There are four main reasons toenails are more prone to becoming ingrown.
1. Pressure from footwear
Your toes are often squeezed inside shoes. If your shoes are too narrow or your socks are tight, they can push the skin against the edges of your toenails. Over time, the nail edge may penetrate the surrounding skin.
2. The shape of toenails
Toenails, particularly those on the big toes, can have a naturally curved shape. If the sides curve down into the skin, the risk of an ingrown nail increases.
3. Walking and body weight
Every time you walk, your toes experience pressure and friction. Your big toes bear a considerable amount of force as you push off the ground. This can aggravate a nail edge that is already pressing into the skin.
4. Cutting your nails incorrectly
Cutting toenails too short or rounding their corners can leave a sharp nail edge that grows into the surrounding skin instead of growing straight out.
✋ Why fingernails usually don't become ingrown
Less confinement: Your fingers usually aren't squeezed inside tight footwear.
Less weight-bearing pressure: Your fingers don't support your body weight or experience the same repetitive forces as your toes.
More frequent use and observation: You use your hands constantly, so you may notice a sharp or uncomfortable nail edge and trim it before it becomes a problem.
Different nail care: Fingernails are often filed or trimmed more frequently, reducing the chance of a sharp edge becoming embedded in the skin.
However, fingernails can become ingrown, particularly if they're cut too short, bitten, torn, or injured. An ingrown fingernail can cause pain, redness and swelling just like an ingrown toenail.
🔬 The surprising part
Your toenails and fingernails grow through essentially the same biological process. The nail itself doesn't deliberately grow sideways into your skin. Instead, the nail edge presses into or penetrates the surrounding skin as the nail grows, causing inflammation and sometimes infection.
To help prevent ingrown toenails, cut them relatively straight across, avoid cutting them too short, and wear shoes with enough room for your toes.
If a toe becomes increasingly painful, swollen, warm or starts producing pus, have it assessed by a health professional rather than digging into the nail yourself.
One final interesting fact: The big toe is particularly vulnerable because it has a relatively wide nail and experiences substantial pressure during walking. That's why the big toe is the most common location for an ingrown toenail.
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