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

At Goldsmith Podiatry, one of the most painful conditions Manhattan patients bring to us is an ingrown toenail. In fact, in many cases, the pain and tenderness are so severe patients are afraid to get the toe treated because it hurts too much to touch. In nearly every case, however, they leave feeling much better than when they came in. It’s hard to believe something as small as a toenail can cause such a big problem. However, when a nail starts to grow into the skin surrounding the nail bed and punctures the skin, it quickly becomes a condition that’s too uncomfortable to ignore. Below are some tips for taking care of and, even more importantly, avoiding ingrown toenails.

Do: practice good nail care. You should trim your toenails regularly. Cut nails straight across and do not curve the edges with clippers or an emery board. Avoid cutting nails too short so they are naturally more inclined to grow into the skin.

Don’t: wear socks or shoes that are too tight. When forcing toes up against each other for long periods, it increases the likelihood of a toenail becoming ingrown.

Do: soak the affected toe in warm, soapy water several times a day at the first sign of pain. After soaking, try to massage the nail out of the skin gently. The longer you wait to deal with an ingrown toenail, the worse it will get.

Don’t: attempt to cut the nail out with a sharp instrument. It often ends in injury to the toe and a greater chance of infection developing. It is particularly important to avoid if you have diabetes.

Don’t: try folk remedies to deal with an ingrown nail. Cutting a notch out of the nail or sticking a piece of cotton under the nail are surefire ways to harm your toe. If a nail does not seem to be improving, contact our Upper West Side NYC office by calling (212) 877-1002 and let our podiatrists, Dr. Howard Goldsmith and Dr. Rosanna Troia treat you. The foot doctor will gently numb the toe and remove the ingrown portion.