Friday, February 17th 2017
Christine Angela
Writing A

Dangers of Clipping Toe Nails

Cutting your toe nails is important for many reasons. It keeps your feet looking more attractive, it lessens the chances of bacteria and dirt getting caught underneath, and it means you toenails are less likely to catch on things and tear or break. However like almost anything it is still possible to have too much of a good thing, and over cutting your toe nails can cause a range of problems.

Of course the risk that will first come into most people's minds is that of ingrown toenails. These are nails that have, through being poorly cut, begun to grow into the skin of the toe. This is a highly painful process and one that can be enough to prevent a patient from walking. At the same time, the sharp nail constantly pushing into the skin will leave it with a constant open wound that is also susceptible to infection. Should you get an ingrown toenail you will need to get medical help and they will perform surgery to remove it.

To avoid ingrown toenails you should not only be sure to avoid cutting your nails too short, but should also try to ensure you cut the toenails straight across rather than in too rounded or too jagged a pattern. If you do find that part of your nail is jutting out at an awkward angle, then you should just ensure to keep pushing the skin down to try and avoid the nail growing into it. Once it gets long enough you can then cut it. Meanwhile treat the area with antiseptic to prevent it becoming infected.
To ensure you cut your nails correctly you can use clippers as opposed to scissors which makes it harder to accidentally cut too far. At the same time you should aim to cut only the white part of the nail that extends past the nail bed and not the more pink-coloured nail below it.