/diy/ - Do It Yourself

I've had many ingrown toenails in the past, and have never seen a doctor for any of them. Here's what I'd suggest.

First, ignore the suggestion to destroy your toenail. You don't need to do that, and it will only injure your toe further.

Normally, I have my favorite clippers, tweezers, etc., to use for these things. But in your case, there's a good chance that you might slip while using any metal instruments...and that toe looks so sore right now, that wouldn't be good. So here's my plan B tool.

Use alcohol or peroxide to sterilize the bottom of a tube of ointment like Blistex, or whatever. Slide it carefully from the middle of the toenail, down to the edge (see picture). The plastic is just slippery enough to get under the toenail and pry it out, without being too slippery like something made of metal.

Slide the plastic toward the edge a few times, until you've pulled the ingrown part of the toenail out from under the skin. Then it's safe to use a sterilized fingernail or toenail clipper, because the nail is loose enough that you don't have to force the clipper into the edge of the nail bed. Clip the ingrown part carefully, apply your favorite antiseptic/ointment/whatever, then leave it alone.

Refrigerated aloe vera gel is a godsend to stop the swelling/throbbing during the healing process.

I haven't had an ingrown toenail in ages, for one simple reason: I started wearing socks that weren't so tight. I never thought too-tight socks could cause ingrown toenails, but apparently they're as bad as too-tight shoes. Give your toes plenty of wiggle room, and they'll thank you.