So I have an ingrown toenail. Should I take care of it myself or go to a doctor?

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BreezyLimbo

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It's a bitch, the skin seems to be overlapping the nail area and it's a nasty color. Doesn't seem to be infected, . Should I take care of it and if so, how can I do it solo, or should I just suck it up and go to the doctor? ._.

click the spoiler at your own warning

7DT6YRQ.jpg
 
I've had two ingrown toenails, both on my largest toe (left and right foot). Trying to remove them yourself only works if you catch 'em really early; otherwise they're way more entrenched than you think and you'll only hurt yourself trying to take it out.

Looking at that pic, you need to go to a foot doctor.
 
I had an infected ingrown toenail once. I left it by itself for months hoping it would go away. It was full of green pus and smelled otherworldly. When i was finally forced into getting it checked out, the miracle worker doctor who took care of it for me said if i waited much longer i would have had to had it amputated...
Leave it to a professional
 
Retromelon said:
I had an infected ingrown toenail once. I left it by itself for months hoping it would go away. It was full of green pus and smelled otherworldly. When i was finally forced into getting it checked out, the miracle worker doctor who took care of it for me said if i waited much longer i would have had to had it amputated...
Leave it to a professional
Click to expand...

[/QUOTE]

Hoo boy, alright. I hope it's not too expensive then ._. How much did it cost you? And that single hair is a fighter, ok!
 
Go to a doctor

I used to have that in High School and anytime i fixed it myself it came back worse.
 
When i was a kid I had an ingrown toenail like this. It looked exactly like that. Would try and doctor it myself, clipping/cutting nail out but it only did so much. several weeks of that and finally just had it cut out.
 
As someone who has had an ingrown toenail taken care of twice (same toe, different sides, fml) its not that bad, worst part is the shot to numb it. If you take care of it yourself it will just be worse.

I'm currently recovering from the second procedure.
 
Little story op:
12 years ago or something, I had ingrown toenails on EVERY SIDE of my big toes. It started on one site and after each other they went to shit. After having them operated at least 6 times, 2 sites healed up fine and I never had a problem there again, but the other two sides would constantly regrow inwards. Since I didn't want to be operated everytime, I just started to use a sharp nail scissors to cut them myself, which was often bloody and only a temporary solution. So after a good 10 years or so, I finally went straight to the doc and said "look, I don't care just make them permanently smaller and remove some shit so they don't regrow at the site". He did and I can't tell you the relief I have not having to bother with that shit anymore. Do the right thing, go to the doc. I they regrow wrong a second time, just tell him to cut a small patch of the nail bed at the site away, you won't even notice.

edit: The first time it happened (when I was 16 or so), I ignored it for months. The toe actually started to smell like decay and there was putrid everywhere if you'd touch it. That was the point when I went to the doc.
 
Ok so good news is that there's an urgent medical group near me that should be covered under my medicare

I'll probably go in on Monday

If it was easy I'd do it myself, but I don't trust myself if I can't even cut my nail
 
They shot me full of painkillers, all i felt was an unusual tingly feeling while they sawed through my big toe with scissors. You'll be fine op.
 
Retromelon said:
They shot me full of painkillers, all i felt was an unusual tingly feeling while they sawed through my big toe with scissors. You'll be fine op.
Click to expand...

Local amnesia seems more appropriate. I had one at all operations. I usually just watched and laughed (I do that for some reason, even when I get my blood taken).
 
Yeah, as a kid both my toes looked like that constantly. Had one cut out, relief that I don't have to worry about that one anymore, now my other toe still does it, I just bite down go digging every couple weeks on that one. Doesn't ever pus up anymore though, don't let it reach that point, but the pain is still exquisite when I clip.
 
Had ingrown toenails get infected before - go to a podiatrist. They will clip it back properly and if you're lucky, that's it.

Mine kept coming back so they eventually trimmed my nail back and cauterized the root so a portion of my nail doesn't grow back anymore.

This was, of course, after
they first tried removing the entire toenail.
 
Retromelon said:
They shot me full of painkillers, all i felt was an unusual tingly feeling while they sawed through my big toe with scissors. You'll be fine op.
Click to expand...

Zukuu said:
Local amnesia seems more appropriate. I had one at all operations. I usually just watched and laughed (I do that for some reason, even when I get my blood taken).
Click to expand...

Unless OP is one of those who is not affected by those things, in which case he will feel every cut, pull, jab, etc.
 
Anustart said:
Yeah, as a kid both my toes looked like that constantly. Had one cut out, relief that I don't have to worry about that one anymore, now my other toe still does it, I just bite down go digging every couple weeks on that one. Doesn't ever pus up anymore though, don't let it reach that point, but the pain is still exquisite when I clip.
Click to expand...
Get the nail bed cut and life free forever!

With newest techniques (I have seen them change over the years), it's a rather minuscule procedure. Last time I did it (last year) they used acid. *shrugs*
 
modernlifeisANDY said:
Had ingrown toenails get infected before - go to a podiatrist. They will clip it back properly and if you're lucky, that's it.

Mine kept coming back so they eventually trimmed my nail back and cauterized the root so a portion of my nail doesn't grow back anymore.

This was, of course, after
they first tried removing the entire toenail.
Click to expand...

Hopefully the care center I go to will be able to take care of it, if my medicare could cover it that'd be great @_@

Ganhyun said:
Unless OP is one of those who is not affected by those things, in which case he will feel every cut, pull, jab, etc.
Click to expand...

I'm sure painkillers/anesthesia affects me
 
I had a bad ingrown toenail a year ago, I tried to deal with it myself but it just kept growing into my skin

Researched more about it, realized wearing shoes for long periods of time and/or wearing socks to sleep during winter makes it curvy

I wore sandals for 6 months after winter ended. Havn't had any problems at all with my ingrown toenail so its turning out better actually
 
Im with you my mobile plebeian brother
I don't have a computer and wont for 2 months so we will have to brave the toenail threads together
 
I had a really bad one years ago and cut it out myself, kinda like that video.

When it started to grow back, I'd shove a tiny piece of tissue under the edge of the nail with a toothpick, to keep it from growing under the skin. After a month or so, the nail had grown long enough so it rests on top of the skin.

Haven't had a problem since.
 
When I was young I had ingrown nails on both big toes. I use to rip off my nails.

From what I can recall, they numbed both toes, cut them out, then burned the sides of my nails towards the bottom so they wouldn't grow back. The only things I remember was the shots and playing my Game Boy for like an hour. After that I had to soak my feet in salt water once a day for like two weeks or so.

Both my big toe nails look quite normal nowadays, never had an ingrown nail since.
 
I had to have surgery on my ingrown toes. Both big toes. I didn't have the whole nail removed, though the doctor was pushing for that saying they might just grow back in wrong otherwise (they didn't). The numbing needles weren't so bad, but he didn't get one of my toes fully so I felt the surgery. I bled....a lot. Afterward I hobbled out to the car, took a couple ibuprofen, and had my mom drive me home. By the time I got there the pain was gone and never came back. The bill was like $400 but that was like 15 years ago.
 
BreezyLimbo said:
Ok so good news is that there's an urgent medical group near me that should be covered under my medicare

I'll probably go in on Monday

If it was easy I'd do it myself, but I don't trust myself if I can't even cut my nail
Click to expand...
If you're going to go monday, in the meantime soak the toe in dakin solution or saline multiple times a day, it may help a bit.
 
Big bowl of warm/hot salt water - soak for maybe an hour - attempt to clean.

If the front or bottom of your toe is hot fire to the touch (like the worst stubbed toe you've ever had x10) you may be in the position i was in with a curved, serrated, almost inch and a half toe nail digging into the front of your toe.

In that case - you will need a fuckin doctor. Sorry bro. sucks.

fyi Watch them cut your toe in half when they numb you out and pull out the shears. It's the best.
 
Eppy Thatcher said:
Big bowl of warm/hot salt water - soak for maybe an hour - attempt to clean.

If the front or bottom of your toe is hot fire to the touch (like the worst stubbed toe you've ever had x10) you may be in the position i was in with a curved, serrated, almost inch and a half toe nail digging into the front of your toe.

In that case - you will need a fuckin doctor. Sorry bro. sucks.

fyi Watch them cut your toe in half when they numb you out and pull out the shears. It's the best.
Click to expand...

That's actually what I have, when I press down slightly on the front of my toe pain starts happening. Booo.
 
BreezyLimbo said:
That's actually what I have, when I press down slightly on the front of my toe pain starts happening. Booo.
Click to expand...

Doctor time for sure. The shots are ridiculously. Maybe not the worst pain in the world but a completely different kind of sharp pain than probably anything you've ever felt. After that it's a cakewalk and you'll feel a million times better instantly.

Also - watch him cut the nail away. It's one of those rare opportunities to see someone carve something off your body outside of a shady hostel in eastern Europe.
edit: lol i heard that one already you repeating piece of shit.

Good times.
 
I suffered from ingrown toenail on both sides of my left toe for years. I always removed it but it came back every month or so. I finally fixed it permanently by stuffing little rolls of toilet paper under both sides so it lifted the nail while it was growing.
 
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