Infected toe WARNING picture included!

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Yesterday morning I caught the corner of my toe nail so cut it off to prevent catching it further.
By evening it was red and sore and swollen.

Today it has been really uncomfortable and hurts. I've been putting Savlon on it and squeezed the yuckiness out of this.

Is there anything in particular I should be doing to help it recover? I am worried it may get worse.

I work full time so don't fancy it getting to a stage where I may need to see someone with it.

Apologies in advance for the picture v

Ouch! Warm salty water and squeeze if it's not too painful. I'd leave the air to get to it and then out a layer of savlon on for bed ( possibly with a fabric plaster to draw the yuck out?). Keep an eye and keep bathing it.

You're probably going to have to see someone about it sooner or later. Most paronychias require a topical or oral antibiotic to settle and ideally before it turns into an abscess that requires drainage...

Hi OP,

A sore one and it will get worse. You left a spur of nail in the corner which is embedding into the skin. It's easily done! It's not a full ingrown toenail as such, but could become so.
Make an appointment to see a podiatrist. Not sure where you are in the world, but a lot of private pods can see you within a day. They can 'nip' out the spur of nail that's causing that infection, dress it up and it'll be good in no time.

In the meantime, excellent suggestion of saltwater footbaths are ideal, pat dry with CLEAN gauze or such and drop some tcp/or other on to it, then dry dressing.

PM me if any probs if you like.

My DD had an ingrowing toenail that kept getting infected. Warm salt water soaks seemed to help the most, and a touch of something like Sudocrem kept any irritation to a minimum.

Yes salt baths...neat lavender oil

Thanks everyone. This has happened just as I'm back in work after a week off. And there is only me in the office for the next 14 days, so I've no chance of getting time to see my doctor.
Unless they can give antibiotics without seeing me, which I doubt. I could go to the walk in centre, but I hate to waste anyone's time when there are lots of poorly people waiting to be seen.

I'm hoping it doesn't get too much worse as I have a long drive to work and back all week. Hopefully it won't be too painful with the pedals.

I had this happen years ago. The chiropodist said that for minor infections, try soaking it in a footbath with some biological washing powder. It did work, and the same method has cleared up an infected nail that DS had, but I think yours looks as though it might need more than that.

You can take salt and a bowl to work with you then and now doubt you have a kettle to get warm preboiled water. Do half hour soaks regularly. By later today it should be feeling much better.

Can you see a private podiatrist in your lunch break or after work? They should be able to sort it without antibiotics.

I will have a look at private in my area. I don't get home until after 6pm so will see if any are open.
But will soak it in the meantime.

Not advisable but when it happened to me I used the metal nail file in a nail clipper to access the nail spur that was stuck and tweezers to pull it out.
And vast amounts of disinfectant.
Hurt and pus oozed for a day or too - which I cleaned out.
But it worked.

Please let us know the outcome - I know which horse I'm betting on! You ideally wouldn't go the WIC but people do all the time and that's probably preferable to ending up with a little nail fold abscess. I agree that you'll need any embedded nail removing and it's usually easier to get someone else to do this rather than gouging around yourself in infected tissue.

Please don't go to WIC. They'll tell you no different than you've been advised here. It's a localised infection which will clear with the nail spur removed and topical ab/antiseptic cream will be enough. Some pods do work late. (unfortunately 😉)
It'll be a tiny bit sore getting it nipped out, (a split second!) but not as sore as it is now and is going to get!
Let us know how you get on x

The chemist has given me magnesium sulphate paste (I think that's what it's called). She said it will draw the infection out.

Will see if that helps. I really do want to try and avoid the walk in centre.

Soak your foot in warm water, dry. Stir the mag sulphate paste - try handle of teaspoon to mix it well. apply to toe and cover with, ideally, a fabric plaster - I find they seem to draw out the infection quicker that waterproof plaster.

I used to get loads of toe infections as a teenager due to picking and was an expert at treating them!

I was just about to recommend magnesium sulphate paste, my mother swears by it. I used it similar toe a few months ago, it never burst just seeped away.

I swear by magnesium sulphate. It's the bees knees.

Did the magnesium sulfate sort it out?

Thats nothing, Epsom salts foot baths three times and day, it will blister and heal, you can put some salon on it when it blisters.