How do you know if you have an ingrown toenail?

Clip his toenail. Tell him to suck it up.

if its long has he tried cutting it? i believe you’re supposed to cut the sides at about a 45 degree angle to prevent ingrowns.

So clip the sides, not just the top? I have tried once but if he screams with little tweezers, just imagine what putting the toenail clippers down there was like…. lol

@deni How far down do you cut them? Just the corners or down to the quick?

here is a great description.

I remember having one as a child and needed some surgical intervention – it hurt. Believe me, it’s not just a simple inflammation. It’s very tender and gets very painful, quickly.

You know because it hurts like all get out. Right there in the toe, by the nail…..Be careful just digging it out.

Without seeing a picture, it is hard to know if it is an ingrown toenail or not. It could also be a paronychia, or onychomycosis. It might be worthwhile for him to go see a podiatrist for partial toenail removal (or at least an evaluation).

@shilolo All that it is right now is one toe’s toenail grows longer on the sides than any others. No penetration of the skin, just much further (but his skin flexes down around it, so there’s no actual ingrown into the skin yet. I just think it may in the future if I don’t keep an eye on it.)

My vote is with @shilolo‘s answer. I’ve learned and am still recovering from a foot issue…it’s not something to mess around with!

oh no cut the whole thing but cut the sides at a slant. im really prone to ingrown toenails. i dont know, my feet are really weird. well, my toenails are. they do not grow. and when they do grow they become ingrown if i dont trim them constantly. so thats what i do, and its worked since i’ve started.

It’s worth going to the podiatrist. Soaking in epsom salts sometimes helps.

Some signals of an ingrown toenail is if the skin on the other side feels very tender to the touch. It’s best not to mess with it on your own.Just head over to a podiatrist and he’ll inject the area with a local anesthesia and kill the root. After that, the toe will need an Epsom salt soak everyday for a week. ... Those ingrown toenails are pretty serious and will be very painful if it’s not taken care of.

I’m also with @shilolo‘s answer. I’ve had a few ingrown toenails and they frickin’ hurt when trying to cut them yourself. You could try to trim it, but if skin is broken, I would suggest going to a podiatrist; I’ve seen some ingrowns turn nasty from infection.

I used to get an ingrown toenail on one toe frequently, back when I was a kid. When I was in high school, our family doctor referred me to a podiatrist who did the partial toenail removal that @shilolo mentioned. It was done under local anesthetic and didn’t take long. I haven’t had an ingrown toenail since.

It sounds like a trip to the podiatrist would save your husband a lot of suffering. They’ll either tell you he’s fine so you can stop torturing him darn it! or take care of the nail themselves.

@casheroo LOL! I love your compassion for other’s suffering, it simply knows no bounds! :P Thanks for the laugh, it was the first one of the day.

@evelyns_pet_zebra lol. I guess the whining from my husband about his makes me feel less compassionate on this subject. He’s always insisting he’s getting an ingrown and clipping his nails (which is in the top 5 annoying noises in my world). I thought they were only painful once actual ingrown, not pre-ingrown..

@casheroo oh my god, it is such an annoying sound. the other day i was sitting outside enjoying a beautiful day and my redneck neighbor, probably 50 yards away, came busting outside and clipped his nails for about a half hour. i could hear it all the way over on my porch. kinda funny

can’t find my nail clippers, how about if I just sit near you and crack my knuckles instead?

I can crack almost every joint in my body, so crack away ;)

@MissAusten, ingrown toenails can be very painful, even before they become infected. As an adolescent, I had one on each of my big toes (one at age 13 and the other at age 15) that required surgical intervention. In my case it was because my feet grew faster than my parents could afford to buy new shoes.