Goodbye Painful Ingrown Toenails!
It seems as though ingrown toenails have become an epidemic in recent years. As the world becomes more active, so will this painful problem. Whether you’re wearing a pair of expensive running shoes, construction boots or high heels, ingrown toenails can become a problem. What can we do to prevent and solve the problem?
While some over the counter products are available to relieve the pain of ingrown toenails, they generally do not eliminate the problem. As a veteran patient in this arena, I’d like to share some thoughts with you.
Here’s how the process works:
Step 1 - Make an appointment with a Podiatrist to have the ingrown portion cut out. Many general practice clinics have Podiatrists (DPM’s) on staff to take care of this and other foot-related problems.
Step 2 - Get the problem fixed ASAP - don’t wait. In most cases, only the ingrown portion of the nail will be removed. Ask your Doctor to reduce the risk of future occurances by injecting a chemical to prevent the nail from re-growing into the skin.
Note: this sounds painful, but you will not feel a thing. Your doctor will use a local anesthesia to numb your toe of any pain.
Step 3 - follow any instructions the Doctor provides to soak the foot until it’s healed. If possible, avoid any serious activity for a few weeks.
To avoid future occurances of ingrown toenails, be sure to cut or file all your toenails straight across (do not round the corners). Be sure your footwear has adequate room for your toes to move around. Too much pressure in the toebox may lead to ingrown toenails.
For more information, check out John Vonhof’s Fixing Your Feet book.
Another foot resource I located is Dr. Joshua Kaye’s website.
