Dr Luisa Dillner's guide to . . . cutting toenails

Straight or round? Scissors or clipper?

There's no debate about how to cut your toenails – it's straight across, so they're slightly square, and not too short. If you prefer rounded nails, be warned that they're a disaster waiting to happen. At the Institute of Chiropodists and Podiatrists, Fred Beaumont says that cutting toenails so they're curved encourages them to grow inward. "It's the most common mistake people make," he says.

✤. The penalty for not cutting your toenails properly is high. Ingrowing toenails hurt, are hard to treat and have a habit of coming back. When a nail starts ingrowing, the side of it cuts into the skin which becomes tender and can get infected. People usually make things worse by attempting DIY surgery with sharp scissors but you could end up with a nasty osteomyelitis (bone infection). If you think your toenail is ingrowing, see your GP or a chiropodist.

✤. We're talking mostly big toe although any toe can (in theory) be affected. There's an increased risk of ingrowing toenails if you're born with involuted nails that naturally curve into the toe, if you wear tight shoes (most people), if you have a fungal infection on your toe and/or if you wear polyester socks (sweaty).

✤. Beaumont says that we don't look after our feet properly. Our feet, he argues, are usually out of sight, out of mind, which is a shame as the best thing for them is to let them roam freely without socks and shoes. Ingrowing toenails, said a research paper in the British Medical Journal in the 1960s, are a problem only of civilised societies.

✤. If you have poor eyesight or are so pregnant you can't see your feet, get someone else to cut your toenails. People with diabetes have to be especially careful as they're more at risk from a careless nick in the skin around the toenail getting infected.

✤. In the nail scissors versus clipper debate, the latter win hands down. Scissors are more likely to twist and rip nails and make them jagged. There's no advantage to soaking toenails before cutting them as wet nails are prone to tearing. Likewise there's no point in moisturising your toenails. It will have the same effect as moisturising a rhino's horn. Nail polish is optional.

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