What happens if you cut diabetic toenails?
Although a nice, rounded cut is often preferred over a square clipping, diabetics must be careful making curved clips. Cutting too far into the corners of your toenails can lead to the formation of ingrown nails, oftentimes leading to an infection.
When people cut their nails too short, the skin on the sides can cover the corners of the nail. This causes the nail to grow back into the skin. Nails that are ripped instead of cut or cut in a rounded shape also tend to become ingrown because they don't have clear corners.
Myth: People with diabetes can't cut their own toenails
Not true: the general advice on toenail cutting applies to everyone. If you have diabetes you should keep your nails healthy by cutting them to the shape of the end of your toes. Don't cut them straight across, curved down the sides, or too short.
Avoid soaking your feet, as this can lead to dry skin. Dry your feet gently, especially between the toes. Moisturize your feet and ankles with lotion or petroleum jelly. Do not put oils or creams between your toes — the extra moisture can lead to infection.
Not having enough blood flowing to your legs and feet can make it hard for a sore or an infection to heal. Sometimes, a bad infection never heals. The infection might lead to gangrene. Gangrene and foot ulcers that do not get better with treatment can lead to an amputation of your toe, foot, or part of your leg.
Also, don't soak your feet—that can dry your skin. Calluses occur more often and build up faster on the feet of people with diabetes. This is because there are high-pressure areas under the foot. Too much callus may mean that you will need therapeutic shoes and inserts.
The good news is that nails grow back. It can take up to 6 months for fingernails to grow back and up to 18 months for toenails to regrow.
Apply ice for 20 minutes every 2 hours on the first day, then 3 to 4 times a day after that. To reduce the throbbing, keep your hand or foot above the level of your heart.
It takes about 6 months for a fingernail and up to 18 months for a toenail to grow back.
But for someone with diabetes, even a minor cut or scrape can turn into a very serious problem if not treated properly. “Diabetes impacts white blood cell function, which obstructs the body's ability to fight bacteria and close wounds,” says Asaad H.
What does diabetic toenails look like?
In some people with diabetes, the nails take on a yellowish hue. Often this coloring has to do with the breakdown of sugar and its effect on the collagen in nails. This kind of yellowing isn't harmful. It doesn't need to be treated.
Diabetics often have reduced blood flow to their feet, which may cause thicker toenails or numbness.
Diabetes Belly Fat is a sign that the body is failing. Stomach fat is linked to Heart failure in the diabetic. Lack of good insulin causes the body to store fat at the waist.
Men with diabetes are 3x more likely to have trouble getting or keeping an erection. There can be several reasons for this, such as limited blood flow, nerve damage (neuropathy) and damaged blood vessels. It can also be down to medication or just how you're feeling at the time.
Most lower leg and foot removals begin with foot ulcers. An ulcer that won't heal causes severe damage to tissues and bone. It may require surgical removal (amputation) of a toe, a foot or part of a leg. Some people with diabetes are at higher risk than others.
Warning Signs
If skin or bone is badly infected, if an open wound has not healed after 3 to 6 weeks of specialized wound care, or if circulation is extremely poor, doctors from many disciplines may need to take prompt action to prevent amputation.
Signs of Diabetic Foot Problems
Swelling in the foot or ankle. Pain in the legs. Open sores on the feet that are slow to heal or are draining. Ingrown toenails or toenails infected with fungus.
Typically, epsom salt soaks are not recommended for people with diabetes. The primary reason is that such soaks can dry out the feet. When the skin is dry it is more vulnerable to cracking and chafing, which can lead to skin lesions and wounds, which if not properly attended to can lead to ulcerations.
Don't soak your feet. Dry your feet completely and apply lotion to the top and bottom—but not between your toes, which could lead to infection. Never go barefoot. Always wear shoes and socks or slippers, even inside, to avoid injury.
This overgrowth is called subungual hyperkeratosis. People with hyperkeratosis may notice a white, chalky substance under the nail. When this occurs in the toenails, the pressure of shoes pushing down on the nails might cause pain.
What does a damaged nail bed look like?
Dark purple or black bruising to the fingertip or the nail bed known as a subungual hematoma. Separation of the nail from the nail bed referred to as onycholysis. Laceration through the nail, cuticle and/or nail bed. Deep grooves across the nail called Beau's lines that form months after initial injury.
They shouldn't cut their nails too short. Don't push cuticles back or trim them and don't use cuticle remover. Damaging cuticles can let bacteria get into the skin and cause an infection.
Toenails that are too long, too short, or cut incorrectly can hurt your feet and overall health. Toenails that are cut too short can cause ingrown nails, which is when the corner of a nail grows into the skin around it. Ingrown toenails can be quite painful, and they can put you at risk of infection.
If your toenail or the area around the nail appears red, hot or swollen a few days after your pedicure, you may have a bacterial skin or nail infection. Treatment can include antibiotics and possibly an incision to drain the area.
How often should you ask for the help of a specialist? Toenails grow about two millimeters per month, so your loved one may need a trim every six to eight weeks.
Toenails that grow thicker over time likely indicate a fungal infection, also known as onychomycosis. Left untreated, thick toenails can become painful. Prompt treatment can be key to curing the nail fungus. Fungal infections might be difficult to cure and may require months of treatment.
Thick toenails come from a buildup of the cells that make up your toenails. Three possible causes are increased age, nail fungus, and nail psoriasis (an autoimmune disease).
Uncontrolled diabetes may also affect circulation, causing blood to move more slowly, which makes it more difficult for the body to deliver nutrients to wounds. As a result, the injuries heal slowly or may not heal at all.
Diabetic wound signs and symptoms
Inflammation and redness. Pus drainage (weeping wound) Bad odor coming from the wound. Dead tissue around the wound.
Currently, the most effective therapy is 250 mg of oral terbinafine daily for 12 weeks, possibly with concomitant topical therapy with a nail lacquer, such as amorolfine or ciclopirox. Patients should be treated until mycological cure is achieved, and they must be followed closely for recurrent infection.
Should diabetics get pedicures?
Taking excellent care of your feet is crucial. Diabetes Forecast says you can get a pedicure at a nail salon as long as you don't have an infection cut ulcer or neuropathy — but urges you to use caution and good judgment. The most important thing they advise is to make sure the salon you choose is extremely clean.
They can happen over time when high blood sugar damages the nerves and blood vessels in the feet. The nerve damage, called diabetic neuropathy, can cause numbness, tingling, pain, or a loss of feeling in your feet. If you can't feel pain, you may not know when you have a cut, blister, or ulcer (open sore) on your foot.
Clinicians should be aware of metformin induced yellow discolouration of nails, though a curable and reversible condition if diagnosed well in time.
Poor circulation makes healing an infection difficult. So it's best to avoid them if possible. Infections that do not heal can cause skin and tissue to die and turn black. This is called gangrene.
Promote blood flow to your feet.
Elevate your feet, rotate your ankles, and flex your knees when inactive for long periods. Avoid crossing your legs. Ask your podiatrist if you would benefit from compression socks.
But for someone with diabetes, even a minor cut or scrape can turn into a very serious problem if not treated properly. “Diabetes impacts white blood cell function, which obstructs the body's ability to fight bacteria and close wounds,” says Asaad H.
If you find a wound, clean it with gentle soap and water, apply an antibiotic ointment, and cover it with a bandage, Sutera says. Repeat this process twice a day and keep it covered in the bath or shower. If there's any swelling, pus, or drainage; or it looks, feels, or smells bad, get it checked out.
Diabetes can cause changes in the small blood vessels. These changes can cause skin problems called diabetic dermopathy. Dermopathy often looks like light brown, scaly patches. These patches may be oval or circular.
Diabetics often have reduced blood flow to their feet, which may cause thicker toenails or numbness.
The body is not able to repair nerve tissues that have been damaged, meaning that diabetic neuropathy cannot be reversed. However, the side effects can be managed, and neuropathy treatment often focuses on preventing further damage from happening.
Why do diabetics cut off toes?
Because many diabetic patients can't feel pain or have a loss of sensation in their feet and/or toes, ulcers or wounds can develop and become infected, and diabetic foot or leg amputation may be required if the infection isn't treated.
Toe Nail Care
It is advisable to have a podiatrist regularly perform the toenail care for diabetics since a small cut from trimming their own nails could quickly escalate into a larger issue. You can help minimize further issues by having a podiatrist regularly perform your nail care.
Medicare will cover the treatment of corns, calluses, and toenails once every 61 days in persons having certain systemic conditions. Examples of such conditions include: Diabetes with peripheral arterial disease, peripheral arterial disease, peripheral neuropathy, and chronic phlebitis.