Remedies for Ingrown Toenails AKA Onychocryptosis

Ingrown toenails or onychocryptosis can be very painful and severely restrict the activities of the sufferer. This term is used to describe the condition in which the toenail impinges the skin around its margin. In this condition the corners or sides of the toenail curl down digging into the surrounding skin causing a lot of pain, swelling and redness. Medical treatment of this condition is done by a Podiatrist. However you can also use the following remedies to treat ingrown toenails.

1. To get relief from the pain that is caused by the ingrown toenail, put some moisturizing cream on the affected portion and cover it up with band aid. This will provide relief from the pain by softening the skin.

2. To treat the condition, several times a day, soak your affected foot in a foot bath of warm soapy water to which a little salt has been added. Doing this will soften the toenail as well as the skin enough, so that you can clip back the ingrown portion slightly angularly. The salt is helps to kill the bacteria. This will provide very quick relief from the pain.

3. If there is no relief from the above procedure then lift the nail where it is biting into the skin and insert a piece of gauge or cotton below it. A little bit of the gauge or cotton should protrude beyond the place of injury. You can also use waxed dental floss as the insert. Replace the wedge everyday and apply an antiseptic if necessary. Do this till the nail grows safely over the skin.

4. A slight variation of the above remedies is to use a lemon to soften the skin below an ingrown toenail. Insert the affected toe in a lemon or cut a piece of lemon and put it over the affected area and plaster it. Keep the lemon as such for a few hours. The lemon juice will soften the skin a lot. Then you can either trim the toenail nail or put a cotton wedge below it as above.

5. If there is any soreness then you can relieve it by using Epsom salt foot bath. Prepare a foot bath with warm water and mix one or two tablespoons Epsom salts. Then soak the affected toe/foot in this foot bathe twice every day for about 10 minutes to get rid of the soreness.

6. You can also try a remedy recommended by many doctors. This uses the product known as Domeboro Astringent Solution which has anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties. You can get it without a doctor's prescription from most drug stores. Dip the affected foot/toe in the solution for about 30 minutes every night before going to sleep or at any other convenient time. This will reduce the inflammation and so that the nails grows out naturally.

If the above remedies fail to give relief you must consult a Podiatrist who may suggest a minor surgery. To prevent the recurrence of the ingrown toenails in the future take preventive steps like clipping the nail straight across keeping the edge longer than the skin's edge and wearing well fitting shoes.