so i get ingrown big toenails, i have tried toenail surgery to reduce the size of my toenails, but the problem persists.
I have found that grinding down the top layers of the toe nail instead of the ends provides long lasting relief, but also somewhat immediate relief of currently ingrown nails by somewhat alleiviating the pressure.
i posit the majority of ingrown toe nails can be relieved by a simple grind down of the top layers of the nail rather than the end points. From a structural POV the top layers push down on the end of the nails and give it rigidity against the natural shape of the toe’s meat.
reducing that rigidity allows a more natural adaption of the nail bed to the nail meat that does not cause need for surgery.
I had a friend describe this method as well, though he was a bit more direct and grabbed the piece with pliers and pulled it out, usually fairly bloodily. Then he’d bandage it up until it stopped bleeding, and watch it grow back and clip it if it started edging back out to the side.
I had it happen a couple times and used his method, and then I heard someone say if you cut the toenail straight across instead of following the curve, it wouldn’t do this. Since I started that, I haven’t had it happen again. I just use electrical sidecutters and don’t cut them super short either.
Yea, the drying out of the skin with the alcohol reduces the amount of blood, but there is always going to be some. Cutting straight across is a very good way to avoid future issues as well.