The Student Room Group

Ingrown toenail.

I have not one, but two ingrown toenails, god knows how. I dont wear tight shoes/socks, I cut my nails properly but I still get them, Ive had trouble since I was a teenager and used to see a chiropodist, at one point even having a big chunk removed from my toenail.

The last few weeks they have been really painful for no reason, so painful I cant even wear socks without it hurting. I saw my GP on Friday but he said it was because of it being winter (?). Ive had this on and off since the summer so Im not sure thats a factor. Obviously Im going to have to go back but cant at the moment what with the Bank Holiday.

Has anyone on here suffered from this, is there anything I can do at home to help the pain or make it less swollen? Im keeping the area clean and dry but its not helping. Im worried its going to get to the point that I cant even walk!

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Reply 1
Maybe you should go to the doctors again and ask to see another person?
Reply 2
This will sound gross...

Get a pair of big scissors of pliers. Bend the side of your nail where it is ingrowing and take out the ingrowing bit - you have to lever it out of the skin. Doesn't hurt too much and works - feels really good once you get it out. Operation not needed. DIY. Of course if it's REALLY bad then go to the doctors.
Reply 3
Don't think you really need to bend it to the side.. Just pull the side out. It doesn't hurt all that much but will still be sore after a while cos it might have been infected a bit.

The reason you get them so much might be because you cut your toenails the wrong way. Don't cut them too short and not round like your fingernails. they have to sort of be in a straight line (although rounding the edges is probably still a good idea) and not too short cos that's when they grow wrong.
Reply 4
.Em.
I have not one, but two ingrown toenails, god knows how. I dont wear tight shoes/socks, I cut my nails properly but I still get them, Ive had trouble since I was a teenager and used to see a chiropodist, at one point even having a big chunk removed from my toenail.

The last few weeks they have been really painful for no reason, so painful I cant even wear socks without it hurting. I saw my GP on Friday but he said it was because of it being winter (?). Ive had this on and off since the summer so Im not sure thats a factor. Obviously Im going to have to go back but cant at the moment what with the Bank Holiday.

Has anyone on here suffered from this, is there anything I can do at home to help the pain or make it less swollen? Im keeping the area clean and dry but its not helping. Im worried its going to get to the point that I cant even walk!

I've actually got one and the doctor said I have to come in for minor surgery in March. He's going to numb the skin at the side and then cut some of the nail off because it's apparently growing in my skin. What you had sounds like what I'm going to have, did it hurt when he removed some of your nail? Did you have to have an injection (anasthetic)?

What my doctor said though is to bathe it in salt water, so I'm doing that like 3 times a day now. He said squeeze the puss out too, eugh! It hurts too much to touch it. You know those orange things that sometimes old people wear on their toes for some reason, it's just to like separate them I think, but anyway, they're like spongey and they go round your toe, so I think you should try some of those. I'm trying to get hold of them. It will probaly stop your toe rubbing against your other toes and the shoe.
Reply 5
I had the same thing done but a chiropodist did it for me- unfortunately I did not have any anaesthetic, I wasnt booked in to have it done or anything, she just did it there and then and didnt even bother telling me what she was about to do- needless to say it did hurt and it was sore for ages, and my nail grew back funny after- with lots of ridges. If you're having it numbed though then Im sure it will be fine!

Think I will try the salt water thing and see it that works, luckily I havent got any puss but its very swollen and red.

Thanks everyone for your help x
Reply 6
.Em.
I had the same thing done but a chiropodist did it for me- unfortunately I did not have any anaesthetic, I wasnt booked in to have it done or anything, she just did it there and then and didnt even bother telling me what she was about to do- needless to say it did hurt and it was sore for ages, and my nail grew back funny after- with lots of ridges. If you're having it numbed though then Im sure it will be fine!

Think I will try the salt water thing and see it that works, luckily I havent got any puss but its very swollen and red.

Thanks everyone for your help x

Oh great lol! Did it really hurt to walk afterwards?

Ya, mine's swollen and red, can't see any puss but it seems to weep. I don't think the salt water alone though will cure it. That should just be a measure in the mean time until you visit the doctor again. Even if it doesn't help, it makes me feel better because I know it's clean lol.
Reply 7
i had them on both my big toes for like 2 years and now its only on one toe, they do bloody hurt, i did go to the doctor and he gave me some medicen thing but it was nasty so i never drank it. But it does get better just stop picking at it, thats why mine where there for so long :frown:
Reply 8
disinfect a pair of tweezers, get a salt bath ready (for you foot) and with the tweezers pry the nail out [warning: tis very very painful] file the nail downso its flat across and stick your foot in the salt bath [warning: tis painful - still] and watch tv :p: dry your foot carefully and try not to get an infection in it.

PS - if there is an infection - get the pus out asap
Nobody knows more than ingrowing toenails than me (apart from doctors, maybe). I've been suffering from them on both big toes for about 6 years now. I've had about 6 operations in total, and a few attempts to do it myself. Playing football on it makes it more painful, as I'm sure you can imagine, but I've been assured that it doesn't make it worse... anyway...

From my experience it only gets particularly painful when it's infected. There are a few things you can do - ask the doctor for some painkillers/antibiotics, soak your toe/s in a bowl of very salty water for a few minutes, smother it in germolene and put padded plasters around the area...

I wouldn't advise trying to take it out yourself:
1. There's a good chance it'll just grow back in again.
2. You stand a higher chance of contracting a nasty infection, which can be more painful than the ingrowing toenail itself.

I can't really provide a final solution for you. I'm still looking for one myself :frown: I'm seeing a pediatrist asap to see how I can fix it for good. The operations relieve me for about 4 months before they grow in again. Unfortunately my GP is taking ages with my referral... I wonder if I should remind her.
I've had terrible ingrowing toenail on both my big toes for about 5 years. Thankfully both have cleared up despite me getting no help.

At times it was painful to wear shoes and walk for several weeks. They've bleed a great deal and loads of puss has come out of them.

My solution was to get a very small and sharp pair of scissors and keep hacking away at the ingrowing part and twisting it off. This often causes it to bleed, but eventually I wa able to keep cutting enough off to let my toes heal up and stop it getting in grown.

I'm pretty much fine now...just need to keep an eye on them...not bled of anything for over 8 months now and they've not hurt or slightly longer than that nor is there really any ingrowing bits anymore:biggrin:

No need for any operation nor wasting the time of doctors.
Reply 11
Jack0
This will sound gross...

Get a pair of big scissors of pliers. Bend the side of your nail where it is ingrowing and take out the ingrowing bit - you have to lever it out of the skin. Doesn't hurt too much and works - feels really good once you get it out. Operation not needed. DIY. Of course if it's REALLY bad then go to the doctors.


thats exactly what i do. bit painful but nothing too major. had them often since childhood. cant get them on my left foot anymore (operations gone wrong = deformed toe with not enough nail to worry) and right foot DIY fixes. all the doctors do is hack it out anyway so why not do it yourself and save the hassle of anaesthetic and stitches
Roger Kirk
My solution was to get a very small and sharp pair of scissors and keep hacking away at the ingrowing part and twisting it off. This often causes it to bleed, but eventually I wa able to keep cutting enough off to let my toes heal up and stop it getting in grown.

I'm pretty much fine now...just need to keep an eye on them...not bled of anything for over 8 months now and they've not hurt or slightly longer than that nor is there really any ingrowing bits anymore:biggrin:

No need for any operation nor wasting the time of doctors.


Did you ever think that a quick 10-minute operation might have been a quicker and better way... rather than hacking it, bleeding it, cutting and twisting it until enough had been wrenched away?
Reply 13
Onearmedbandit
Did you ever think that a quick 10-minute operation might have been a quicker and better way... rather than hacking it, bleeding it, cutting and twisting it until enough had been wrenched away?


10 minute operation? u been seeing dr nik riviera or something?
technik
thats exactly what i do. bit painful but nothing too major. had them often since childhood. cant get them on my left foot anymore (operations gone wrong = deformed toe with not enough nail to worry) and right foot DIY fixes. all the doctors do is hack it out anyway so why not do it yourself and save the hassle of anaesthetic and stitches


Well the doctors do it in a way which wont lead to you getting infected afterwards. It doesn't happen to most people who do it themselves but it's not worth running the risk!!

Anyway, who puts stitches on it? My doctor didn't exactly hack it out, he cut the offending part and then removed it... a bit of a difference.

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technik
10 minute operation? u been seeing dr nik riviera or something?
No, but I'm starting to wonder what doctor you've been seeing!
Onearmedbandit
Did you ever think that a quick 10-minute operation might have been a quicker and better way... rather than hacking it, bleeding it, cutting and twisting it until enough had been wrenched away?
Nope, because an operation would have required time to go to the doctors and do whatever else they saw it to do, where as my way took a minute or two up every few days, no hassle really at all. It's saved a bit of time and money for the NHS as well and my record of not going to the doctors for nearly 15 years is still intacked (though I have been in hospital...but that was to do with the dentists...)

I'm fine now anyway and that is all that matters. :smile:
Reply 16
Onearmedbandit
Did you ever think that a quick 10-minute operation might have been a quicker and better way... rather than hacking it, bleeding it, cutting and twisting it until enough had been wrenched away?
I'm having some of my nail removed at the side (he's numbing the skin bit), does that only take 10 minutes then? I'm so scared. I'm just a wuss really. And he said it will need anaesthetic - can this be done by cream or does it have to be an injection *scared* ? I'm asking you because you say you're experienced. :biggrin: The doctor used the words "minor surgery" and "anaesthetic" - that immedielty made me panic.
Roger Kirk
Nope, because an operation would have required time to go to the doctors and do whatever else they saw it to do, where as my way took a minute or two up every few days, no hassle really at all. It's saved a bit of time and money for the NHS as well and my record of not going to the doctors for nearly 15 years is still intacked (though I have been in hospital...but that was to do with the dentists...)

I'm fine now anyway and that is all that matters. :smile:
What matters is the welfare of the person or people having these problems in this thread...

I didn't really understand the first part of your post. A few minutes every day is far more hassle then just getting it sorted one day.

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Anonymous
I'm having some of my nail removed at the side (he's numbing the skin bit), does that only take 10 minutes then? I'm so scared. I'm just a wuss really. And he said it will need anaesthetic - can this be done by cream or does it have to be an injection *scared* ? I'm asking you because you say you're experienced. :biggrin: The doctor used the words "minor surgery" and "anaesthetic" - that immedielty made me panic.
The anaesthetic is pretty quick to take effect, though I guess it varies from person to person. In my operations it's taken about 5 minutes to numb the toe and then the other 5 minutes to cut & remove it and put on a little dressing. Make sure you have some asprin or paracetomol for afterwards because it can be a little sore when the anaesthetic wears off.

I guess I shouldn't lie to you... the anaesthetic is injected and is quite painful at first, but it shouldn't last very long.
Reply 18
Onearmedbandit
The anaesthetic is pretty quick to take effect, though I guess it varies from person to person. In my operations it's taken about 5 minutes to numb the toe and then the other 5 minutes to cut & remove it and put on a little dressing. Make sure you have some asprin or paracetomol for afterwards because it can be a little sore when the anaesthetic wears off.

I guess I shouldn't lie to you... the anaesthetic is injected and is quite painful at first, but it shouldn't last very long.

Oh crap I'm so scared!!!! I'm scared of any injections, even in the arm, never mind one in the toe! Where it kills when I walk, never mind something going IN IT!!!!! HELP!
Onearmedbandit
What matters is the welfare of the person or people having these problems in this thread...

I didn't really understand the first part of your post. A few minutes every day is far more hassle then just getting it sorted one day.
Not really. To go to the doctors with it would probably require several visits, each needing to take up a couple of hours of you time in one go (missing work/lectures etc for a whole moring or afternoon, or the best part there of).

But no one misses a couple of minutes of their time every few days, so no real inconvenience is made.