How your podiatrist in Toledo, Maumee, and Wauseon, OH, can help you heal from an ingrown toenail
Does your toe look dark and painful? Do you feel pounding pressure underneath your toenail? If so, you could be suffering from an ingrown toenail, a very common condition treated by your podiatrist.
The podiatrists at Podiatric Associates of Northwest Ohio provide comprehensive foot care services, including treatment of ingrown toenails. They have several convenient office locations in Toledo, Maumee, and Wauseon, OH, to help you and your feet.
You may be at greater risk of experiencing an ingrown toenail if you:
- Have toenails which naturally curve under
- Have had an injury to your toe or toenail
- Wear narrow shoes without enough toe room
An ingrown toenail has some signs and symptoms which you can easily notice, including:
- Seeing swelling and bruising around your toenail
- Feeling throbbing pain and pressure underneath your toenail
- Seeing redness and irritation around your toenail
- Experiencing the nail separating from the nail bed
- Seeing blood or pus coming out from under the toenail
Prevention is the key to avoiding ingrown toenails. To help prevent ingrown toenails, you need to:
- Avoid cutting your toenails too short
- Trim your toenails straight across, and don’t round the corners
- Wear protective shoes which are appropriate to the activity you are doing
- Don’t go barefoot, to help prevent toe and toenail injuries
If you have mild pain from an ingrown toenail, you can try a few simple home remedies like these:
- Soak your toe in warm water several times daily
- Place a small piece of dental floss under your toenail to lift the toenail upward
- Apply antibiotic cream around your toenail
- Wrap your toe in bandaging to protect it
- Wear open toe shoes or sandals to help your toe heal
For stubborn ingrown toenails which don’t respond to home therapies, your podiatrist can help, with professional treatments like these:
- Trimming off a section of your toenail which has grown into the skin
- Lifting and separating the toenail from the surrounding skin
- Removing the entire toenail so a new, healthy toenail can grow in its place
To learn more about prevention and treatment of ingrown toenails, talk with the experts. Call the podiatrists at Podiatric Associates of Northwest Ohio. You can reach them in Maumee, OH, by calling (419) 893-5539, or in Toledo, OH, at (419) 474-1210, or in Wauseon, OH, by calling (877) 292-8339. Call now.