Prevention Tips for Ingrown Toenails

In the case of ingrown toe nails, prevention is better than cure. Here are a few tips at preventing ingrown toenails.

  • Wearing the right shoes. Shoes that don’t rub on the side of your toe or squish them too close together are important to prevent pinching of the skin at the side of the nail. This doesn’t mean you have to wear unattractive shoes, it just means that you should chose shoes that won’t put any unnecessary forces on your toes.
  • Buffing down the thickness onthickened (gryphotic) toe nails. This will reduce pressure on the surrounding skin as well as prevent all sorts of nail nasty’s that can occur in thickened nails.
  • Proper nail cutting techniques- cutting straight across and not digging down the sides, make sure edges are gently rounded off so that no spikes exist down the sides.
  • Wearing toe protectors with shoes that probably shouldn’t be worn from your “Sometimes Shoes” collection. There a many different toe protectors and spreaders that can be used to offload the nail edge so that there is no pressure on the area to cause problems.

Regular visits to your Podiatrist can manage and prevent toenails, alleviate pain and help keep you on your feet and mobile.