Ingrown Toenails

Ingrown toenails occur when the edge of the toenail grows down into the soft skin of the toe. This can best be alleviated by trimming the toenail straight across without rounding the corners. If pain occurs, soak the foot in warn water and place a thin bit of alcohol-soaked cotton under the edge of the nail. Repeat this several times daily until the nail grows out over the skin. If the area becomes infected, see a doctor immediately.

Bruised Toenails

Two painful conditions result from improper toenail length. If the toenail is too long, it will extend beyond the toe itself, and the pressure of pointe work will bruise the live cells of the nail bed causing the toenail to grow out purple. If the nail is too short, the skin at the tip of the toe will pull way from the nail, causing pain. To insure that toenails are the proper length, cut them straight across (helping prevent ingrown toenails) , so that when pressing the tip of your toe, your finger barely touches the end of the nail.

The pain of a severely bruised toenail can be relieved if doctor's care is received within 24 hours of the injury. Before the accumulation of blood in the nail bed dries, a doctor can drill a tiny hole through the nail and release the pressure. (This sounds horrible, but it really isn't. The pain of a badly bruised nail is much worse!) If a doctor cannot be seen before the blood has dried, however, the dancer will have to endure several days of pain as the nail bed heals. Once the pain is gone, it is fine to continue dancing on pointe -- even if the toenail is purple.

Sometimes only a part of the nail will grow out in a purple color. If most or all of the nail is purple, the whole nail will eventually fall off. Don't worry. This is neither painful nor prevents dancing.