SALT LAKE CITY — An ingrown toenail is one of the most painful minor infections you can have. It happens when the nail grows under the skin and the area becomes inflamed. The result is pain, redness, swelling and sometimes an infection.

Ingrown nails are most common on the big toe, but they can form on any toe or finger. An ingrown toenail carries the highest risk of infection because of it's location: bacteria likes to grow in damp, enclosed space — like shoes.

The Mayo Clinic suggests some causes of ingrown toenails:

Related:

Mommy Medicine: Treating sore, cracked and stinky feet

Because of the footwear we use, it is very easy to get cracked heels during the summer months. Some people also develop a dirty, black layer of skin on their feet. Here's an easy suggestion to treat these conditions.

• Wearing shoes that crowd your toenails
• Cutting your toenails too short or not straight across
• Injury to your toenail
• Unusually curved toenails

You can treat most ingrown toenails at home. Here's how:

• Soak your feet. Do this for 15 to 20 minutes, two or three times a day, in warm water to reduce swelling and relieves tenderness. Use one cap of bleach in a gallon of water (as hot as you can stand it with out burning your skin). To ease pain, you can instead add ¼ a cup of Betadine solution to a gallon of water and soak your foot.
• Place cotton or dental floss under your toenail. Put fresh bits of cotton or waxed dental floss under the ingrown edge after each soaking. This will help the nail eventually grow above the skin edge. Change the cotton or the floss daily until the pain and redness subside. I would also recommend putting antibiotic ointment on the cotton ball or floss before you place it under you toenail.
• Use a topical antibiotic. Apply an antibiotic ointment and bandage the tender area.
• Choose sensible footwear. Consider wearing open-toed shoes or sandals until your toe feels better.
• Take pain relievers. If there's severe pain, take over-the-counter pain relievers — such as acetaminophen (Tylenol, others) or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others) — to relieve the pain until you can see your doctor.

Ask Nurse Suzy

Do you have a question for Nurse Suzy, or maybe a topic you'd like her opinion on? Email her at <a href="mailto:nursesuzyksl@gmail.com">nursesuzyksl@gmail.com</a>.

Remember, at-home treatment will generally control the infection and relieve pain. However, the condition is likely to return if measures to prevent it are not taken. Good foot care is important to prevent recurrence:

• Clip your toenails with care. When clipping your toenails, don’t cut them too close to the nail bed; cut them with a slight V-shape to pull the nail away from the corners of the toe when it begins to grow out.
• Check your feet. If you have diabetes, check your feet daily for signs of ingrown toenails or other foot problems.

Consult your doctor for any foot infection if you have health concerns. He or she can decide how best to treat both the nail and the infection.

Suzanne Carlile, "Nurse Suzy," has been a nurse since 1982. Her main focus is critical care and nursing education. She holds a master's degree in nursing and is a Certified Emergency Nurse.

Related topics