Long Toenails (2024)

Seek podiatry treatment for your long toenails today!

Long toenails or elongated nails occur when the nail plate grows excessively longer than the nail bed.

Toenails are made of a protein called keratin, the same protein that is found in hair. Toenails are slow growing and grow twice as slow as fingernails. Toenails should be trimmed regularly, if nails are left too long they can cause problems. Long nails can cut into adjoining toes and this can lead to infection. Long nails are also more prone to pushing against footwear and this can cause trauma to the nail plate and lead to thickened toenails. Excess pressure on toenails can also lead to corns and callus developing underneath the nail plate, causing pain.

Signs & symptoms of long (elongated) toenails

The following signs or symptoms can be the result of long toenails:

• Long white tip o nail plate (free margin) hanging over the edge of the toe.
• Toenails curling under the end of the toe.
• Thickening of the nail plate.
• Long toenails hitting the end of shoes. May be associated with bruising under the nail plate.
• Toenails cutting into adjacent toes causing possible inflammation, bleeding and pain.

Causes of long (elongated) toenails

The main cause of long or elongated toenails in the failure or inability to cut or trim your toenails.Elderly patients often find it hard to get down to their feet and cut their own toenails with age as flexibility and muscle strength decreases. This makes them more at risk of potential nail problems that may even eventually lead to infection.

Long toenail diagnosis

Long or elongated nails are easily diagnosed visually by the patient and clinically by our Melbourne podiatrists, who are experts in identifying nail conditions of the foot. Our podiatrists can also diagnose and treat secondary causes of long toenails which may include nail damage, corns and callus under the nail plate as well as ingrown toenails.

Podiatry treatment for long (elongated) toenails

Treatment for long elongated toenails are performed by the friendly podiatrists at our Melbourne podiatry clinic. Treatment involves carefully trimming the nail to the correct length, clearing the sulcus of any sharp edges and filing the edge of the nail. Generally our podiatrists perform nail cutting as part of a general foot care treatment. During this consultation our podiatrists can also attend to other nail and skin conditions such as callus and corns, followed by application of a foot moisturising cream, making your feet feel like they are floating on air.

Our podiatrists are more than happy to cut your nails and look after your feet if you can’t attend to them yourself. Unlike other nail salons all of our podiatry instruments and nail clippers are sterilised according to Australian Health standards to minimise the risk of cross infection. We estimate that most patients who can’t attend to their feet require their nails to be cut every 6-8 weeks at our Melbourne podiatry clinic.

Regular podiatry treatments with our friendly podiatrists can help prevent more serious foot problems and can help keep you mobile for longer.

Do you need a podiatrist for your long toenails?

At our Melbourne foot clinic our podiatrists are experts in the management and treatment of nail conditions affecting the foot. This includes general foot care and the cutting of long, elongated toenails.

So if you are finding it difficult to cut or manage your toenailsbook an appointment with one of our friendly podiatrists today!