Ingrown big toenail what can I do

[whenwillthemadnessend]

Dd has a ingrown big toe nail. It's a bit red on one side and very painful.

I'm dressing it but not sure what else I can do to ease her pain. Is it worth a doc appt.

I can't deal with it myself

Use a needle to stuff cotton wool between the nail and the sore skin.
Dressing it won't do anything you need to lift the nail slightly so it's not digging in.

Book an appointment with a podiatrist. Ingrown toenails really hurt and need professional care.

I get these and my partner gently lifts the nail off the skin, isn't pleasant but it always sorts it out

Please take her to see a podiatrist asap.

I’d get her seen by a Podiatrist tbh. I went to my GP with an ingrown toenail and they wanted to do a wedge resection on it which is cutting a huge part of the nail away down to the nail bed. I refused and went a Podiatist who removed a tiny little sliver of nail which was causing the issue and gave me instant relief. She covered it with a cream, it was healed in 3 days.

I paid £25 a few weeks ago to see a private podiatrist for just this problem.

She cut a tiny bit of nail away and the problem is sorted.

I couldve hugged her- it's really very painful and the relief was immediate.

Podiatrist. I got one which I suspect was caused by a pedicure. Podiatrist told me it was about 4-6 weeks away from being a mess.

She removed quiet a bit of the nail. Took about 8 weeks to grow back. Perfect now. The longer you leave it the worse it will get.

PS - didn't hurt

Podiatrist asap

I have them on both big toes. I do ballet and found them agony (basic tendu derrière in flat shoes excruciating ouch!) so wore gel toe covers.

I think GP will refer and waiting list will be very very very long. I was going to visit the podiatrist (though unlike a pp's £25.00 I thought it was around the £500 mark to fix). However I first decided to cut sections down the side which has worked wonders, even if it turns out to be a short term fix. As it's your daughter I probably wouldn't recommend a diy job.

I'd recommend a chiropodist, they do nail surgery all day long.

Thanks all. Is there. A register for podiatrist. I've never used one before?

Do they numb it?

Book with a podiatrist

They will gave MRC(pod) after their name. You can search on the nhs podiatrist near me site.

Podaitrist. Google local ones. My son has been 3 times now. Hereditary on my husband’s side.
It's hugely painful. They numb the toe. Please do it!

Soak in warm salt water for a good 20 mins. Push cotton wool down as explained by a pp. That might be all that's needed. If not see a chiropodist but they're expensive.

We go privately now as it's become an issue. I wouldn't try anything at home. My son has such pain he was crying. He had a treatment called a nail evulsion.

Good idea re warm salted water though

Some local physio (private) type places may well have a podiatrist connected to them who will be able to help. Or google local podiatrist and you should be able to find someone.
The sooner you can get your dd in to see one the better. They can numb if needed but tbh they are dealing with things like this day in day out and know how to keep any additional pain limited - your dd may feel a brief intense pain but the relief will be very quick and worth it.

I saw a chiropodist not a podiatrist. Just Google chiropodists in your area, they won’t charge much for a kid.

Look for a Podiatrist with HCPC (Health & Care Professions Council ) it covers the standards on ongoing CPD (Continual Professional Development )
Be aware in Private Practice there is no legal requirement to be registered , it is not a closed profession

Or if you get an NHS ref via your GP you will have an HCP registered practioner its a condition of employment

In the meantimes DON'T poke anything down the side of her nail , you risk introducing injury , portal for infection and injury to the nail , not to mention your poor daughter being scared and hurt .

Boil water , add salt (enough to go cloudy) , let it go tepid then bathe the toe 5-10 minutes .

Air dry and dry sterile gauze dressing
No creams . The salt will dry it , draw any fluid , its a natural antiseptic

Keep a check on any pus that comes out . Any redness (signs of infection)
See your GP /phone them if theres any sign of infection (might need antibiotics)

When you see someone they should be able to remove the spike and smooth the edge with sterile instruments , then advice on dressings etc and if she needs removal

Injections are not as bad as you think but personally , I wouldn't inject for the initial treatment , I'd want to know the toe felt better , which she won't feel if its numb

My ds gets these regularly. He has autism and won’t let a podiatrist near his foot.

What I do is get a bucket of hot water and Epsom salts and soak his foot 2 or 3 times a day, that often helps, I’ve had gehwol ingrown toenail fluid from Amazon and that’s good too.

If it gets too bad (leaking green puss) which it has a few times I have to ring the drs and he gets antibiotics.

And ... try and find out why she's gettig the problem.
Is it her shoe? Is it too short or a hole it the toe area (you'll need to get your hand in for a feel , there might be no sign of wear on the outside )
Are her shoes narrow in the toebox causing side pressure ?
Slip on? (The toes have to claw to keep on a slip on)
Is she a picker of her nails ?

Does she do any contact sport ?

I get these regularly and whilst I also agree with pp on a podiatrist, Amazon also sell an ingrown toenail kit which has some useful tools to sort it out yourself before its get too bad

It's saved me many a visit to the doctors but you do need to know what you're doing with them!

And ....
it might not be a nail spike . She might have a relaxed sulcus (where the skin at edge roll over ) and/or a "fan shaped" nail where its wider at the free edge than the base (cuticle)
Your salt water bathing will do the drying out here , then you need to address the pressure

So no poking about

Soak a tiny piece of cotton wool in baby or olive oil, tuck it gently under the corner of the nail. That’s worked for me, anyway.