How do you take care of an ingrown toenail??

Question

My friend is diabetic and has no insurance. He showed me his toe and it looks a little infected from an ingrown toenail. What should he do?

Answer 1

Ingrown toenails are very bad and once infected they could cause gangreen, especially in diabetics.

In the early stages of an ingrown toenail, soak your foot in warm water containing antibacterial soap or a few tablespoons of salt. Dry your foot and apply an over-the-counter antibiotic ointment and a clean dressing. Do not cut your nail. For the next few days, wear open-toed or loose-fitting shoes. When the nail grows out, cut it straight across.

More advanced ingrown toenails require the attention of a health care professional. If the nail is not deeply ingrown, the edge of the nail can be lifted from the skin edge that it is irritating. A small piece of clean cotton can then be used to prop the nail's corner up and over the skin edge until the skin heals. Your doctor may cut open infected areas with a blade or a needle to allow the pus to drain.

For a more deeply ingrown nail, your doctor may numb your toe with local anesthetic and then remove a vertical strip of nail from the affected side of your toe. After this piece of nail is removed, the nail has a chance to regrow without an ingrown edge. If you continue to get an ingrown toenail, your doctor might also treat the cuticle with a medicine called phenol. Phenol will prevent that area of your cuticle from producing new nail, so your toenail will be narrower than it was previously.
It is recommended that If you have diabetes or another health problem that affects your circulation, you contact a doctor for treatment of your ingrown nail even if your symptoms are mild.

So, your friend MUST see a doctor right away. Have him go to a free clinic or a low income clinic, most states have them, if oyurs does not, he may qualify for emergency medicare through your local welfare dept.

Answer 2

cut it out without going toodeep into the skin.. then peroxide it and apply a triple antibiotic ointment.. that is what my doctor instructed me to do or to come in and let him do it..I am a diabetic as well and as long as there i no infection. you should be fine...any wound on the feet can be real bad.. sometimes it can lead to removal of the appendage so be careful for infections

Answer 3

if he is diabetic then he needs to go see a doctor about it. A doctor will have to cut it out and give him medicine for the infection.

Answer 4

I got mine taken care of from a local Podiatrist, someone who specializes in foot care, yeah a little pricey but she took care of me seeing that I didn't have health insurance, a bit painful but it's worth it, just a lesson to be learned.

Answer 5

go to a doctor