If you are researching ways you can treat an ingrown toenail, you may have come across the multitude of at-home treatments that are recommended online. As with all things on the internet, these recommendations should be examined for validity and safety before you decide to use them. There are very few at-home treatments that are recommended by podiatrists for ingrown toenails, which include resting them and soaking them in warm water with Epsom salts. Some of the recommended at-home treatments include using chemicals to treat an infection; this is very dangerous and should not be done at home.
Infected ingrown toenails are a more serious form of ingrown that require medical attention. A podiatrist will be able to treat the ingrown itself and prescribe antibiotics to treat the infection. Chemicals like bleach and hydrogen peroxide will not treat an infected ingrown. In fact, they are likely to make the condition much worse. Neither of these is effective at eliminating an infection, and applying them to any part of your skin is likely to irritate it. Applying chemicals like these to an open wound, like an ingrown, will aggravate the toe. This will likely cause pain, further inflammation, and even worsening of the ingrown itself. Additionally, these chemicals will not do anything beneficial for the condition.
These at-home remedies for ingrown toenails are dangerous. Chemicals like bleach are not meant to be used for medical procedures; bleach is a household cleaning product. If you have an ingrown toenail that you are worried is infected, or just an ingrown you want to be removed, you should be seen by a licensed podiatrist. Safety is always first when it comes to your body, so do not try using any household products to treat an ingrown toenail. To schedule your consultation with a podiatrist, give us a call at (424)-299-4627 or visit our website for more information.