Do’s and Don’ts for Dealing with Ingrown Toenails

What’s red, swollen, extremely painful and grows into the skin around your toe? An ingrown toenail, and at NY Foot Health, we know that anyone who has had one does not want to have it happen again. Below are some do’s and don’ts for preventing this common podiatric condition.

Don’t: wear shoes with narrow toe boxes that squeeze toes together. This will encourage the nails to press into the skin and make an ingrown nail more likely.

Don’t: cut nails too short. Always file them straight across with no rounded edges.

Do: see the podiatrist as soon as possible if you suspect you have an ingrown nail and you have diabetes, peripheral vascular disease or another condition that impedes your circulation. It is very important that the foot doctor remove the nail before a wound or infection develops. If you don’t currently have a podiatrist, use our online directory to help you locate a qualified one in your community.

Don’t: try any “folk remedies” such as cutting a notch in the toenail or putting a piece of cotton under the nail. These methods (and others like them) don’t work and, in fact, often result in injury or infection.

Do: know your family medical history. For some patients, the tendency for ingrown toenails is inherited. This condition can also occur as the result of a toe deformity such as a bunion or after a trauma or injury to the nail.

Don’t: wait to seek care for an ingrown toenail. The pain will only get worse and you risk an infection in the toe once the nail penetrates the skin. The podiatrist can gently numb the toe and then remove the corner of the nail that has grown inward.

Don’t: be surprised if an ingrown toenail happens again. Some people have chronic ingrown toenails. If you have one nail that is repeatedly affected, the foot doctor can perform a simple, in-office procedure to remove all or part of the nail root. This will permanently fix the problem by preventing the part of the nail that keeps becoming ingrown from growing back.

Do: contact us and subscribe to our free e-newsletter to learn more about common podiatric disorders and what to about them.