“Ingrown toenails can be caused by tight shoes, improper nail trimming, and genetics,” says podiatrist Greg Cohen, DPM, FACFAS. Tight shoes may mean pointy-toed heels to running shoes, so always be sure that your shoes fit properly. Improper nail trimming usually means that you are cutting too short (which allows for more opportunity for the nail to grow into the skin), as well as cutting it at an angle or rounded. You may be tempted to give your mani playful shape, but keep your toes basic and straight across. Podiatrist Michael Galoyan, DPM, agrees: “Cutting your nails incorrectly is by far the most likely reason—around 80%. One reason is people cut their toenails too short and when it grows back the edges press against the growing nail and cause the ingrown. The second reason is people who may not necessarily cut the nails too short but tend to round off the edges because the sides may feel more brittle or yellow.” And finally, given that the annoying condition can be an inherited one, it may not be anything you’ve done wrong: Some people just get them more regularly. “Often it is a combination of all three,” Cohen adds. In any case, it’s best to start remedying the situation right when you suspect you have one or are developing one—as is the case with most things, prevention is easier than treatment: Another thing to consider: If one foot tends to get the ingrowns with more regularity, perhaps that foot is the larger of the two. It’s very common to have slightly different-size feet, but as we purchase shoes in a singular size that may leave one foot slightly more compressed than the other. It’s perhaps an annoying fix, but try getting your shoes in two different sizes and order from stores that allow size variations. Finally, you can get protective inserts or toe separators to help. “[You can use] toe protectors to help separate the toe from hitting the shoes on one side and the adjacent digits on the other side,” says Galoyan. Nadine Abramcyk, owner of New York City–based clean nail salon tenoverten, agrees: “When you overcut the nail at the edges, so they curve down instead of being straight across, you create the opportunity for the nail to grow into the skin.”
