Ingrown, tough and thick toenail issues
Toenails serve an important role in protecting your toes. They are made from keratin, which is the same protein that makes up your skin, hair and fingernails, and it is keratin that makes them tough and resilient to daily wear and tear. However, toenails are often exposed to tough environment which causes abnormalities. One of the most common factors other than health condition and friction from shoes is the level of physical activity. Athletes and dancers, in particular, put enormous pressure to their toenails due to the nature of their physical activities, and thus damage their toenails. Unfortunately, feet are easy to overlook. However, right knowledge and correct care can prevent toenails from being damaged and ultimately prevent it from interfering your physical performance.
Ingrown Toenails
Ingrown toenails are one of the most common and painful toenail issues. It occurs when the corner of the toenail grows into the skin around it. Anyone can get the ingrown toenail, but athletes who spend a lot of time in tight shoes or who put excessive pressure on the outside of the great toe are more susceptible to this problem.
Prevention of Ingrown Toenails
In order to have pain free toenails, it is important for athletes to prevent ingrown toenails and cut their toenails correctly. Athletes should keep their toenails shorter when preparing for a race, but following points need to be kept in mind;
- Do not cut nails too short
- Cut toenails straight across in a square shape with sharp blade
- Do not cut toenails in oval shape
Cutting your toenails in oval shape may result in the nail edge growing down into the soft tissue around it.
Tough and Thick Toenails
Thickening of toenails are often caused by fungal infection and is also called Athlete’s Foot because it is commonly seen in athletes.
Just like ingrown toenails, anyone can get athlete’s foot. However, certain behaviors increase the risk of getting it, which include:
- wearing tight and closed-toe shoes
- being barefoot in public area such as showers, swimming pools, and gyms
- having sweaty feet
Due to the nature of physical activity, it is reasonable to conclude that there should be many cyclists and triathletes who suffer from ingrown toenails, and those who have athlete’s foot which causes thickening of toenails. SUWADA Nail Nipper Foot Classic (Handcrafted in Japan Since 1926) allows you to cut your toenails straight across in a square shape, which lead to prevention of ingrown toenails, and the wide open sharp blade also allows easy cutting of very tough and thick toenails, which offer a solution for those who are having trouble cutting their thickened toenails.