Ingrown toenail help!

Matthew Morris28 said: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.

Look, a surgeon might just rip the whole nail out, which doesn't guarantee anything will actually improve. Just because you were one lucky person in a hundred doesn't mean it works for everyone else. Besides, a podiatrist makes this their actual profession; they specialize exclusively in nails and feet, so you can't even compare them to those amateurish home remedies. And it doesn't even hurt—you soak your foot in warm water first, and then they use specialized tools we don't have at home to pull that ingrown corner out completely painlessly and without bleeding.
The reason your surgeon had to take such a huge chunk is simply because you waited too long.

hiddenscout362 said:Look, a surgeon might just rip the whole nail out, which doesn't guarantee anything will actually improve. Just because you were one lucky person in a hundred doesn't mean it works for everyone else. Besides, a podiatrist makes this their actual profession; they specialize exclusively in nails and feet, so you can't even compare them to those amateurish home remedies. And it doesn't even hurt—you soak your foot in warm water first, and then they use specialized tools we don't have at home to pull that ingrown corner out completely painlessly and without bleeding.
The reason your surgeon had to take such a huge chunk is simply because you waited too long.

I mean, honestly, this just sounds pretty ridiculous even on the first read

hiddenscout362 said:Look, a surgeon might just rip the whole nail out, which doesn't guarantee anything will actually improve. Just because you were one lucky person in a hundred doesn't mean it works for everyone else. Besides, a podiatrist makes this their actual profession; they specialize exclusively in nails and feet, so you can't even compare them to those amateurish home remedies. And it doesn't even hurt—you soak your foot in warm water first, and then they use specialized tools we don't have at home to pull that ingrown corner out completely painlessly and without bleeding.
The reason your surgeon had to take such a huge chunk is simply because you waited too long.

Which, I guess, just seems even more wrong after thinking about it twice.
I was wondering if the mods could maybe step in regarding posts like this since they seem kind of dangerous for people's health

Casey Cook10 said:I mean, honestly, this just sounds pretty ridiculous even on the first read

Which, I guess, just seems even more wrong after thinking about it twice.
I was wondering if the mods could maybe step in regarding posts like this since they seem kind of dangerous for people's health

Look, listen, no matter how "stupid" you think I sound, I am literally describing my own life here. I've had an ingrown nail for two years straight. I've been to surgeons, podiatrists, herbalists—you name it. I have tried every single cream and soak under the sun. Since when did sharing a personal experience to help someone else dealing with the exact same thing become "dangerous to health"?
Get a grip, kid.

If you stay on top of regular appointments, your podiatrist won't even have to deal with those nasty ingrown nails by digging them out 😉

Honestly, surgery didn't really do much for me, but now that I'm seeing my specialist regularly, I'm walking around totally happy and pain-free 😍

As a little hack, try rubbing half a tomato on your thumb—it really helps soothe the inflammation

My sister tried this when she had a milder case, and she said it actually worked for her
(She’d just hold it there for maybe half an hour every day)
And yeah, + Bivacin

Honestly, I dealt with my ingrown toenails ages ago by seeing a surgeon—both of my big toes were a total mess. A podiatrist can definitely help you out in the early stages before things get super gross with swelling and infection, but once it hits that point, you're probably better off just heading straight to a doctor. I guess the biggest thing is just learning how to clip them the right way from the start, because then they won't even bother you again!

brisknomad6 said:If you stay on top of regular appointments, your podiatrist won't even have to deal with those nasty ingrown nails by digging them out 😉

Honestly, surgery didn't really do much for me, but now that I'm seeing my specialist regularly, I'm walking around totally happy and pain-free 😍

Right, because that’s exactly what I do, along with plenty of other people who gave me the same advice. Oops, I bet Casey Cook10 is about to jump in here and tell me my post is "dangerous advice"... 😂

lonefox7 said:Honestly, I dealt with my ingrown toenails ages ago by seeing a surgeon—both of my big toes were a total mess. A podiatrist can definitely help you out in the early stages before things get super gross with swelling and infection, but once it hits that point, you're probably better off just heading straight to a doctor. I guess the biggest thing is just learning how to clip them the right way from the start, because then they won't even bother you again!

man, you guys just don't get it

if you're hitting up a podiatrist regularly, there's NO ingrown nail issue, NO inflammation, and NO nasty infections... and honestly, the way you clip your nails doesn't even have anything to do with it... an ingrown nail happens when the nail itself grows in crooked right from the root😉

So, here’s the deal: the only medical pedicure clinic in Washington, D.C. (honestly, probably the entire US) actually fixed my issues.
Just shoot me a DM if you want their info—they are SERIOUSLY incredible.🙏

Hey,

So, I’ve been dealing with ingrown toenails for five years now. Total nightmare.
At first, I kept going to podiatrists and just sat there taking insane amounts of pain while they tried to hack away at my nail. After that, I’d go months without needing help. For the last year, I’ve just been trimming them myself—not too deep—and it was fine, except when things get inflamed like right now.

It started on the left side of my left big toe. About two years ago, the right foot decided to join the party, hitting the left side of that toe too.
I thought I had it under control by doing it myself, but everything just went south. Now the skin is growing over the nail. It doesn't hurt constantly, but it bleeds all the time and I'm stuck using cotton pads. Since yesterday, it's actually started hurting, and it feels like the nail is literally pushing into the flesh.
It looks absolutely disgusting. There’s scabbing and these little bits of skin sticking out about three millimeters. I have zero clue how to fix this or even trim the nail anymore, because if I grab the clippers, I’ll just cut into the raw skin. That hurts like hell and it’ll bleed so much I won't be able to finish what I'm doing for at least half an hour.

I haven't seen a doctor for this yet because, honestly, I’m terrified of doctors, hospitals, and especially needles.
I know seeing a pro is the move (I’ve been seriously considering it since yesterday), but they’re 100% going to tell me I need surgery, which is my absolute worst nightmare.
Just the thought of someone sticking a needle into my toe sends me into a panic. Seriously, I don't know how I survived those podiatrist appointments where the pain was unreal. I've never felt anything like it in my life. I couldn't even sleep that night because of the throbbing, and no amount of Advil helped. But like I said, after that, I was good for three months.

I haven't stepped foot in a podiatrist's office in two years because just thinking about that pain makes me dizzy. Don't even get me started on school vaccinations; that's basically my "doomsday." I start sweating and I’ll probably pass out. 🙂

I know plenty of people deal with this, so I'm wondering what the best way to fix it is. Look, I'd go to the doctor and get the surgery if I wasn't such a coward, but I am legitimately scared.

Any advice is welcome.

Cheers,
Boris

Look, you can buy all the ointments, creams, and expensive stuff at the CVS or Walgreens, but honestly? None of that worked for me. I finally found something that actually gets the job done for this exact issue:

dried prunes
mechanic's grease (the thick black kind 🙄)

I’m being dead serious here—no joke, just straight facts.
So, soak a couple of prunes in some water just to soften them up. Pull out the pit, then pack that hollow space full of the grease instead. Shove that whole thing onto your toe, wrap it tight with a bandage, and... boom. That's it.
You won't be able to fit into your regular sneakers because of the bulky bandage, but if you want to avoid the nightmare of a nail or toe cutting into your skin (trust me, I've dealt with that twice now👎, and it is brutal), this is the way to go. After about twenty days of doing this regularly, I haven't had to deal with it again.
Hope it works for you.

feralfalcon12 said:Look, you can buy all the ointments, creams, and expensive stuff at the CVS or Walgreens, but honestly? None of that worked for me. I finally found something that actually gets the job done for this exact issue:

dried prunes
mechanic's grease (the thick black kind 🙄)

I’m being dead serious here—no joke, just straight facts.
So, soak a couple of prunes in some water just to soften them up. Pull out the pit, then pack that hollow space full of the grease instead. Shove that whole thing onto your toe, wrap it tight with a bandage, and... boom. That's it.
You won't be able to fit into your regular sneakers because of the bulky bandage, but if you want to avoid the nightmare of a nail or toe cutting into your skin (trust me, I've dealt with that twice now👎, and it is brutal), this is the way to go. After about twenty days of doing this regularly, I haven't had to deal with it again.
Hope it works for you.

Look, I have no clue if this will actually fix my toe (!!!!!!!!!!!!!! fair warning to anyone with a weak stomach or who just ate, do NOT look at this photo !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

http://www.bokizg.net/DSC00801.JPG
http://www.bokizg.net/DSC00802.JPG

Honestly, I doubt any of those store-bought creams will do squat. I've got an appointment at Mayo Clinic this Saturday, so hopefully they can actually fix this thing.🙂

Lawrence Ruiz8 said:Look, I have no clue if this will actually fix my toe (!!!!!!!!!!!!!! fair warning to anyone with a weak stomach or who just ate, do NOT look at this photo !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

http://www.bokizg.net/DSC00801.JPG
http://www.bokizg.net/DSC00802.JPG

Honestly, I doubt any of those store-bought creams will do squat. I've got an appointment at Mayo Clinic this Saturday, so hopefully they can actually fix this thing.🙂

That looks like nothing compared to what I went through; my thumb looked three times worse than that, and don't even get me started on the pain, the bleeding, or how much it throbbed...👎 Listen to me, just go see a surgeon because that's really the only way out of this, and when I did, they just gave me two shots in my thumb and cut out the ingrown nail, took maybe half an hour, and since then, I haven't had a single issue—my thumb looks perfect.😁 It's worth every penny, trust me.👍