An ingrown toenail is something no one wants to deal with, but if you have one, then you’re likely wondering what the best way to get rid of it is. Here’s how to remove an ingrown toenail.
You can gently lift up the ingrown toenail and place cotton or waxed dental floss beneath to encourage the toenail to grow normally. In some cases, surgery might be required to repair a damaged nail bed caused by an ingrown toenail.
Nails that are short and cut neatly across will be much less likely to become ingrown. Check out our article to know what are the best nail clippers, to know how to fix ingrown toenails , will an ingrown toenail grow out on its own and also the one that talks about Heavy Duty Toenail Clipper to understand the benefits you can have with this podiatrist recommended nail clipper.
Cut your nails straight across such that the corners of the nail stick out a little from the end of your toes. Make sure you use a clean pair of nail trimmers and clean your nail grooming tools after every use to avoid other types of infection.
Now that you know what to do to prevent and fix ingrown toenail, let’s take a closer look at what causes this issue and how to remove ingrown toenail.
How to Remove Ingrown Toenail Yourself
If you only have mild discomfort as a result of ingrown toenails, then there are several at-home remedies you can try to remove ingrown toenail. These ingrown toenail removal at home methods can help:
- Soak your feet in warm water – Add soap to the basin and mix well. Soak your feet for 10-20 minutes up to 3-4 times per day. Ideally, the nail will soften, reducing discomfort associated with ingrown toenails.
- Use cotton or dental floss – After you soak your feet, position cotton or waxed dental floss beneath the ingrown toenail. Doing so will encourage the growth above the edge of your skin.
- Apply petroleum jelly – Petroleum jelly, sometimes called Vaseline, helps keep your skin moist to reduce discomfort.
- Use pain relievers – Some nonprescription pain relievers like ibuprofen or acetaminophen can help ease discomfort associated with ingrown toenails.
Of course, in addition to these remedies, you’ll want to make sure you’re addressing the underlying cause.
Whether you need to step up your nailcare routine or find better shoes, you’ll want to address the cause of your ingrown toenail to ensure you don’t have to deal with another one. As such, once you’ve learned how to remove an ingrown toenail yourself, it’s important to protect yourself from future problems.
Podiatrist Options
If your primary health care provider or podiatrist (foot doctor) diagnoses you with an ingrown toenail, then they may recommend additional steps to recovery.
Nail Lift
Much like the at-home approach, your healthcare provider will gently lift the affected nail edge and put a splint underneath to separate the nail from the skin.
This process encourages the nail to grow above the nail edge and often takes 2-12 weeks to work. Sometimes, a cotton-coated solution is used to fix the nail in place, making the solution waterproof. Read our dedicated article to know how to fix ingrown toenails.
A gutter splint may be used to place a slit tube beneath the embedded nail. This split remains fixed until the nail grows properly above the edge of the skin. Doing so also has benefits in reducing the pain of an ingrown toenail.
Nail Taping
Using this method, your healthcare provider will gently remove the skin from the ingrown toenail using tape.
Ingrown Toenail Removal Surgery
In rare cases, the process to remove ingrown toenail might be more in-depth, requiring surgery. It takes about 10 minutes and can be performed under local anesthesia. Ingrown toenail removal cost tends to be around $350.
Depending on the severity of the ingrown toenail—and whether infection is involved—different surgical treatment may be required, potentially changing the ingrown toenail removal cost. These include the following:
- Removing the whole nail
- Removing part of the nail and piled-up tissue
- Removing part of the nail and applying chemical treatment
- Removing the entire toenail and cutting away the tissue your nail grows from
Generally, surgical removal involves removing the side of the nail and destroying the nail bed to prevent regrowth, as well as removing any built-up tissue. Recovery patients should keep their foot elevated after surgery and refrain from running or intense exercise for 2 weeks following the surgery.
Trying Ingrown Toenail Removal at Home
An ingrown toenail can be unpleasant and cause increasing amounts of pain. Thankfully, in many cases, you can do ingrown toenail removal at home.
Start by soaking your feet and trying to gently place cotton or waxed dental floss as a splint to encourage proper growth. If the pain, ingrowth, or inflammation continue to worsen, consult a podiatrist to see what their recommendation for treatment may be.
