Gross!!! Ingrown toenails

902 Views 10 Replies 7 Participants Last post by alsoSarah, Oct 23, 2003

veganmamma

Discussion Starter · Oct 20, 2003

I wear open toed shoes exclusively, but I still have major problems with this! I wasn't really having any big issues until I followed my mom's advice to let them grow straight across. Well, I cut them straight across and waited for them to grow up to the top so they couldn't grow in anymore and wouldn't ya kow it, but they grew in really far and started to get infected. So I did the bad thing, I cut down on either side at an angle. It felt so good! It was a relief to get them outta there. Well, of course, they started growing and now I have an infection on both side of my right toe and one side of my left toe!! WTH am I gonna do abut this? Am I total toe retard? It is so silly, but it hurst so bad when they grow in. I just have that shape nailbed that there are deep grooves around the nail and the nail itself is wider than the grooves. I don't want to have surgery, though I know they offer it. What can I do? TIA
Lauren

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lovebugmama

· #2 · Oct 20, 2003

I had to have the surgery due to a broken toe that caused my toenail to fall off and then become ingrown as it grew in. But I just wanted you to know that it was sooooo minor to have it fixed by the podiatrist. They remove the ingrown part first. Then they put some kind of deadening stuff on your cuticle so that your toenail doesn't ever grow so wide. That way you will never have an ingrown toenail again no matter how you trim them.

Also, it kind of made my toenail a nicer shape.

Good luck to you, I know they hurt like hell!

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StarMama

· #3 · Oct 20, 2003

Aw Lauren sorry to hear about your toes! Matt had ingrown toes for *years*, he was in SO much pain from them, and avoided the surgery because the last time he had it done (as a kid or teen) he said it hurt a lot... well we eventually had it done for him, and the numbing shots weren't fun, but they used a freeze spray first, so it wasn't as bad as he remembered. The actual surgery part he didn't feel, and the healing process wasn't bad as far as he told me (I babied him and set up lots of foot soaks for him and stuff). He said it was worth the ouch of the numbing shots to get out of that pain he was constantly in.

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sleepies

· #4 · Oct 20, 2003

i hear your pain.

mine also go ingrown.

iodine in the corner where the pain is helps me.

i have heard by doctors to let them grow straignt across and avove the toe, but mine also grow ingrown if i do that even worse.

i find it best to keep mine cut short at an angle, also helps for me NOT to wear tight or pointed toed shoes...

if mine do hurt, the iodine usually stops it.

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chelko

· #5 · Oct 20, 2003

Hi!

I had an ingrown for most of my adult life. I had a pedicure and I let the lady trim the sides down, and then I had 2!! Luckily I found someone with a wise old granny...

Just trim straight across the top to your normal length - DO NOT TRIM DOWN THE SIDES (but you may want to round the corners a bit). And cut a little V in the center of the toenail. Depending on how bad it is, it may take a few times for it to work completely, but this should take care of it without surgery.

Good luck.

Rachel

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veganmamma

Discussion Starter · #6 · Oct 21, 2003

Thanks for all the replies. Maybe I will get the surgery- it seems simple enough. The cutting straight across and waiting for it to grow was what led to this whole thing in the first place! I had my whole system of cutting down the sides and I hadn't really had a problem in a few months and then my mom said I needed to grow it out striaght, then they got really ingrown, then when I tried to get them out I made them worse. Argh! Why would our toenails grow like this? It is so frustrating. I'm sure you all can feel me that it feels *so* good to pull those damn toenails out- what a relief!
Lauren

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chelko

· #7 · Oct 21, 2003

Did you cut the V down the center? That is the important part. It alleviates the pressure of the nail on the sides. They kinda grow toward the center. After a few times, the nail should no longer be so wide that it cuts into the side of the toe.

Rachel

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veganmamma

Discussion Starter · #8 · Oct 21, 2003

I will definitely try that first, thank you for that advice.

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zen_bliss

· #9 · Oct 22, 2003

ooh the dirty little secrets. i recently had to have one cut out -- basically he used a flat metal tool that looked like a mini one of those giant frosting spreaders as a lever, and a pair of heavy duty shears to snip. ahhhh. it was pretty minor. he told me to cut em straight across from now on, but he never mentioned the V trick!

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chelko

· #10 · Oct 22, 2003

Quote:

Originally posted by zen_bliss
he never mentioned the V trick!

Yeah, it is one of those old home remedies that got lost. I can't believe how something so minor got passed over/forgotten in favor of SURGERY (or removal of the whole thing)!

Rachel

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alsoSarah

· #11 · Oct 23, 2003

I was told by the doc who narrowed my nail bed that the trick of cutting a V was just a wives tale (which sometimes seemed to work in cases where the ingrown resolved itself for other reasons), since nails grow from the base of the bed forward, and the white part that we trim has already grown past and away from nail bed.
I also read a refutation of the V idea in our encyclopedia of home remedies.

That said, I mean no disrespect to anyone who has posted here.

If it works for you, then it works!

peace,
alsoSarah

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