How to cut your Toenails
When it comes to cutting your toenails, there are six steps to cutting them properly and preventing painful ingrown toenails. Here are the things you should consider when cutting your toenails:
nail clippers: The first step would be to choose the best cutting tool. Nail clippers or manicure scissors would be your best option. We advise having two nail clippers - one for your fingernails and one for your toenails. For toenails, we would recommend a larger clipper since a toe nail is broader and thicker. After usage, we also recommend cleaning your nail clippers thoroughly to avoid bacteria or fungus buildup.
cut frequency: Since most toenails grow approximately 2mm a month, we recommend cutting your toenails once every 6-8 weeks. However, if you are an active person or an athlete, we would recommend cutting your nails more often.
When to cut your nails: There are some who believe that it is better to cut your toenails dry and while others believe toenails are easier when it’s wet. In most cases, we recommend cutting your toenails when they’re dry as dry toenails are less likely to bend or tear and will be a much cleaner cut.
time between toenail cutting: This is an important step because cutting your toenails too short could lead to ingrown toenails. However, leaving your toenails too long can most likely lead to tear. We recommend keeping your toenail length around 1-2mm (0.04-0.08 inches).
The type of cutting: To avoid ingrown toenails, we recommend cutting your toenails straight across.
Filing: when filing your toenail, we recommend an emery board to smooth out any rough edges that could potentially attach and tear as the nail grows out.
Cutting your toenails seems like a simple task, but, if done wrong, can lead to long-term foot health issues. Should you have any questions, please contact our team here to set up an appointment online, by email at info@riverpodiatry.com or by phone at (845) 735-8440.
