Ingrown Toe nails

[Mark74]

Best way to cure an ingrown toenail please, by the way this is on a Nine year old who won't do things herself to help cure this problem!!! Kidd hey, what can you do!!!!!

[loobie]

Mark,

I get ingrown toenails every now and then (on my big toes) and if it becomes really painful I go to the chiropodist to get it cut out. he told me that some people can keep getting ingrown toe nails and its just down to the feet. If it is really bad I would reccommend going to the chiropodist. Also make sure she cuts her toenails straight - it can be hard (i have trouble) but if they slope into the edges then this can cause them to go ingrown. Hope it gets better for her.

[Hermit]

Had prob briefly as a kid and my mum made me soak foot in salty water. Worked a treat

[loobie]

Thanks for that Hermit!! I'll give that a go next time before giving me money away to the chiropodist!!!

[Mark74]

Thanks Hermit that sounds good, have made he soak in water and clean the edges where the skin has broken, also told her to role the edges of the skin with her thumbs to try and spread it out but she doesn't do hardly any of this, slat may do the trick.

Cheers both, failing that the chiropodist will be getting a call as the doctor just said "Don't worry it will sort itself out" GIMP

[jenky]

I was always told to try and cut nails as straight as possible, but for the big toes, a tiny v-shaped nick in the middle is supposed to encourage growth in a way that stops them becoming ingrowing. This was from an old Sergeant Major who swore that it kept the troops feet happy.

[PatriciaH]

Your doctor can refer your daughter to a clinic and you dont pay for treatment as shes a child.Also the v cut in the nail as jenky said does work.

[Hermit]

I think I once read that the v shape cut does more harm than good. Be a good idea to check with a chiropodist or pedicurist (is that a word?)

[fat rascal]

phone your local clinic,as some trusts you can self refer to podiatry rather than waiting to see your gp etc... the "v" thing just doens't work ..so go try to get a podiatry appt.
hope it goes ok!

[joko]

if you can, stuff a tiny piece of cotton wool or lint under the nail and down the side as far as you can before it gets painful. use a cocktail stick. leave it there. this will act a bit like a garden trellis ' training' the nail to grow up and out rather than down and in.

if you break the skin at all or are worreid about infection soak the lint in tcp first.

[spaced]

i had the worst case of ingrown toenail. After years of clipping and seeing the chiropodist and taking hundreds of antibiotics to take the infection away, I gave up and had the operation. Problem free now. Operations is really the only way.