Big Boys Gone Bananas!* (E)

Hi there Pam,Thank you for asking. Ingrown and thick tlonaies can be very painful. I unfortunately have had this issue once myself caused by an excessive love of high heels. 1st recommendation is to make sure your foot wear fits properly. That it is comfortable and not binding. We all love sexy shoes, but wearing them only for special occasion is best. Once you do have an ingrown nail the best thing you can do, if not too incredibly painful, is to try to remedy it yourself at home. Soaking your feet in a warm salt water bath (not iodized salt, but sea salt), for 15 to 20 minutes can help to soften up the skin, relieve pain and also swelling. Wear cotton socks rather than nylon as they are more breathable or if possible wear sandals. Taking an over the counter pain reliever such as ibuprofen may also help. Tea Tree oil applied topically daily should help to clear up any infection. Just swab it on with a cotton ball or Q-tip. Here is the part that is the most difficult as I know this can be painful . using a nail file or tweezers pull the skin away from the nail clearing away any excess dead skin and clipping the toe nail to the point where its no longer sharp or jabbing any longer. Stuff small pieces of cotton between the toe and the nail after applying some antibiotic ointment and if you must go out, bandage it up if not leave it open and let the air get to it. Soaking in salt water and a few drops of tea tree oil daily should help significantly. If you see signs of infection redness, swelling, increased pain or even drainage of pus please do go see your podiatrist.As for thick tlonaies thickening or yellowing of the tlonaies is generally a fungal infection. It can be passed from person to person easily and is no reflection whatsoever on your personal hygiene. Once you have it, its a tough thing to treat. You can buy liquid or cream treatments over the counter and there are oral medications, but with those they can have unwanted side effects. Tea tree oil is sometimes effective enough depending on the severity of the condition. Nonyx Nail Gel, recommended by podiatrists, helps break down and clean out the dark or yellowing keratin debris that can build up under nails. Nonyx, an all-natural ethanoic acid gel, takes a two-pronged approach to restoring unsightly thickened nails, penetrating the nail plate while lowering pH levels to establish a hygienic environment for new nail growth.We wish you the best of luck and hope this has helped to answer your question. and once your nails are healed (we do not recommend using this until then, but once they are this product will keep them in tip top shape!)Sincerely,HCBL

Solid, engaging David v Goliath stuff, well worth catching.