We have all made the painful mistake of trimming our nails too short at some point in our lives. Sometimes, this can really affect our foot health by causing ingrown toenails.
Ingrowing nail borders develop when the nail starts to cut into the skin as the nail is growing out. Ingrown toenails are most common on the sides of the big toe. They can also be caused by shoe pressure, injury, nail deformities and toe/foot deformities.
Making sure not to tear the ingrowing border out is the best way to prevent worsening of the ingrowing nail. Also rounding out the edges of the nail when trimming your nails can help prevent the nail from becoming ingrown. When trimming a nail straight across, there is a sharp point left at each corner of the nail that can make you more susceptible to developing an ingrowing nail. Debridement of the ingrowing nail by a medical professional is sometimes required. There are permanent treatments available for recurrent ingrowing nails/nail borders.