An ingrown toenail is a condition in which the growth of the edges and corners of the nail starts growing into the skin around the nail instead of growing outwards from the toe. The big toe has the maximum susceptibility of getting an ingrown toenail. There are home remedies of getting ingrown toenail relief in Houston but any little act of carelessness may also lead to a potentially serious complication and hence you should seek and act on the advice of a Houston foot specialist.

What Causes an Ingrown Toenail?

The population that largely gets ingrown toenails includes people who get sweaty feet, like teenagers, or people of older ages since their toenails get thicker with age. The factors often leading to ingrown toenail surgery are as follows:

• Poor posture: An imbalanced body weight or placing the foot itself in the wrong posture may lead to an ingrown toenail.
• Cutting the toenails improperly: Cutting or angling the sides of the toenails can promote inward growth.
• Inappropriate footwear: Tight socks, stockings, or shoes, and too narrow or flat shoes may put excess pressure on the big toes and lead to an inward grown toenail.
• Bad foot hygiene: Not keeping the foot dry and clean can also become a cause sometimes. Consult a Podiatrist ingrown toenail in Houston and nearby to get to know the hygiene measures properly.
• Injuries: Getting your toe stubbed, dropped with something heavy, or kicking a ball repeatedly may cause this condition too.
• Curved or irregular toenails or those a genetic predisposition towards this may also be a factor in some cases.

Treatment of Ingrown Toenails

Before the treatment, the condition of your toe will have to be diagnosed as an ingrown toenail which could be done by a simple physical examination by the doctor. An X-ray will be required in case the podiatrist suspects an infection in the toe and accordingly treatment can be planned for ingrown toenail relief in Houston.The following are the home remedies that a podiatrist may recommend you:

• For about 20 minutes, soak your feet in lukewarm water, either three or four times per day.
• At other times, keep the feet dry.
• Soak a cotton ball in olive oil and use it to push away the skin from the edges of the toenail.

Also, the doctor may recommend some over-the-counter medication to help relieve you of any pain. To prevent infection, he may prescribe a steroid cream or topical antibiotic to apply over the affected area.

After the home treatment and taking medications, if the toenail is not getting better,your Podiatrist ingrown toenail in Houston will have to opt for surgical treatment. The surgical treatment involves either partial or total nail removal.

In partial nail removal, only the piece of the nail that has grown into the skin is removed. First, the doctor numbs the toe so that one may not feel anything while he will narrow down ingrown toenail.

On the other hand, if the ingrown toenail is due to thickening, a local pain injection will be given first, followed by the total nail removal. This surgery is called matrixectomy.

What to Expect After Surgery?

After the successful completion of the surgery, one would be sent home with their toe bandaged. For a few days, the patient will have to keep their foot raised and wear the requisite footwear so that the toe may heal properly.

To experience a holistic ingrown toenail relief in Houston and nearby, visit a doctor who could tell you exactly what will follow after the surgery. Usually, one has to avoid movement even after the bandage is removed after the two days of surgery. The toe grows back in a few months, but if it has been removed from the base, it might take a year for full growth. In the meanwhile, you will have to take proper care and measures such as wearing open-toe footwear and soaking the foot in salt-water daily.