If you thought you’d seen it all after watching a few pimple popping and ingrown hair videos, just wait until you discover the next level of totally disgusting yet oddly satisfying grotesqueness: ingrown toenail removal videos.
Yes, you read that right. People actually film themselves removing their ingrown toenails at home — and yes, it’s just as disgusting as you might think. So if you’ve maxed out on Dr. Pimple Popper’s videos and are looking for the next gross trend, you’ve just stumbled upon it.
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As disturbingly satisfying as it may be to watch these videos, experts warn against trying to extract your own ingrown toenail at home.
Melissa Lockwood, D.P.M., a podiatrist at Heartland Foot and Ankle Associates in Bloomington, Ill., says to steer clear of picking at an ingrown toenail because it could get infected. If it’s causing you pain, stick your foot in warm water with Epsom salts for ten minutes and then gently try to pull the skin away from the nail.
“Oftentimes what happens is the skin is taking over the nail area,” she told Women’s Health. That may do the trick, but it might not.
If the Epsom salt trick didn’t work or if you notice pus (which could signal a bacterial infection), head to a podiatrist’s office. There, the doctor will numb your toe and use small instruments to loosen up the nail’s edge before cutting it down to the nail root.
“It’s almost impossible to do this at home without a lot of pain,” Lockwood said.
Photo Credit: YouTube / IngrownLife
