Why You Should Skip the Home Remedies for Ingrown Toenails
For a lot of people, the first thing they do when they have an ailment is head straight to Google. Often, Google will give them “home remedies” for those ailments. Unfortunately, for many issues, home remedies that are not vetted by a doctor can lead people down a path of even more serious issues. One of the issues that definitely could go awry with many home remedies is one we see often here in our office: ingrown toenails.
The most common results from Google for ingrown toenail home remedies will include things like:
Soaking your feet in warm water
Using Epsom salt, turmeric, hydrogen peroxide, apple cider vinegar, or a whole host of other ingredients
Propping the nail up with dental floss or cotton
While Google can help to research symptoms and treatments on occasion, in this instance, most of these will do more harm than good.
Why not try home remedies for an ingrown toenail?
They take forever. Home remedies can require several days or even weeks to start working (assuming it works at all). Professional care from your podiatrist typically comes with guaranteed relief with little to no downtime. Your foot doctor can get you back to normal activity in just a day or two.
They’re risky. The longer an ingrown toenail persists, the more likely germs and bacteria will seep in and cause an infection. An infected ingrown toenail can cause some serious complications too, especially if coupled with diabetes, poor circulation, or any other systemic issues. Checking in with your podiatrist and getting your ingrown toenail fixed in one quick appointment is definitely safer.
They likely won’t last. Even when home remedies do get the job done, it’s highly likely that you will develop another ingrown toenail that could keep recurring long into the future. Your podiatrist can perform a simple procedure that should stop ingrown toenails from returning permanently in most cases.
Our podiatrists can help!
Of course, we understand with busy schedules it’s hard to make time to see a doctor if you don’t need to. However, in the case of an ingrown toenail, it’s going to help prevent a whole lot of unnecessary issues to make an appointment with a foot doctor. At Precision Foot and Ankle Centers, we know that your time matters. That’s why our foot doctors provide efficient and effective ways to address your foot and ankle issues, using advanced technologies and expertise from years of experience. Contact us at any of our locations in Los Angeles, Torrance, and San Pedro, CA to schedule an appointment with our podiatrists today!