How to Prevent Infection from Your Ingrown Toenail

Dr. Brian Nagy | April 20th, 2018

Posted In: Ingrown Toenails

An ingrown toenail can be extremely painful making it difficult to wear your shoes or stand for long periods of time. Once an ingrown toenail becomes infected, it can make you even more miserable. Keeping the toenail trimmed and minimizing the risk of infection through proactive steps is important. You should also visit your podiatrist for treatment to prevent the infection from spreading. Here is a list of signs that you need to see your New Hampshire podiatrist right away.

Keep the Area Clean and Dry

If you notice an ingrown toenail starting to form, you need to keep the area as clean and dry as possible. A warm foot bath with Epsom salt is a good way to get it clean and help fight the infection. Just make sure to let your foot dry before putting on socks or shoes. If you must wear shoes, apply a small amount of antibacterial ointment to the area to keep the flesh soft and minimize the number of bacteria that is present. Wear clean socks and change them often to prevent bacteria or fungus from growing in the area. Treat your shoes with an anti-fungal spray when you take them off for the night.

Have Your Podiatrist Trim Your Toenails

If you have toenails that are hard to trim or you simply have trouble trimming them properly, make an appointment with Dr. Nagy at Nagy FootCare. The staff can make sure that your toenails remain at a healthy length, removing sharp edges and making sure there is no damage to the flesh around the edge of the nail. Dr. Nagy and his staff can also provide you with tips and tricks to keep your toenails healthy and your feet pain-free.

Wear the Right Shoes

One of the biggest issues when it comes to proper foot care, especially the prevention of ingrown toenails, is wearing the right shoes. Choose shoes that allow your toes enough room to move freely. Make sure your toes aren’t shoved up against the front of the shoes. This type of pressure can cause inflammation and irritation of the tissues near your toenails causing ingrown nails to form.

Give Your Feet A Chance to Breathe

Give your feet a chance to breathe. Take a few hours in the morning and evening and walk around without shoes and socks. This gives your feet a chance to breathe. If you constantly wear pantyhose or tight socks with your shoes, the circulation to feet can be somewhat restricted. When you go without socks and shoes, your feet are exposed to the fresh air as well as receiving freshly oxygenated blood and nutrients from the inside. This helps to create a healthy environment both inside and out.

Have Your Feet Checked Regularly

Schedule an annual exam with Dr. Nagy. This allows him to keep a close eye on your feet and identify any potential problems that may be present. With ingrown toenails, abnormalities can be observed before an infection begins to set in. With proper care, the toenails can be trimmed and an infection prevented. Dr. Nagy can also identify potential growth patterns that may be able to be controlled so that ingrown toenails are no longer a problem. If an ingrown toenail is trimmed or corrected using a minimally invasive procedure, you must follow Dr. Nagy’s orders to protect the wound from infection and hasten the healing process.

Taking proper care of your feet is the first step in preventing any type of injury or infection. Part of that includes wearing the right type of shoes and giving your toes the room they need to breathe. Dr. Nagy of Nagy FootCare can provide you with many different tips and tricks to reduce your risk of infection. He can also help you identify health conditions that can increase your risk of fungal or bacterial infections. Ingrown toenails are one of the most common causes of infections. Dr. Nagy will help you keep your toenails trimmed properly so that your risk of infection is minimized and your feet will remain healthy and pain-free for as long as possible.

At Nagy Footcare, our best day is when you wake up with no foot pain.