Because ingrown toenails consist of a wound that is constantly pushed against the toenail throughout the day, they commonly create swelling and inflammation of the skin around the nail. In fact, swelling and inflammation are some of the most common symptoms of an ingrown toenail, along with pain. If you have swelling, inflammation, and pain at the corner of your nail it is likely because of an ingrown toenail. Managing the swelling from ingrown toenails can be done in a few ways.
The simplest way to manage ingrown toenail swelling is to rest your feet. This will avoid putting additional pressure on the nail that would make the swelling worse. Icing your toe will also help to reduce any swelling from ingrown toenails. Additionally, you can try to elevate your foot as much as possible. This will help blood to drain from out of your toe and will help reduce swelling. Finally, some over-the-counter pain medications (NSAIDs specifically) can help reduce inflammation as well. However, these medications shouldn’t be used for an extended period of time.
When swelling from ingrown toenails is bad, this may be indicative of an infection. Especially if you have noticed pus, redness, or increased temperature in this area, you should consider the possibility that your ingrown is infected. The swelling from ingrown toenails is not treatable at home when the ingrown is infected. In this situation, the only thing you can do is see a licensed podiatrist to treat the swelling. They will remove the ingrown toenail itself and also likely prescribe a course of antibiotics to fight the infection. Both of these will be necessary to treat the swelling from this type of ingrown toenail. To schedule your consultation with a podiatrist, give us a call at (424)-299-4627 or visit our website for more information.