Cutting your fingernails and toenails is a self-care practice usually taught in your childhood. While this task may seem hard to mess up, there is definitely a right and wrong way to do it. Cutting your nails in the correct way can be beneficial in multiple ways. For one, the practices you follow while cutting your nails can help avoid and treat certain types of painful and irritating nail conditions.
One condition that can sometimes be attributed to nail cutting practices is toenail fungus. Since fungus is very contagious, sharing nail trimmers with other people opens up your nail to infection. The fungus can harbor itself on the surface of the nail trimmer and use it as a way to infect new people. To avoid this contamination, have your own personal nail trimmer that you don’t share with anybody else.
The main condition that can be avoided by cutting your nails properly is an ingrown toenail. Since ingrown toenails are caused by the nail growing into the side of the skin, the nail must be trimmed in a way to avoid this direction of growth. Because the toenails are constantly pressurized by the shoe while walking and moving, toenails must also be cut differently than fingernails. The best way to cut toenails to avoid ingrown toenails is to cut them straight across. Toenails should also be trimmed to a moderate length, and not cut too short. Cutting your toenails straight across with a slight curve at the end to avoid jagged corners will help avoid the nail growing into the side of the toe.
If you have an ingrown toenail, the best thing to do is be seen by a licensed podiatrist. They will be able to diagnose your condition and provide effective treatment for the ingrown. To schedule a consultation with a podiatrist, give us a call at (424)-299-4627 or visit our website for more information.