Are ingrowing toenails serious?
There are many genetic factors that can make you prone to ingrowing toenails, such as your posture (the way you stand), your gait (the way you walk), a foot deformity such as a bunion, hammer toes or excessive pronation (inrolling) of the feet, and inherited problems causing your nails to naturally be wide and fan shaped, or curl in instead of growing straight, encouraging your nail to grow into the flesh. Tight footwear and socks can alsopush your toe flesh onto the nail so that it pierces the skin and, if you sweat excessively, or don’t rotate your footwear, this makes the skin moist and weak, so that it is pierced by the nail. If you have brittle nails with sharp edges or are in the habit of breaking off bits of nails that are sticking out, you’re more likely to get an ingrowing toenail. However, one of the most common causes is cutting your nails incorrectly.
