text: how do toe nails get ingrown?   i had ingrown toenails but it wasn't that bad.  the foot docotor told me that they can get ingrown because of the way you cut your toenails, but i don't know, i don't think i was cutting them "wrong".  this website said that:  the causes include:  -poor maintenance, like cutting the nail too short, rounded off at the tip or peeled off at the edges (versus being cut straight across), is likely to cause ingrowth;  -ill-fitting shoes, like those that are too narrow or too short, can cause bunching of the toes in the developmental stages of the foot (frequently in the under 21s), causing the nail to curl and dig into the skin;  -trauma to the nail plate or toe, such as can occur by stubbing the toenail, dropping things on the toe and 'going through the end of your shoes' in sports, can cause the flesh to become injured and the nail to grow irregularly and press into the flesh;  -predisposition, like abnormally-shaped nail beds, nail deformities caused by diseases, and a genetic proneness to nail problems can mean a tendency to ingrowth.