Ingrown toenails are conditions that can cause serious discomfort and pain. When the nail grows into the skin of the toe, this causes a wound that deepens with daily activity and as the nail grows. It is common to try to treat ingrown toenails at home, as evidenced by the large number of instructional articles and tutorials online. Some of these treatments aren’t directly harmful, like Epsom salt baths or resting the ingrown toenail as much as possible. However, others can cause direct harm to the toe. These at-home treatments for ingrown are especially dangerous when the ingrown is infected.
Infected ingrown toenails are a much more serious problem than ingrown toenails that aren’t infected. This is because infections can cause damage to the tissue, and can even eventually spread to the blood to create a much more serious (even potentially fatal) condition. While most infected ingrowns never get to that point, it is always a possibility. For this reason, when you have an ingrown toenail your primary concern should be safely treating the condition as quickly as possible. Home treatments are absolutely not the way to go when the safety of your nail is your priority. These treatments range from not effective to outright damaging for all ingrown toenails, and infected ingrowns run the risk of spreading the infection to other areas when treated at home.
If you have an infected ingrown, you should be seen by a licensed podiatrist as soon as possible. They will be able to remove the ingrown nail safely without worsening the infection and provide you with effective treatment for the infection. This is the only safe way to go about treating an infected ingrown. To schedule your consultation with a podiatrist, give us a call at (424)-299-4627 or visit our website for more information.