go to a nail salon QUICK ! they can help you

I've heard a way to help prevent this from happening in the future is once you get them trimmed good, cut a V shape in the middle of each one. Not sure if it's true or not, but I heard that a lot.

Do not cut a V in the middle of your nail. It does not work! Despite not having insurance, please do seek help from a medical professional to get it taken cared of (Podiatrist, Urgent Care, or ER). These places have non-insured discounts and it's the best investment in order to properly take care of your ingrown toenail. I wouldn't let a nail salon person touch my ingrown nail. Hope this helps!

I cringed just reading this. Don't do it yourself. You coud end up worse state foot wise than you are now - as well as getting infected. I've had the procedure done. Just in a surgery. It took about 1/2 hour. It required several numbing injections. And I needed someone to help me to the car and drive me home afterwards. Can't you go to a local doctor? I'm sure something can be arranged. But *pronto* Don't cut at them yourself!! You feel in pain now, but you may be underestimating just how sensitive the nailbed is.

I have had one for years now. It drives me crazy, I think about cutting the skin off the nail or my entire toe and all kindsa nasty stuff. I went to urgent care last time and paid $156 to argue that the cause was "not cutting the nail straight" he shot my toe up with lidocaine, put some nail dissolver on the nail and cut half of it off. He put too much dissolver on the nail, because 2 weeks later the nail was just hanging there and I peeled it off. I ended up with no nail at all (paradise). Now, a year later I am in the same spot all over again. As soon as I can save up the money I am going to find a good podiatrist. (best option IMO)

It might require some skill but I just relieved an ingrown big toenail using a Dremel tool (high speed battery powered grinder) with a 1/2" sanding drum (80 grit) attached. A low-priced version of this tool can be bought at Menards or Harbor Freight, for about 20.00 with all the attachments. Running at low speed, the job can be done with little or no pain. I didn't feel any pain because of the fungus underneath my nail, there was no live nail underneath the ingrown area, so if you would be grinding away live nail it might hurt a bit, but with plenty of warning. Just grind away along the edge of the skin where the nail is causing pressure. And use betadine or some other good disinfectant afterward.

Okay. Here's the real answer from someone that has had both a podiatrist remove half my nail and done something else to solve the problem. 1) Podiatrist - It'll cost about $150-$200 to have it done, but have them use lidocaine to numb the toe, then ethylchloride to freeze it temporarily...then they cut away the half of the nail, all the way down to where it comes out of the skin, that is causing the problem. You'll have to keep it bandaged for a few weeks, but it'll solve the problem for a long time and is a quick solution. 2) DIY Solution - THIS DOES NOT INVOLVE A DREMMEL OR ANY OTHER TOOL - Trim your toe nail normally and not too short, including the in-grown portion. Now, take a small piece of cotton swab or ball (by small, I mean no bigger than an eighth to quarter inch in size), roll it up, and gentle using a toothpick or nail cleaner, wedge it under the edge of the nail where the in-grown portion is coming up. Put a band-aid over it to hold the cottom in place. In a couple of days, remove the bandage, gently lift up the in-grown nail a few millimeters, get a little bit more cotton and wedge it in there again, then band-aid it again. Repeat for several weeks. This will cause the in-grown nail to grow out, away from the skin and toe, instead of into it. I have done this and it does work, but it does take a long time. If you need immediate relief, go to the doctor and get it fixed. If you can deal with the dull pain that the second fix causes over a longer period of time, then use the second method. Additionally, the second method works once the nail from the first method grows back again. Also, cutting your nails too short allows the skin to wrap around the nail before the nail has a chance to grow out, which causes the nail to then grow into the skin.

i have had mine fixed i live in langley and we have a good foot specialist out here it costs just $75 a toe and all the do is numb id with 3 needles in each toe then they open the side cut part of the nail out then they put some medical stuff in there to make sure the nail never grows back again