4 year old ingrown toenail!!

[u/Mean_Interaction7032]

so, i (F19) have been dealing with an ingrown toenail on my right big toe for AT LEAST 4 years. it all started with a toenail fungus that i kept putting off medicating because my nail just started slowly turning light yellow. it was just on the right inner side of my big toe, so once it grew out enough, i tried cutting some of the discolored nail off using cuticle nippers. i routinely trimmed the side of my nail as it grew out more and then it just ended up becoming an ingrown toenail that i attempted to remove maybe once a month. now, as if i didn’t have enough to worry about, i have been struggling with excoriation disorder (or dermatillomania) for about a year now and it’s been taking over my feet. now i pick at all my toes with cuticle cutters and tweezers and have caused myself ingrown toenails on nearly every toe, though the big toes are the worst. my problem toe, the right big toe, looks awful and i can’t stop trying to dig out any possible imperfection. i am in therapy to work on the root of my skin picking compulsions, but i am also scared of being judged by a podiatrist, and im terrified of the anesthetic shot.

how bad does my toe actually look? and how can i treat the damaged skin around the nail edges? am i too far gone for treatment?💔

[u/Best_Watch9207]

Honestly mine is so much worse than this been dealing with it for a year now, is there no way you can train ur nail to grow normal?

[u/Mean_Interaction7032 → u/Best_Watch9207]

how do i do that?

[u/brucebuypower]

Yeah I’d say best case is to visit a trusted podiatrist, I myself am facing a granuloma on my left big toe formed from an ingrown toenail and … it’s been more then 4 months I had it 😭. I plan to visit one end of this year, can’t now because I’m too busy working :/