How do you treat an infected side of your toe?
How do you treat an infected side of your toe?
How Is a Toe Infection Treated?
- Soak the toe for about 15 minutes in a bathtub or bucket filled with warm water and salt. Do this three to four times a day.
- Rub a medicated ointment on the toe and wrap it in a clean bandage.
- To treat an ingrown toenail, gently lift the corner of the nail.
What does an infected ingrown toe look like?
Signs of an Ingrown Toenail Infection Foul smell. Heat or warmth in or around the nail bed. Overgrowth or presence of inflamed tissues around the edges of the toenail. Yellowing, thick or cracked nails (specifically with fungus infections)
Is an infected toe an emergency?
Pain and swelling around your toe and the inability to wear certain shoes might be signs of an ingrown toenail. It’s a common condition that you can sometimes take care of at home. But if the pain becomes unbearable, or you can see an infection in the tissue around your toenail, you may need to seek medical treatment.
What happens if you leave a toe infection untreated?
Leaving your infected toenail untreated could cause the infection to spread. When an infection reaches underlying bone, it can also cause a serious bone infection. Checking your feet regularly can help you avoid ingrown toenails and other foot problems.
How serious is a toe infection?
A toenail infection can also lead to foot ulcers, or open sores, and a loss of blood flow to the infected area. Tissue decay and tissue death at the site of infection are possible. A foot infection can be more serious if you have diabetes.
How do you draw infection out of your toe?
Soak your toe in a warm foot bath with unscented Epsom salt. Always dry your foot completely after soaking. Soaking your ingrown or infected toe will help relieve the pain and pressure of an infection. It can also help to draw out pus from your toe. Keep your feet dry, unless you’re soaking them for treatment.
Should you squeeze pus out of an infected toe?
Avoid squeezing out the pus. We have a tendency to try to help the healing by attempting to squeeze any pus out of an infected wound. However, this can actually push the bacteria further into the wound, making the infection worse.
How do you tell if my toe is infected?
If your toe is infected, you’ll probably have one or more of these symptoms:
- pain.
- pressure.
- redness or change in skin color.
- swelling.
- oozing.
- a bad smell.
- feeling hot to the touch.
- a visible break in the skin.
When is a toe infection serious?
You should seek immediate medical attention if you have a fever and notice red streaks on your skin that lead away from the infected area on your toe, as these symptoms indicate a more severe infection. An infected toenail can impact your daily life, but it doesn’t have to.
When should I go to the doctor for an infected toe?
Be sure to see a doctor if your toe gets infected. Your toe might be infected if it hurts more than it did before you tried the home treatment. Call your doctor if your toe is red, warm, swollen, or drains pus, or if there are red streaks leading from your toe. Your doctor might give you antibiotics.
Which antibiotic is best for toe infection?
Penicillin and its derivatives such as ampicillin are the most effective antibiotics in nail infection, especially if caused by biting the nails or sucking the fingers.
How long does it take for a toe infection to go away?
If after 2 to 3 days of antibiotics the toenail doesn’t get better or gets worse, part of the nail may need to be removed to drain the infection. With treatment, it can take 1 to 2 weeks to clear up completely.
What are the symptoms of an infection of the big toe?
Symptoms of an Infection of Big Toe. You may suffer from a big toe infection if you have the following symptoms: Pain or soreness. Redness. A blister that is filled with pus or drainage of pus from the big toe. Thickened, yellow and cracked toenails (from infection by a fungus)
Why does my big toe hurt when I cut it?
An ingrown toenail is a common cause of pain or discomfort in the big toe. It can occur if a person cuts their toenail too short or curves it in too far when cutting it. Wearing tight shoes may aggravate or even cause an ingrown toenail. There are several potential symptoms of an ingrown toenail.
What happens when you get an ingrown toenail on your toe?
Overview. Ingrown toenails are a common condition in which the corner or side of a toenail grows into the soft flesh. The result is pain, redness, swelling and, sometimes, an infection. Ingrown toenails usually affect your big toe.
What should I do if I have an infection in my toe?
Your doctor will examine your toe. You might need tests to find out what type of bacteria or fungus caused the infection. Get regular checkups from your podiatrist if you have diabetes, so you can find infections and other problems early. See the doctor more often if you have any known foot problems, like an ingrown toenail.
