2 Mistakes to Avoid When You Have an Ingrown Toenail
Posted on: 24 March 2018
If you have an ingrown toenail, you may wish there was something you could do to get rid of the pain you feel with each step. However, while you may be desperate to find relief, there are some mistakes you should avoid making when you have an ingrown toenail.
1. Wearing Shoes Too Small for Your Feet
When you have an ingrown toenail, the longer you are on your feet, the worse your pain becomes, even if you are walking around barefoot. However, if your shoes are too small for your feet, you may not only increase the pain, but you could be causing more damage.
If your shoes are too tight, the pressure around your toe increases and pushes the nail deeper into your skin. If you continue to walk around in tight shoes, your nail will tear your skin with each step you take.
While you have your ingrown toenail, wear shoes that are not too tight around your toe area. If the weather and your situation permits, consider wearing open-toed sandals or flip-flops to keep the pressure off of the toe and allow the skin to breathe.
2. Trying to Fix the Ingrown Toenail by Yourself
As your ingrown toenail digs deeper into your skin and makes you miserable with the pain it inflicts, you may be tempted to use clippers to cut and pull out the toenail yourself. However, trying to remove the toenail can cause a lot more damage than just letting it be.
Even if you were successful in cutting off the part of the toenail you can see, you probably will not be able to get to the sharp edge that is buried in your skin. If you try to dig the buried nail out with clippers or a cuticle stick, you will only end up ripping your flesh and causing even more pain.
Also, since your efforts to cut out the toenail will most likely not be in a sterile environment, you risk introducing bacteria that could seriously infect your toe. Having your ingrown toenail taken care of by a medical professional can greatly reduce any damage or risk of infection you would cause by treating it yourself.
Instead of making these two mistakes and trying to treat your ingrown toenail by yourself, you should have a podatrist, such as Better Foot Care, take a look at it. Make an appointment with a foot specialist so they can examine your toe and discuss your options for treating it.
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