How to Get Rid of Ingrown Toenails

Medically reviewed by Sarah Gehrke, RN, MS

Last Updated: October 9, 2024 Approved

An ingrown toenail can be painful and unpleasant. However, there are things you can do to stop your toenail from growing into your skin. Doing so may even prevent you from having to get surgery to remove the ingrown toenail! Just make sure that your ingrown toenail is not infected by checking for warmth, pus, redness, and swelling. If you notice any of these signs of infection, see a doctor.^{[1]
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Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Packing an Ingrown Toenail

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It is important to keep your feet clean and to check for problems, such as ingrown toenails, if you are diabetic. However, your doctor may prefer that you do not try to treat an ingrown toenail yourself for safety reasons. Call your doctor and ask before you attempt any home treatments.^{[2]
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National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
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Hot water will cause the area around your ingrown toenail to swell, so don't use hot water.^{[3]
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Research source} Do this for 15-30 minutes at least twice daily. The goal here is twofold: to soften the toenail and prevent the ingrown nail from becoming infected.

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Get a cotton round, cotton ball, or any unflavored or unwaxed dental floss ready, a pair of disinfected tweezers, and a toenail lifter.
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Keep your toenail slightly raised. Using a disinfected tool to place a small piece of cotton or unflavored dental floss between your toenail and the skin should keep the ingrown toenail from coming back.^{[4]
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- If you are using a cotton round or cotton ball, remove a small piece of cotton with the tweezers. If you are using unflavored dental floss, cut a 6 inches (15 cm) piece of dental floss.
- Lift the corner of the ingrown toenail with the disinfected tweezers and gently work the cotton or dental floss under the nail. If desired, you may apply an antiseptic ointment, such as Neosporin, to the cotton or floss before sliding it under the nail.
- Do not try to put the cotton or dental floss under the nail if the nail bed looks swollen or red.
- Remove the cotton or dental floss daily, cleanse the area, and replace with new cotton or dental floss to reduce the risk of infection.
Don't wear socks or shoes when you're at home.
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Check back. If you keep the cotton or dental floss splint in place and treat your feet well, your ingrown toenail should grow back out within a few weeks.
- Replace the cotton every day to keep the toe from becoming infected. If the toenail is painful, replace the cotton every other day, checking daily for infection.
If your nails are still cutting into the skin, then you may also consider trying taping. Taping is when you secure a band-aid to the bottom of your toe and pull the skin away from the location where the nail is cutting into the nailbed. The trick is to move the skin away from the offending nail with the help of a band-aid. This can decrease pressure in the area, and if done properly, promote drainage and drying. However, you may want to ask your healthcare provider to show you the proper way to do this because it can be difficult to master.^{[5]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Trying Unverified Home Remedies

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1
Soak your foot in cool water that's been treated with a povidone-iodine solution. Put one or two teaspoons of povidone-iodine into cool soaking water instead of Epsom salts. Povidone-iodine is an effective antiseptic.^{[6]
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- Keep in mind that this will not treat an ingrown toenail, but it may help to prevent an infection.
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Apply lemon juice and honey and bandage the toe overnight. Apply some fresh lemon juice and honey or Manuka honey to the toe.^{[7]
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PubMed Central
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Go to source} Then wrap the toe with gauze and leave the bandage on overnight. The lemon and honey may help to fight the infection overnight.
- Lemon has antimicrobial effects, but it will not get rid of an ingrown toenail.^{[8]
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3
Use oils to soften the skin around the toenail. Oils applied to the toenails can help moisturize and soften the skin, reducing the pressure put on the toenail when you have to wear shoes. Try the following oils for fast relief:
- Tea tree oil: this essential oil is both an antibacterial and an antifungal agent that smells great.^{[9]
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- Baby oil: another great-smelling mineral oil, this doesn't have the antimicrobial properties of tea tree oil, but works great for softening the skin.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Preventing Ingrown Toenails

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1
Keep toenails at a moderate length and trim them straight across. Nails that are rounded have a higher chance of growing into the skin around the toes, creating problems.^{[10]
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- Use toenail clippers or nail scissors to trim toenails. Ordinary nail clippers are small enough that they tend to leave sharp edges near the corner of the toenail.
- Optimally, try to cut your toenails once every 2-3 weeks. Unless your toenails grow extremely fast, cutting your toenails often won't give them a good chance to become ingrown.
Pedicures can aggravate the skin underneath the nail; pedicure instruments can be less than sanitary, worsening or causing an infection.
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Make sure your shoes are the right size. Shoes that are too small and press on your toenails can easily cause them to become ingrown. Opt for roomier, bigger shoes instead of smaller, tighter ones.^{[11]
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- Try to wear open-toed shoes to prevent pressure on your toe. Since your toe should also be covered, use bandages or wear socks with sandals. Although this is unfashionable, it is better than having to get surgery.
If you get an ingrown toenail and do not care for it properly, then you are likely to get it again. However, you can take steps to prevent that from happening.
After you get out of the shower in the morning, and once before going to bed, apply antibiotic cream to the ingrown toenail and surrounding area.^{[12]
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PubMed Central
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Go to source} Antibiotic cream will help reduce the risk of infection, which can lead to complications and increased pain.^{[13]
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After soaking your feet, rinse them well to get all the soap off. Then, dry them well with a clean towel. You may also apply some Neosporin and a bandaid to protect the ingrown toenail area.^{[14]
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Tips

Try to refrain from painting your toenails while they are ingrown. Unnecessary chemicals near the site may cause irritation. Plus, you might not notice any signs of infection for longer if the nail varnish hides any redness and/or discolouration.

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Focus on getting rid of the ingrown toenail instead of waiting and watching as it becomes more painful. If the remedies you try don't work, consult your doctor; you may need help from them to cut/remove the nail, and you might need antibiotics if the toenail is infected.

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Tips from our Readers

The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of wikiHow readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on wikiHow, please submit it in the field below.

Sometimes to prevent them from happening you can cut a tiny v-shaped piece of the nail out of the middle. That allows the nail to grow towards the center and pull the edges inward instead of growing into the edges of the toe.
Be careful not to cut the toenail too short and keep a straight edge on the nail. Soften the corners with a file. Lifting the corners gently with tweezers as the nail grows is helpful as well.
Soak your feet in Epsom salt with warm water, once soaked add hydrogen peroxide to the infected area. Repeat every day until the infection is gone.

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Warnings

Your toenail is very susceptible to infection when it is ingrown, so do your best to keep it covered and clean to avoid serious consequences.

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If your ingrown toenail is really swollen or has pus around it, it is most likely infected. See your doctor for some antibiotics before you insert the cotton or dental floss. Be aware that antibiotics simply reduce the infection and don't get the nail to grow back out, so the cotton or dental floss can be applied along with the antibiotics if your doctor approves of this method.

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If the cotton method along with antibiotics does not work, see your doctor or podiatrist because you may need to have the nail surgically removed.^{[15]
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