Preventing Ingrown Toenails in Children

There are several foot conditions that can be prevented with a few small steps. Dr. William Buffone of North Fork Podiatry/Three Village Podiatry provides effective care to relieve painful symptoms - like those caused by ingrown toenails - and get patients back to their favorite activities as quickly as possible. But he prefers to help his patients – especially children - avoid pain in the first place!

When a toenail is ingrown, it can lead to swelling, pain, and tenderness for your child. Luckily, there are ingrown toenail prevention measures you can take.

Children are quite vulnerable to ingrown toenails which can be blamed on their growing feet. And because children’s feet grow so fast, shoes can become tight rather quickly. When your child’s shoes are too tight, their toes are crowded in the front, which creates the opportunity and elevated risk that this common toenail problem will develop.

Another cause of ingrown nails is incorrect toenail trimming. If you trim your child’s nails too short or make them round, it elevates the chance of the nails getting ingrown.

There is good news though! These simple ingrown toenail prevention tips can help reduce the risk of ingrown toenails for your child:

Purchase shoes that fit properly. As mentioned earlier, the issue with footwear that is too small is that it crowds the toes together in the front, which can cause the nails to grow into the surrounding flesh. Always ensure that your children are wearing shoes with sufficient room in the front. If they cannot wiggle their toes, it’s time to choose another pair.

Trim their toenails the right way. Many cases of ingrown toenails are the result of incorrect nail trimming. You can prevent this by clipping your child’s nails straight across – not rounded and not too short. It’s best to keep them just about even with the edge of their toes.

There are ingrown toenail issues that result from an inherited nail structure. In these cases, there isn’t much you can do to avoid an ingrown nail, except to maintain their nails and make sure all toenails are clipped to the correct length.

If you have any questions about preventing ingrown toenails for children, or your son or daughter needs professional foot care, contact the office of Dr. William Buffone of North Fork Podiatry/Three Village Podiatry today to schedule a consultation or to get fitted for your custom orthotics.

You can reach Three Village Podiatry at (631) 474-3338, North Fork Podiatry (Southold) at (631) 765-6777 or North Fork Podiatry (Riverhead) at (631) 419-7107 today or schedule your appointment online.