5 tips to overcome ingrown nails for mother and baby

Ingrown nails occur when the side edge of the toenail or nail grows out and penetrates the surrounding flesh and skin tissue. This is a fairly common condition that all of us experience at least a few times. It is estimated that nearly 1 in 5 adults have had ingrown toenails at least once in their lifetime. 

The most effective way to deal with ingrown toenails or ingrown fingernails is to intervene as soon as the ingrown toenail starts to prevent it from getting worse. In this article, aFamilyToday Health will tell you a few tips to overcome ingrown nails for mother and baby and tips on nail care to reduce the risk of ingrown nails.

What is ingrown nail?

Ingrown toenails, also known as ingrown nails, is a condition in which the side of the toenail or fingernail, instead of being straight, elongated, grows horizontally or oblique into the flesh and skin around the nail. Ingrown nails can occur in any finger or toe, but the big toe is most common.

If your baby or your ingrown nail is mild, you can correct it by cutting the edge of the nail regularly after a foot bath. Severe ingrown nails that aren't properly treated can lead to serious bone and skin infections.

Subjects with ingrown nails are mostly children and teenagers. The most common cause is often due to children cutting their nails incorrectly, wearing too tight shoes, playing sports like soccer ... causing their toes to become pinched.

In addition, the elderly also often have ingrown nails. The reason is that our nails tend to become thicker with age, so the nails of the elderly are more likely to grow backwards.

Tips to overcome ingrown nails

1. Soak hands / feet in warm water mixed with Epsom salt

If your baby or your baby is in pain from ingrown nails, to ease the pain, soak your hands / feet in warm water mixed with Epsom salt. In addition, this will make the nail softer, allowing you to easily remove the ingrown nail.

Doing:

Add 2 teaspoons of Epsom salt to a tub of warm water

Foot bath for 15 - 20 minutes

After soaking your hands / feet, pat them dry with a clean towel and use a nail clipper to remove ingrown nails. If the nail is still hard and hard to cut, you can soak it again.

Note that if you don't have Epsom salt, you can soak your hands / feet with granulated salt.

2. Use apple cider vinegar

Did you know that apple cider vinegar serves as a very effective natural antiseptic and anti-inflammatory agent? You should use apple cider vinegar to prevent infection and reduce swelling caused by ingrown nails.

Doing:

Dip a cotton ball in apple cider vinegar

Place a cotton ball on the ingrown nail, and use a bandage or gauze to keep the cotton in place for a few hours.

Remove the bandage and use a nail clipper to remove ingrown nails.

3. Turmeric powder and mustard oil

 Photo:  Brightside.me

Turmeric powder has anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties. You can use a mixture of turmeric powder mixed with mustard oil to help reduce swelling and pain caused by ingrown nails.

Doing:

Mix turmeric powder with mustard oil in a 1: 1 ratio into a paste.

Spread the mixture on a patch of tape, wrap it around the ingrown toenail / nail and keep for about 1 hour.

Perform about 2-3 times / day or when you see the swelling and pain around the nail, the ingrown nail is soft, can be easily removed.

4. Lemon juice and honey

Lemon juice and honey have very good antibacterial effects on the skin. This mixture can help reduce infections caused by ingrown nails.

Doing:

Put a drop of lemon juice and a little honey right into the ingrown nail.

Use a bandage or bandage to cover the ingrown toenail / arm and leave overnight.

Do this every night until the pain and swelling improves and you can easily remove the ingrown nail.

5. Use cotton balls

If the ingrown nail is too short or for some reason you cannot remove the ingrown nail and to keep the ingrown nail part slightly apart to minimize the nail dipping into the painful flesh, use a cotton pad. A small cotton ball is inserted between the ingrown nail and the skin after each hand / foot bath.

Doing:

After soaking your feet or hands with warm water and salt, carefully use tweezers or a nail file to gently press the skin close to the ingrown nail.

Use the tweezers to clamp a small cotton ball and insert it in the middle. Before inserting, you can dip a cotton ball and a mixture of lemon and honey to help relieve pain and inflammation.

Solutions to limit ingrown nails

1. Cut your nails carefully and often

The best way to prevent ingrown nails or ingrown nails from appearing after you've removed them is that your nails and toenails must be cut correctly. Therefore, if your child has grown up, you should practice your baby to have the habit of cutting nails regularly and properly.

You should instruct your child to do the following:

Always start pruning the nails on the sides first.

After cutting, you should file the nail smoothly, especially the nail on the sides to limit ingrown nail growth into the tissues around the nail causing pain and inflammation.

Don't cut your nails or nails too short. Cutting too close to the nail can make it easier for them to latch onto the skin as they grow.

Have a habit of cutting nails every week, especially for toenails, babies should cut every 2-3 weeks.

Clean nail clippers after each use with alcohol to ensure hygiene and avoid infection.

In addition, you should buy your baby's own nail clipper set, practice the habit of not using the same cleaning tools ...

2. Do not wear shoes that are too tight

You and your baby should use open-toed sandals or shoes that are not too close to the toes so that the toes are not too tight. This will help limit ingrown toenails.

Young children who are growing and developing should not wear shoes all day to prevent their feet from being constricted, squashing, making nails grow backwards, causing inflammation or bad feet. Therefore, when it is not necessary to wear shoes, you should encourage your child to wear sandals. In addition, if your baby likes to play soccer and regularly plays this sport, you should buy a dedicated soccer shoe.

You should not wear high heels, toe shoes too often to limit ingrown toenails. You can use flat sandals, flats, doll shoes ... to move while working in the office.

3. See your doctor

If you or your baby has ingrown nails and have used the tips above but the swelling and pain does not improve after 2-3 days, see your doctor. To reduce inflammation and help reduce pain and swelling, your doctor may prescribe an antibiotic that you take by mouth or topical. In the event of swelling and severe pain around the nail tissue, your doctor may order minor surgery to remove the ingrown nail and clean the inflamed tissue.

Hopefully the above article has given you helpful tips in dealing with ingrown nails and knows how to prevent this from happening.