How to Clip Your Toenails So You Don't Get Ingrown Toenails

Ingrown toenails are a fairly common and treatable medical condition that happens when the edge grows into the surrounding skin. The two top causes are wearing shoes that don't fit and improper nail trimming, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine's Medline Plus. You can treat an ingrown toenail at home with proper cleaning, soaking in warm water and gentle massaging. More severe ingrown nails should be treated by a doctor and the worst cases may require surgery, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. To help prevent ingrown toenails, you must trim the nails properly.

Things You'll Need

• Toenail clippers
• Soap
• Water

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Instructions

• 1

  Prepare your toenails and clippers for trimming by cleaning with warm, soapy water. For tougher nails, soak your feet in warm water for a few minutes before trimming nails.

• 2

  Starting from the outside edge, snug the clippers between the nail and skin above -- where the skin and nail meet.

• 3

  Trim each nail straight across the top. Take extra care in the corners of each nail, especially on the big toe -- where several snips may be needed to trim the entire nail -- so that nails do not taper at the edges. Start with your little toe, which has the smallest nail, and work toward larger toes, which may have tougher nails.

• 4

  Take care not to trim nails too short. The nail should be no shorter than the edge of your toe.

• 5

  After trimming your nails, try to keep your feet clean and dry. This helps prevent infection, if a toenail does become ingrown.