Mythbusting: Does Cutting a “V” Prevent/Cure Ingrown Toenails?
Posted by Apex Foot Health on 1st Nov 2021
Are you prone to ingrown toenails? Ouch! They are quite painful and happen when your toenail turns downward and starts growing into the skin around it.
If you've experienced this before, you might have searched everywhere on how best to cure ingrown toenails. Maybe you've even heard about cutting a 'V' into toenails to prevent ingrown toenails. Don't be fooled.
Read on to see what some myths and facts about curing ingrown toenails are.
Cutting a 'V' into Toenails Does Not Work
When treating ingrown toenails on your own, you might have tried the technique where you cut a 'V' into the toenail to prevent it from curving downward into your skin. But that's just a myth perpetuated by desperate people.
In fact, cutting a 'V' into toenails can actually cause more problems and also is much more painful to boot. Don't do that to yourself!
You might also exacerbate your infected ingrown toenails by cutting that 'V' into them.
What Does Work - Training the Toenail to Grow Out Properly
The best way to deal with your less-severe ingrown toenails is to train the nail to grow out properly by regular packing of the nail sulcus, which is the indentation between the edges of the nail plate and the skin. You can do this by using a cotton wick soaked in alcohol or disinfectant and inserting it into the lateral edge of the infected toenail.
This way you will elevate the toenail and prevent it from digging into the surrounding tissue causing you pain. This will also teach the nail to grow in a particular direction over time. Also, stop wearing footwear that causes pressure on your toes by finding the right fitting shoes.
You can also use antibiotics to fix an infection around an ingrown toenail, but that doesn't actually fix the sharp spike of the nail that caused your skin to be pierced. And thus, the infection might return.
Of course, in severe cases of ingrown toenails, you might have to consider minor surgery where a small portion of the sharp nail is removed and a chemical is used to prevent that area from growing again. The great thing about these surgeries is that they are pretty minor and you can go to work the next day with little or no postoperative pain.
Do not pick at the ingrown toenail or try to cut the sharp nail yourself as it can worsen the problem and create an infection.
Cure Ingrown Toenails with Professional Help
Even though ingrown toenails are a common condition, it doesn't mean that you can't find solace from them. In fact, if you get chronic ingrown toenails, you will want to find a cure even more.
Check out Apex's shoewear collection to find the best fitting shoes for your aching feet. Don't let your feet suffer in silence anymore - cure ingrown toenails today. Get special access to discounts and other bonuses by joining their email list.