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Six Keys to Preventing and Treating Ingrown Toenails

Many people are bringing out their sandals and open-toed shoes with the arrival of spring and its warm weather. After bracing through a cold winter, however, the feet may be suffering from a case of ingrown toenails.

Six keys, however, can help prevent and ease the pain: being careful with your cuticles, wearing the right shoe shape, clipping nails with caution, giving your feet space, soaking the toes, and cleaning and treating the affected nails.

Avoid tight-fitting shoes that will squish the toes, and allow already ingrown toenails to soak in iodine and warm water before applying an antibiotic cream and covering with a bandage or bandaid.

Ingrown toenails can be an easy fix if treated properly. If you are suffering from an ingrown toenail, contact one of our podiatrists from Foot Health Podiatry. Our doctors will treat your foot and ankle needs.

Ingrown Toenails

Ingrown toenails occur when a toenail grows sideways into the bed of the nail, causing pain, swelling, and possibly infection.

Causes

  • Bacterial infections
  • Improper nail cutting such cutting it too short or not straight across
  • Trauma to the toe, such as stubbing, which causes the nail to grow back irregularly
  • Ill-fitting shoes that bunch the toes too close together
  • Genetic predisposition

Prevention

Because ingrown toenails are not something found outside of shoe-wearing cultures, going barefoot as often as possible will decrease the likeliness of developing ingrown toenails. Wearing proper fitting shoes and using proper cutting techniques will also help decrease your risk of developing ingrown toenails.

Treatment

Ingrown toenails are a very treatable foot condition. In minor cases, soaking the affected area in salt or antibacterial soaps will not only help with the ingrown nail itself, but also help prevent any infections from occurring. In more severe cases, surgery is an option. In either case, speaking to your podiatrist about this condition will help you get a better understanding of specific treatment options that are right for you.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact our office located in New York, NY. We offer the newest diagnostic and treatment technologies for all your foot care needs.

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