READ FIRST: I'm just a guy who's had ingrown toenails and then stumbled on a way to manage them and I think (fingers crossed) put them behind me. One time I even had to go into a podiatrist and have an ingrown toenail surgically fixed. It was not pleasant. A buddy turned me onto this topical solution called Outgro (pictured to the right). It's cheap and it really works. Basically it numbs the area where your ingrown nail is digging into your sensitive skin, (so that's nice) for some quick pain relief. Secondly, when the skin is numbed up it's more manageable to get in there with the right (sterile) tools and fix the problem yourself. This Outgro stuff is cheap and works well, but for whatever reason isn't at most drug stores (at least where I live) so I order it online. It's surprisingly cheaper that way too.

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Ingrown Toenail Brace

An ingrown toenail brace (pictured below) comes in many different shapes and sizes and range from the homemade to the simple ones that can be purchased from drug stores like CVS, Walgreens, etc. to custom fitted versions developed by podiatrists for individuals to fit their needs.


If you're wondering whether or not an ingrown toenail brace would be the best ingrown toenail solution for your specific situation the answer to that question is essentially: it depends.

The effectiveness of an apparatus like this one is dependent on the type of ingrown toenail issues you're facing as well as the specific stage of the process that you're currently dealing with.

As is the case with most strategies the earlier a problem is detected the better chance their is of having a successful outcome and an ingrown toenail brace is no exception. There are unfortunately without a doubt times when the severity of the problem surpasses a level at which a simple ingrown toenail brace can be effective or even used at all. When the condition worsens to this state it's best to see a podiatrist as soon as possible and to be mindful of the fact that infection setting in is a potential worst case scenario.

For people with mild symptoms trying to eliminate this problem on their own using an ingrown toenail brace can unquestionably be a cheap, easy, and potentially effective part of a large strategy to nip the problem in the bud before it morphs into a more sever problem that commands more drastic actions.