Dilemma

- I had issues with mine as well. Cotton under the nail didn't help much. A doctor removed the nail and it grew back ingrown again. Then a second time. Finally on the third removal they killed the nail bed and I just don't have a toenail on my right big toe.
  
  A nice „fuck you I win” solution. Do you have any complications from it besides a weird looking foot?
  
  I had the same except they only removed the portion of the nail bed on the side where is was growing ingrown, so my nail is smaller now but it still grows!
- I did this for almost a year. Shoving the cotton was is excruciatingly painful. I said fuck it and went to a pediatrist. 20 minute procedure later and absolutely no pain if you have insurance please consider it
  
  What did they do in the procedure? Both big toes have this issue. Maybe I'll get a referral!
- Do you guys not have Pedicurists?
  I am a guy and I go regularly
  
  No, no we don't have many of them, because most people where I'm from don't have enough excess money to spend on pedicures to justify their existence in most places.

One must always strive to look inward when searching for a way to grow.

I spent years with an ingrown toenail. I could walk on it just fine but if I stubbed it I'd be down for about 10 minutes. Finally just went to the Dr and he fixed it right up. Now when I cut the nail I just have to make sure I don't cut it too short or risk it becoming ingrown again. I was kicking myself for not having done this sooner.
- Good thing you don't have an ingrown nail anymore, or else kicking yourself would hurt
- Can you please explain the process the doctor did to correct it? Everything online involved some surgery. Your comment made it look less painful.
  
  I had the surgery done on both of my big toes, both sides.
  Let me preface with this, the surgery is very short, done with local anesthesia, mostly painless, and very cool to watch. The recovery time is short (I think it was 3 days until I was able to play soccer again).
  Now for the gory details. To start, they need to numb up your toe. The nerves they need to numb on the underside of your foot on either side of your tone bone. For reasons, they can't just do a short needle through the bottom of the foot, so they go in through the top with a long, big ass needle. For me, they used a cryo spray that numb my toe a bit, there was definitely a pinch, but honestly not bad, I'd give it a 2/10 on a pain scale. For reference, I'd consider the ingrown nail a 2, and it jumps up to a 5 if you stubbed it. After the anesthesia, they roll a castration band over your toe to cut off the blood supply so it doesn't squirt all over the place when they cut the nail. After a few minutes, they cut your nail straight back all the way to the nailbed, past the cuticle, then they use a chemical cauterizing agent on wooden stick to burn the nailbed to prevent regrowth stop bleeding, and sterilize the areas. After that, they remove the band, wrap your toe in gauze and give you your post op paperwork.
  Post op instruction for me were to soak my toe twice a day in an epsom salt solution, and otherwise keep the area dry and clean. I had some bloody pus discharge from my toe the first time I changed the bandage, but it was clean after that.
  
  For me, they applied local anesthesia, grabbed the nail with some tool, then pulled it the fuck off. I don't know if this is how it is always done, but this was a military doctor (I was a dependent).
  
  It's very minor surgery, outpatient and can be handled by an urgent care.
  
  The surgery is far far less painful (with local anesthetic) than an ingrown nail. Its not really a big deal.
  
  Like, all the way off so you had to regrow the entire nail?
- Accidentally stepped on my friend's older brother's ingrown toenail growing up and I've never seen a person want to kill me so badly for something I didn't mean to do.

I HAD MY BIG TOE DO THIS YEARS AGO AND THE PAIN WAS EXCRUCIATING.
My partner at the time had to cut a tiny part out of my toe to fix it. I was stupid and trimming my nail at an angle, took too much off and thought nothing of it at the time, until it started growing like this. Never again. And, for the record, never do what I did. Get it professionally removed.
- Medical professionals can not only fix it without excruciating pain, but they can prevent just the problematic edge bit from growing back!
  
  We were young and dumb, brother.

After I cut my one toenail that does it
I put like tooth picks (not actually but small like that) under it a few per day to keep it lifted while it grows
- There's special "paper" that you can stuff in there for the same purpose, and also potentially less harmful.

If you catch em when they're lil babies likes square 2 or 3, you can 100% easily cure/fix it.
Just cut 1 to 3 slices perpendicular into the edge of your toenail. Turn your clipper 90 degrees, get it in far enough, but don't pinch yourself or cut too far in that it hurts, and snip.
Do it in the middle, in 3rds, or quarters if it's in both sides or something.
This gives your nail a new direction to grow, and takes the pressure off the flesh. You'll feel relief in less than a minute. It's a miracle and you'll hate that it took you this long.
If it doesn't give you relief in like 5 - 10 mins (try a second or 3rd snip first but), that fucker is in there. See a doctor. Take it from me.
- Kudos to anyone who can figure out where and how to cut from this description.
  
  Cut a little triangle or V shaped notch at the top and center of your toenail. It doesn't have to be too deep so don't go nuts. Looks kinda silly but it works like a charm.
  
  Have you tried googling the word "perpendicular"?
- Instructions unclear. My toes are shredded now.
  
  Sounds like you never skip toe day 💪
- Can you do a drawing? 😅

Both my grandparents died from these...
I should just get my big toenails removed lol.
- died
  Wait. Sorry, what?
  
  Maybe their grandparents had diabetes? Wounds on the foot can get infected and not heal due to lack of circulation, resulting in necrosis, amputation, and sometimes death.
  It might have been a joke but my cursed medical knowledge just fell out of my brain and maybe ruined it. Sorry.
  
  Indeed, what the friggin fuck?

do y'all wear extremely tight shoes or something?
- Almost all people in the first world wear shoes that crush their feet/toes. It's how shoes are designed.
  Relevant video
  
  Great video. Thanks for sharing.
- Source: me as I discover all sorts of fun things turning 40
- This thread is bonkers. Is it some genetic thing, or are Linux users more prone to ingrown toenails?
  
  Fiddling with my toenails for so long primed me for fiddling with my configs, it all makes sense now
  
  Only Ubuntu and Kubuntu users
  
  My uncle has ingrown toenails, and he uses windows! (Or so I'm told... 🤔)
- Nah, ingrown toenails just happen. Might be a genetic thing or something. As a kid I had to get like five surgeries for it on my right big toe and then when it wouldn't stop happening they eventually killed the root at that side of the toenail with some kind of acid to prevent it from happening again. I still occasionally get ingrown nails on the big toe of the other foot that didn't need the surgery.
- I rock climb, so yes. I'd rather cut my toe nails straight across and avoid ingrowns, but that doesn't work well with climbing.

All you gotta do is wear tight shoes while running so you give yourself runners toe, and your toenails fall off. They’ll grow back in 1-2 months, easy peasy. You’re welcome.
/s

I programmed a simulator to teach this very operation! It's a bit gross but it doesn't look THAT invasive.

Nip it in the bed

As others have noted, this occurs when you trim too short and/or when you cut at an angle rather than straight across.
To fix without getting too invasive, take super small little piece of tissue paper or cotton, I’m talking real small, roll it up into a ball about the size of a granule of kosher salt, then use tweezers to wedge the ball under the nail right at the part where it hurts the most.
You will notice instant pain relief as pressure gets relieved right where the nail is digging into the skin. Replace this ball if it falls out and keep it wedged there for 3 to 5 days. This can be somewhat difficult if the nail is super short, which it usually is if you are dealing with this problem, but you should be able to wedge a small little piece up there. If you can fit a piece larger than a granule of sale then that’s even better.
The nail will start growing the right direction and will be all better in 3 to 5 days.

This is the reason I have not had any big toe nails for like 2 decades. The remnants are a bit annoying, but I will gladly deal with that over an ingrown nail.

- You sound like fun buddy
- Ingrown toenails happen for all sorts of reasons. Some people like me have perfect toenails except for that one bent nail due to it being smashed under something that one time. There's no need for you to be an edgy dick to strangers.