In short
Nobody is really taught this. Most people cut their nails the way a parent did it, and that works perfectly well for forty years until eyesight, reach or the nails themselves start to change.
The method
- Cut after a bath or shower, when the nail is softer and less likely to split.
- Cut straight across rather than curving down at the corners.
- Leave the nail level with the end of the toe. Shorter is not tidier, it just exposes the skin at the tip to pressure.
- File the corners smooth rather than cutting them back, so nothing catches in a sock.
- Use nail nippers rather than scissors. They are easier to control and far less likely to tear the nail.
The three things that cause trouble
Cutting down the sides. Digging into the corner to get at a bit that feels sharp is how most ingrowing nails begin. It leaves a spike behind, and the spike is what grows into the skin a few weeks later.
Cutting too short. The nail protects the end of the toe. Take it back beyond the fingertip and the skin underneath takes the pressure instead, which is uncomfortable and can build hard skin.
Forcing clippers through a thick nail. Household clippers crush a thickened nail rather than cutting it, and it often splits further back than you intended.
When to stop doing it yourself
There is no shame in this and it is not a sign of anything, other than that bodies change. It is worth handing over when:
- you cannot see your feet clearly enough to be confident where the clippers are;
- bending or reaching has become uncomfortable;
- the nails have thickened to the point where ordinary clippers will not go through;
- somebody at home has been doing it for you and is finding it hard going.
Most of the people we see for nail cutting used to manage perfectly well. Something changed, and that is the whole story.
If you have diabetes, or take a blood thinner
Both change the calculation. A small nick matters more when healing is slower or bleeding takes longer to stop, and reduced feeling means you may not notice a problem until it is well established. If either applies to you, it is worth having your nails done by somebody registered rather than managing them at home.
When to get a nail looked at
Ring rather than wait if the skin beside a nail is red, swollen or tender, if there is fluid or a smell, or if a toe is throbbing. Those point at an ingrowing toenail that has become infected, and it is far easier to sort out early.
