Ingrown Toenail: Cotton ball and "V" problem?

Question

my nail is too short to cut either a V into or put cotton under.

i had 2 major surgeries on this toe already and they didn't seem to help. i even got the root removed but somehow it grew back.

should i get tweezers, try to pick up the nail, and place cotton under?

it just hurts so bad lol

i have tennis and it hurts to angle my foot on the side.

help with remedies?

Answer 1

cutting a "V" in your nail does little good it might make it feel better for awhile

you need to train your nail to grow properly

you will need a emmery board type nail file

sand the top of your nail the whole flat of it

you want the middle to be as thin as possible with out going through do you make it too thin.

as you sand it down you will feel the relief

if you have a point at the side you are going to have to have that taken off

or you can keep an eye on it and cut it as it grows.

for some people they have so much pressure on their nails that they start to curve allot and this adds to the pressure

by sanding down the top of the nail you relieve the pressure and the nail can start to lay down again lifting up the sides of the nail.

you will most likely always have to sand the tops of your nails.

if you do not like the white ruff looking nail get a nail buffer and buff the nail it will take out all of the ruff looking scratches

also make sure that your nails are not to dry and brittle

rub oil on your toenails

olive oil is great for them you can also use grape seed oil

also because you may be at risk for an infection add tea tree oil to the oil first it will disinfect the area.

Answer 2

maybe you should just let the nail grow out before you put cotten under it. ice your foot before and after tennis.

or if you prefer to use tweezers, soften the nail first by soaking it it hot water

Answer 3

Kay.ce is right - you need to file down as many of the top layers of the nail as possible and try to get as close to the edge as possible too.

Sometimes I can't take the pain and I use the nail clippers that look sort of like pliers and I cut down the side of the nail to get the side/edge OUT OF THERE but it can be bloody and cause more pain - depending on how well you do it.  Also, when you do that - it's VERY IMPORTANT to be sure (using a metal file - best ones are the kind that have diamond dust embedded into them because they make the "neatest"  edge) to get any sharp edges that are left behind after you cut that edge out.

When I do cut out that edge, I got about 1/4 of an inch down and then use tweezers to pull it out.

You can also soak your feet in warm water with 5-6 aspirin (NO, tylenol, ibuprophen, etc will not work - it has to be aspirin) and a handful of table salt.  The aspirin will help "attack" the inflamation and help to decrease some of the pain from the toenail and the salt will help to heal over the "fresh skin" and help to stop any infection.

After soaking the foot - you need to elevate it HIGHER THAN YOUR HEART for about 45 min to an hour.

You many need to soak the foot/toes for a few days until things feel completely better but the aspirin/salt combo always helps it heal faster than when I don't use it.

Good Luck - I know that many "experts" say that keeping your toenail a little long will help to eliminate ingrown toenails but I've always found that if I keep the nail as short as possible, the ingrown nail problem is greatly diminished.