By Do I have to learn how to cut toenails? The concept of a toenail-trimming guide may seem crazy to some individuals. Everyone naturally learns this on their own, don’t they?
However, this does not mean your default toenail-clipping method is correct. You might be surprised to hear that patients frequently need to see us for recurrent ingrown toenails and other painful issues due to their toenail clipping technique! So it’s really important to learn how to cut your toenails to avoid ingrown or they are cul inwards.
It’s never too late to pick up some new toenail-trimming techniques. In this article we provide detailed guidance on how to cut toenails to prevent ingrown, along with a list of suggested instruments.
Understanding Ingrown toenails & Their Causes
Although any nail can become ingrown, the big toenail is the most commonly affected. Ingrown nails can occur due to various factors.
- The toe’s skin develops over the actual nail.
- The nail grows into the surrounding skin.
Incorrect nail trimming typically triggers both conditions, which are characterized by a hard, painful, red swelling at the nail’s corner. These can cause fungal or bacterial infections if untreated.
Typically, bacterial infections release pus and occasionally blood. Toenails with fungal infections are thick, brittle, discolored, and stinking. Also, they need special tools for trimming. Keep reading the article, as we have covered the topic of how to cut thick toenails including those infected with fungus.
Diabetes can exacerbate the negative effects of an ingrown toenail by reducing blood flow to the foot and causing nerve damage that impairs sensation. Even a minor cut might result in an infectious ulcer.
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How to Cut Toenails to Prevent Ingrown
Are you considering how to cut toenails to avoid ingrown nails? This painful podiatric disorder puts your toes at risk for infection. It may surprise you to hear that proper nail cutting can prevent ingrown toenails.
From selecting the right nail clipping tools to cutting and filling your toenails, follow the steps below to learn about and understand how to cut toenails properly.
1. Select the Right Tools to Cut Your Toenails
Using the correct nail-cutting tool is the first step. You may use manicure scissors or nail cutters. Avoid using non-nail-cutting instruments such as regular scissors or knives.
The most frequent toenail trimming mistake is cutting your toenails with fingernail clippers. For your fingernails, use a nail clipper or nail scissors; for your toenails, use a toenail clipper. Your toenails need a bigger clipper since they are thicker and wider. To manage the larger nails on your toes, invest in a decent pair of toenail clippers.
Select clippers that are sharp and slightly curved to fit your toenails’ shape. Ingrown toenails are more likely to occur when dull clippers rip the nail, creating rough edges. Also, think about keeping a nail file close at hand. You may notice some sharp corners or edges after trimming. Gently filing these regions can achieve a smooth finish and reduce the chance of the nail growing into the surrounding skin.
Additionally, using different nail cutters for your fingernails and toes reduces the possibility of infection or fungus spreading from your hands to your feet. After every usage, make sure to give your clippers a thorough cleaning.
Note: Don’t forget to clean your tools once a month. Use a tiny scrub brush to clean your nail clippers or nail scissors after soaking them in a solution of 70–90% isopropyl alcohol to disinfect them. Before keeping the tools, rinse them in hot water and make sure they are totally dry.
2. Toenail Cutting Frequency
The second step to knowing how to cut your toenails involves the frequency of cutting. Cutting your toenails regularly every 6 to 8 weeks will be the best since most people’s toenails grow approximately 2 millimeters (0.08 inches) per month. However, if you are an athlete or very active person, especially a runner, you will likely feel better at ease if you cut them more often.
3. Cutting Wet or Dry Toenails
The third stage involves answering the frequently asked question, “Should I cut the nails before or after I shower?” Frequently, the response is “before.” Because dry toenails are less prone to bend or tear, cutting them will provide a smoother cut. However, cutting will be simpler for those with really white thick toenails after taking a shower.
4. Maintaining the Perfect Toenail Length
Don’t cut your toenails too short! Choosing how to cut toenails to prevent ingrown with respects to the toenail length is the fourth stage. Cutting your toenails too short increases your chances of developing ingrown toenails, so this is crucial. Long toenails rip more easily if they become stuck.
Never completely remove the white patch at the tips of your nails. If you don’t leave at least a tiny “slice” of the white patch in place, you are cutting your nails much too short and run the risk of causing severe damage to your nail bed.
The ideal range is between 1 and 2 millimeters (0.04 and 0.08 inches) of white; this is just enough to prevent a deep cut without going over the toes and running the risk of tearing or catching the nails.
5. Cut your Toenails Straight Across
The sixth stage involves making the actual cut. This is likely the point at which any debate about how to cut toenails will end. Should you cut your toenails straight across or with a curved shape at the corners?
Trim your toenails straight across to prevent painful ingrown toenails. Your toenails will grow forward as they should with a straight trim. Instead, curved edges give your nails a greater chance to grow into your skin.
Many find that this happens most effectively in two cuts: the first, where the clippers are positioned slightly off the side of the nail to form a straight edge, and the second, when the remainder of the nail is removed in accordance with the line of the straight cut.
If the corners of your nails are bothering you or catching on your socks, gently file them down instead of cutting them off. In this area, a slight degree of roundness is considered acceptable.
6. Filing Your Toenails
The sixth and last step on how to cut your toenails is to file your nails with an emery board to remove any sharp edges that might cause a snag or rip the nail as it develops.
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Understand & Learn How to Cut Thick Toenails
What Causes Thick Toenails?
Before knowing the exact process of how to cut thick toenails, it is better to know that the most frequent reason for thicker toenails is age. Toenails thicken with age when the nail plate’s development rate decreases. Several factors can lead to the thickening of toenails:
- Psoriasis is a common skin disorder. It leads to a rapid buildup of cells on the skin’s surface.
- Injury or trauma to the toes.
- Shoes that fit tight
- fungus-related illnesses, such as onychomycosis
Note: Onychomycosis, a fungal nail infection, often leads to thicker toenails.
How to Cut Thick Toenails:
To discover how to cut toenails properly if they are thick, follow these steps:
- Soak your feet in warm water for at least ten minutes to soften your nails. Then, use a towel to completely dry your feet and toenails.
- Make straight cuts across the nail using a nail clipper, taking care not to damage it. Avoid rounding off the edges of the nail to reduce the likelihood of an ingrown one.
- To smooth off any snag-prone corners and edges, use an emery board.
Note: Consult your doctor for advice if your thicker toenails hurt or if you don’t think you can safely clip them without assistance.
How to Cut Toenails with Fungus
The process on how to cut thick toenails is similar to cutting toenails with foot fungus. Your nails will continue to grow thicker if the fungus is not treated, and they may reach a point where further measures are necessary, such as:
- Standard toenail clippers may not be able to cut all the way through, and medical-grade clippers may fall off the nail and harm the skin underneath.
- Extend the time for a foot soak in warm water (20 or 30 minutes).
- Regularly clean clippers with diluted bleach or alcohol after each use.
Note: Schedule a visit with your physician or podiatrist if you believe you have a fungal infection.
Common Mistakes & Solutions When Cut Your Toenails
People frequently make the following mistakes, and this article explains how to cut toenails properly to avoid these mistakes.
Use of Wrong Tool
You run the danger of injuring yourself if you attempt to trim your nails with ordinary cutting scissors or even blades. Manicure scissors or specialized nail cutters are the right instruments. You should have two pairs: one for your fingers, which should be smaller, and another for your toes, which should be thicker and broader.
Avoid Clipping Nails While Wet
Nail trimming is more fun after a bath or shower because your nails are softer. You risk injury by trimming your nails, which may flex or tear. To guarantee a perfect cut, you should cut your toenails when they are dry, unless they are thick and softened in the bath.
Do you clip your nails too long or too short?
Many people either drastically trim their nails to reduce their frequency or leave them long for aesthetic reasons. The problem is that long nails can catch on your shoe or sock and cause discomfort, while short nails can cause an ingrown toenail. You should know how to cut toenails and leave your nails between one and two millimeters (0.04 and 0.08 of an inch) above the point where they join the toe.
Avoid Curving the Edges
Many people believe that rounding the edges of your nails makes them look prettier or prevents damage, but doing so increases your risk of developing ingrown toenails.
Avoid Trimming the Cuticles
Cutting or pushing back the cuticles may seem like a way to improve the appearance of your nail, but it’s extremely dangerous to the health of your foot. Because the cuticles shield the nail root, cutting or trimming them makes it simpler for germs and fungus to enter the body. It might take a while for nail infections to go away.
Don’t Forget to Moisturize Your Toenails
Why not moisturize your nails, just as you do your hands and feet? After trimming your nails, moisturize to maintain their suppleness. Because dry nails break easier and might result in a cut or tear, this is especially crucial when the air is dry.
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When Should You Consult a Doctor About Your Toenails?
- In most cases, thicker toenails don’t require medical attention. However, contact your doctor if they thicken or hurt.
- Additionally, if you don’t think you can properly trim your toenails on your own, schedule a visit with a doctor.
- If the appearance of thicker toenails worries you, consult with a healthcare professional about possible ways to treat them.
- You need to see a podiatrist for medical treatment if you discover that your toenails have fungal diseases, such as onychomycosis.
In Summary
Although how to cut toenails may seem like a straightforward procedure, doing it incorrectly can lead to painful ingrown toenails, skin cuts, or the development of fungus.
Cutting your toenails correctly requires using the right tools, cleaning them well in between usage, and cutting straight across the nail. Take extra caution while cutting your toenails if you have toe fungus or particularly thick toenails.
In many cases, you may need to visit a doctor or podiatrist to seek help on how to cut toenails that curl inward.
