Do’s and Don’ts for Ingrown Toenails

At Goldsmith Podiatry we often find that patients are afraid to come in for an ingrown toenail because of how painful they believe the treatment will be. In reality, the pain of an ingrown toenail is much worse than the treatment. 

Ingrown toenails occur when the nail grows downward and back into the skin surrounding the nail. The condition causes the skin to be red and swollen and incredibly painful. Delaying treatment can also allow an infection to develop as well. 

Our podiatrists, Dr. Howard Goldsmith or Dr. Rosanna Troia, will gently numb the affected toe and then remove the ingrown nail. If this is a recurring problem for you, a procedure can be performed in our New York City office to remove the root of the problem nail to permanently prevent it from re-growing.

Of course, the best scenario is not getting an ingrown toenail in the first place. Below are some Do’s and Don’ts to help prevent or avoid making an affected nail worse:

Do:trim nails properly. They should be cut straight across and not too short so that no skin overlaps the nail itself.

Don’t:file toenails into a rounded shape. The curved edges encourage the growth of the nail back into the skin.

Don’t:wear socks or shoes that are tight in the toe area and force toes to be squished together for long periods of time.

Do:keep feet clean and if you suspect an ingrown toenail is forming, soak the foot in warm water several times a day and try to gently massage the nail out of the skin.

Don’t:resort to “folk remedies” for ingrown toenails. Cutting a notch in the nail, sticking a piece of cotton under the nail or repeatedly trimming the nail border most often results in injury and infection and does not prevent ingrown toenails from forming.

If you have an ingrown nail, we assure you we can relieve the pain you are feeling with a minimal amount of discomfort. Make an appointment today at our New York City office by calling: 212-877-1002. You’ll feel so much better after you come in.