You can also apply an antibiotic cream or ointment to the ingrown toe to help heal and prevent infection. Apply an antibiotic cream or ointment 3 times a day, and make sure to always cover the big toe with a gauze bandage.
During an ingrown toenail, use shoes and socks that are the right size, so that the big toe is not squeezed. If necessary, wear sandals for a while, until the ingrown toe is completely healed. To reduce the pain of an ingrown toenail, you can take pain relievers, such as: paracetamol.
If you have done the methods above but the ingrown toenail does not go away or if you have symptoms of infection, such as swelling, redness, and pus, seek medical attention immediately.