Q
Dear Auntie Pearl, any advice for ingrown toenails that I can do at home?
From Seerpoot.
A
Sjoe Seerpoot, ingrown toenails were sent straight from hell, nuh!
Now hartjie, ingrown toenails happen when the edges or corners of your nails grow into the skin next to your nail. Eina!
Our big toes are often the ones who suffer most from an ingrown toenails.
You can treat this at home but sometimes you need a doctor’s advice − it all depends on how bad it is, and whether you have other probbies like diabetes.
Here is the easiest and best way to DIY your ingrown toenail:
Soak your feet for 20 minutes at a time, three to four times per day.
After the soak, use a cotton ball drenched in olive oil to push the skin away from the toenail edge.
Get an antibiotic or steroid cream from the pharmacy to put on afterwards to prevent infection.
Try this for a few weeks and if the pain gets worse or you struggle to walk or anything else, please go to the doctor.
Sometimes people need to go under the knife to fix this probbie, so if things get very bad, going to the doctor is the only answer.