Ingrown toenail help!

How on earth do you fix an ingrown toenail? It’s my right big toe, inner side, and honestly, the pain is absolutely brutal whenever anything touches it. Forget about playing soccer; I can't even think about stepping onto a field. I already went to see a surgeon, and he dropped the bomb that I might actually need surgery. 😬 Naturally, I am not thrilled about that option—I dealt with the exact same nightmare on my left foot, and it took a full year to finally clear up.

Any advice, suggestions, or life hacks???

Thanks.

My mother deals with those exact same issues. And honestly—surgery is useless—because the nail just grows back anyway (they basically rip the nail out, which is only a temporary fix since the regrowth starts immediately). My mother has a podiatrist who handles her foot care, and she’s an absolute expert when it comes to ingrown nails. Mom is happy with the results, and frankly, so am I—I don't have to listen to her complaining about the pain every single time she has to deal with trimming them.

I tried plucking it three different times, and every single time it just grew right back 😲 but I finally got it sorted out today—my nail tech gave it a quick, painless tweak, so I should be good until the next time it decides to show up.
Honestly, it’s such a nasty little thing 😱

Alright, thanks. So, basically, the skin around the nail is all swollen and puffy—that’s my way of describing it. It looks like raw meat. When I dab some peroxide on the wound (I think that's 😬?), it starts foaming up, which usually means there's some kind of infection going on (again, I think). Honestly, I'm not sure, but it tends to swell up quite a bit, especially after I take a hit to it or spend too much time walking.
So, here's the plan:
Should I just head to a podiatrist and see if they can fix this mess?

I dealt with this exact same nightmare for a long time, on and off, for about ten years. A podiatrist isn't a permanent fix, and neither is just buying wider shoes. You need surgery—not just pulling the nail, but actually destroying part of the nail root. It’s invisible once it heals, and the nail will never grow inward again. They basically kill off that specific zone where it hits the flesh, and then you're left with a perfectly normal nail. The procedure takes slightly longer than a simple extraction, maybe up to 20 minutes at most. I had mine done at Mayo Clinic and I haven't looked back. Honestly, I didn't even believe my own nightmare was finally over.

Look, do some digging into that procedure. I have no idea what the recovery timeline actually looks like—or if there’s significant pain involved. Get the full story. If you decide against the surgery, then you'll just need a solid podiatrist to keep things managed on a regular basis.
Ask Andrew Rodriguez9 about the operation—he’s been through it. He'll definitely be able to give you some clarity.

Look, I get the gist of it, but I have no idea how long I'll be off my feet after the surgery, let alone when I can actually get back on the soccer field.

Andrew Rodriguez9 said:It’s not just pulling the nail out; they actually destroy part of the nail root.

😕So does that mean the nail just stops growing entirely??
How long is the recovery supposed to take?

The nail doesn't grow back there anymore, but you wouldn't even know it—it looks totally normal. You're left with this tiny little scar that just fades away until it's practically invisible. I went back in the next day to get the stitches pulled. Recovery? Honestly, it’s about the same as just having a nail ripped out.

Andrew Rodriguez9 said:The nail doesn't grow back there anymore, but you wouldn't even know it—it looks totally normal. You're left with this tiny little scar that just fades away until it's practically invisible. I went back in the next day to get the stitches pulled. Recovery? Honestly, it’s about the same as just having a nail ripped out.

And what does that actually mean??
How long were you stuck on the couch unable to walk?

What do I know? At first, you just stay in slippers, then if I recall correctly, there's about two weeks of total rest. Personally, I felt pretty much healed after a month, but you still have to be careful. I was back at work after two weeks, though I was being cautious (working in a warehouse). It’s best to just stay put at the start, especially during those first two weeks—minimal movement. The more you rest early on, the faster it clears up and the less it hurts.

I once had a massive pile of raw meat—basically, my whole toe was filled with pus and turning bruised purple😲 so I had to have the entire nail ripped out. When the same issue flared up again a year later, I went to see a surgeon and asked if he could just permanently destroy that specific part of the root where it grows in crookedly. He told me there was no way to do that 😕 and that the whole thing had to come out. I argued with him, saying I’d already gone through the full extraction and it didn't even fix the problem, so we eventually agreed on a partial nail avulsion—just taking out the half that was digging in. It's finally grown back, and I've been seeing a podiatrist, so everything seems fine for now.
Just keep in mind, though, a podiatrist isn't going to touch your foot if the inflammation is too severe.

Oh, one more thing—when I’m dealing with wild game, I’ve found that soaking it in saltwater really does the trick, or better yet, just using the ocean itself. Luckily, summer is right around the corner, so if you find yourself out on the coast, just spend all day wading in the surf 😘

Look, I don't want to go scaring some kid playing soccer, but they actually ripped my nail out...

My toe is looking straight-up purple right now.
So, I called up a local nail tech today to explain the situation—you know, the whole "it’s throbbing and inflamed" thing—and she just goes, "Hey, just come on in, we fix stuff like this all the time."
Well, I guess I have nothing to lose, so we'll see how it goes.

hiddenscout362 said:Oh, one more thing—when I’m dealing with wild game, I’ve found that soaking it in saltwater really does the trick, or better yet, just using the ocean itself. Luckily, summer is right around the corner, so if you find yourself out on the coast, just spend all day wading in the surf 😘

I'm already doing that, but thanks anyway.👍

Amy Brooks8 said:My toe is looking straight-up purple right now.
So, I called up a local nail tech today to explain the situation—you know, the whole "it’s throbbing and inflamed" thing—and she just goes, "Hey, just come on in, we fix stuff like this all the time."
Well, I guess I have nothing to lose, so we'll see how it goes.

I'm already doing that, but thanks anyway.👍

Personally, I’d follow that up by rubbing some antibiotic ointment on the meat, something like Bivacin or Betrion. That's what worked for me... 🙏

hiddenscout362 said:Personally, I’d follow that up by rubbing some antibiotic ointment on the meat, something like Bivacin or Betrion. That's what worked for me... 🙏

Personally, I use Garmycin, and I have to admit, it actually works wonders.

Amy Brooks8 said:Personally, I use Garmycin, and I have to admit, it actually works wonders.

Oh, it'll work, just hang in there. Once you finally settle down, you can go grab a pedicure or something. You'll need the breather...🙏

hiddenscout362 said:Oh, it'll work, just hang in there. Once you finally settle down, you can go grab a pedicure or something. You'll need the breather...🙏

Well, you've certainly restored my faith in humanity.😁

Honestly, I’ve tried plucking them myself at least twice, but they just keep growing back like nothing happened. I don't exactly have a budget set aside for professional manicures or pedicures—though, truth be told, it's more about finding the time than the money—so I just tackle the whole mess alone at home 😁. I usually settle in with a heavy pour of bourbon, some gauze, a pair of sharp tweezers, and Bivacin. It hurts, quite frankly, it's downright nasty, but what can you do? Every few months, I find myself facing this exact same ordeal all over again 😲

Check the forums, there's probably an existing multi-page thread on this topic somewhere...

Basically, nail techs live off stuff like this, and if you’re relying on someone else to fix it, your money just disappears. That's the deal with podiatrists.

Man, I went through a total nightmare with this, something I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. All because I was being stubborn. About ten years ago back when I was in the Army, I got a nasty ingrown nail. It was constantly inflamed, bleeding whenever I bumped it, just swollen and oozing pus.

Eventually, I just gave up and went to see a surgeon. The guy spent maybe twenty minutes doing a partial nail resection on both sides. He cleaned out the tissue on both sides, cut out the nail, and destroyed the excess nail matrix—you know, the root where the nail actually grows from.
Was it painful? Honestly, it didn't hurt any more than having a throbbing, infected big toe already.

Recovery took about a week of not wearing shoes at all, plus 2 or 3 follow-ups and some bandaging during that first week. Then another week in wide shoes, like some loose clogs, and I was good to go.

If this ever happens to my other foot, I'm heading straight to a surgeon. No way am I going to a nail salon, trying home remedies, using crystals, or whatever other "natural techniques" people swear by. None of that works if something is physically growing where it shouldn't. You have to get rid of that "somewhere" entirely. Period.

And one more thing. I used to try to perform "surgery" on myself, you know, digging out the ingrown part with scissors and stuff. God, what kind of masochism is that? I bet it isn't any better with a nail tech either. I watched the actual procedure, and when I saw the chunk of nail the doctor pulled out (like 5 x 15mm on each side), I realized that even if me and four nail techs worked together for the next 50 years, we still wouldn't have gotten it all out.

Just my advice: go to your primary care doctor and get a referral to a 🤣 surgeon.