Ingrown toenail | Imamother

amother

Mon, Jan 08 2024, 9:34 pm

My 3 year old has an ingrown toenail. Is there anything I can do to help it get better without taking him to a podiatrist. I already soaked it a bunch of times in epsom salt and it doesn’t seem to be healed.

amother

Petunia

Mon, Jan 08 2024, 10:20 pm

My children and I are all prone to these and it can be excruciating. You also want to make sure that it isn't becoming cellulitis (check for red streaks that move up the foot). Often, it's just a bad irritation and that causes a foreign body response and inflammation in the side of the toe. Sometimes, the doctor can use nail clippers to cut out the piece of nail causing the pain. That causes almost immediate relief. However, all of us eventually had nail ablation where the toe was anesthetized and nail was cut to the matrix and then treated with a chemical to prevent regrowth. In most cases, that solved the problem for a number of years. I never did it with such a small child, so it's probably a good idea to get your pediatrician's input. Some places suggest pushing a piece of cotton under the side of the nail with an "orange stick" to protect the skin. However, that never worked for any of us. Hope your baby gets some relief.