Why You Should Never Cut Ingrown Toenails Without Your Doctor

Your feet are hard at work daily, supporting your body. So, it’s no wonder that foot problems are common. These problems often affect the structural bones, joints, or muscles. Other issues are located near the skin's surface, like ingrown toenails, which can be a mild annoyance or lead to painful infections.

Managing problems with ingrown toenails, especially when cutting them, should be done under the watchful eye of a professional.  Read on to learn how to manage ingrown toenails and when to schedule an appointment with our team.

Dr. Andrew Harrison and our dedicated team in the Lower Pacific Heights area of San Francisco and San Jose, California, can treat ingrown toenails and other foot conditions.

Facts about ingrown toenails

One reason you have toenails is to protect against infection. Unfortunately, when they become ingrown, the risk of infection rises. 

An ingrown toenail usually happens on the side or the corner of your big toe. It’s caused by several issues, like wearing shoes that crowd the toes, toe injuries, curved toenails, nail infections, and some medical problems. 

Whatever the cause, the result is symptoms like: 

• Inflamed skin 
• Tenderness 
• Pain 
• Redness 
• Infection 

Complications are not generally severe unless you have diabetes, which damages nerves and blood flow and makes healing much slower.

The wrong way to cut them

How you cut your toenails significantly affects your risk of an ingrown toenail. For example, if you cut them too short or make them too rounded, they are likely to grow into the skin.

Proper cutting methods

When cutting the nail, use clippers to cut straight across, leaving enough so you can get under it with your fingernail. Leave around two millimeters at the white nail end, and keep it disinfected at all times. If you ever experience severe pain, see symptoms like pus, infection, bleeding, pain, and redness, or if you have other foot infections, see us as soon as possible.

We have several ways of treating ingrown toenails, including: 

• Antibiotics 
• Placing a splint under the nail 
• Trimming away the affected part

In severe cases, we might suggest surgically removing the nail. This option is reserved for ingrown toenails that don’t respond to any of our more conservative treatments. It’s also sometimes suggested for people with diabetes who have an increased risk of foot infections. 

Don’t struggle with ingrown toenails or other foot problems alone because you risk worsening the situation. Make an appointment with Dr. Harrison and his staff today to get treatment.