Home > Blog > 5 Things Not to Do for Ingrown Toenails

What not to do with Ingrown ToenailsCollingwood is a great place to live. We even have a special day to encourage us to treat each other well! Friday, November 7 is Random Act of Kindness Day. Celebrate the niceties of life by doing a simple act of kindness for a neighbor, friend, family member, co-worker, or even a total stranger—and encourage them to pay it forward. While you are being nice to everyone else, be nice to yourself by avoiding these actions that can hurt rather than help your ingrown toenails.

Don’t –

  • Cut your toenails too short, cut a notch in the nail, or trim off the corners. When nails are trimmed too closely, the skin pushes over them more easily when any pressure is applied to your toes. The nail can puncture the skin, increasing your risk for infection.
  • Wear tight shoes or high heels. Anything that pinches your toes together or shoves them forward into the front of the shoe causes friction and pressure that can make your toenail worse.
  • Buy expensive treatments for ingrown nails from the store. They may work to mask the pain for a little while, but do nothing to correct the underlying problem.
  • Treat ingrown nails yourself if you have diabetes. Complications of this disease often make you less able to feel pain and slower to heal when cuts occur. You could easily hurt your toe and it could become infected. It is best to let us deal with your damaged nail.
  • Ignore it and hope it goes away! You don’t want infection to set in.

For expert help with ingrown toenails or any other foot concern you may have, call Abbott Foot & Ankle Clinic at (705) 444-9929. We have provided great foot care in the Owen Sound, Collingwood, and Barrie region since 1995, and are committed to finding the best remedy for your foot problem. You can set up an appointment online by using the “Contact Us” tab on our website. For informative tidbits of foot care news, keep in touch by following us on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, and Pinterest.