Ingrowing Toenail
At Podocare Podiatry, we specialise in the treatment of ingrown toenails including nail surgery. It may sound scary but this safe, simple and quick procedure will cure your ingrown toenail permanently.
Ingrown toenails are painful, unsightly and can prevent you from getting on with day to day life. We often have patients coming to us who have put up with ingrown toenails for weeks, months or even years. They have been through multiple courses of antibiotics but have actually never tackled the cause of the problem. Don’t suffer any longer, read on and discover how we can help resolve your painful ingrown toenail.
Ingrown toenails develop when the nail begins to grow into the person’s skin when it should be growing over the top of it. This often occurs on the big toe. Toenails that are thick or curved are usually more prone to getting ingrown toenails.
Why do they develop?
Often caused by footwear,
- Trauma
- In-correct nail trimming
- In some cases inherited
These can be treated conservatively during a routine appointment however, if the skin has become broken by the nail this can result in an infection, the toe can swell and antibiotics may be required.
What is Nail Surgery?
Nail surgery is a quick, safe and simple procedure that will cure your ingrown toenail forever. This will allow you to walk pain free, wear the shoes you want to wear and to take part in the activities that you love.
This minor surgery is carried out painlessly, under local anaesthetic. The whole thing is over and done with from start to finish in around 15-20 minutes.
Our expert Podiatrist have carried out hundreds of successful ingrown toenail procedures, so be assured, you are in expert hands.
What are you waiting for? Put your feet in our hands and leave the pain from ingrown toenails behind!
What is the process?
First of all, you will need to attend an assessment appointment. At this appointment, the Podiatrist will take a full medical history, examine your toe and explain all of your treatment options to you clearly. These may include self care, regular conservative treatment by the Podiatrist or nail surgery.
If nail surgery is required you will be given the time and further information required to make the best decision for you. If you decide you would like to proceed with nail surgery, a date for the procedure will be arranged.
We promise that the procedure is nothing to worry about. We have carried out hundreds of successful nail surgeries, and we will make you as relaxed and comfortable as possible on the day. Our clinics are clean and comfortable and you are welcome to bring a friend or family member for moral support.
Once the procedure has been carried out all of your after care will be taken care of. This includes follow-up dressing appointments, dressing to take home and ongoing support until the toe has fully healed.
Nail surgery FAQ’s
1) Is nail surgery painful?
Nail surgery itself is a painless procedure, as we first administer local anaesthetic to numb the affected toe. The injection itself is slightly uncomfortable, however it is over quickly, and the toe will be completely numb in approximately 2-3 minutes. As a result, the subsequent nail surgery procedure will be completely painless.
The effects of the anaesthetic lasts for around 2 hours. This usually provides enough post-operative pain relief but, if there is some pain at this time, a painkiller you would normally take for a headache (e.g. paracetamol) should help.
2) How long will it take for my toe to heal?
Healing times can vary; however, most people are fully healed from anywhere between 4 and 8 weeks. An average, healthy individual will be fully healed by 4-6 weeks. It should not be painful and normal daily activities can resume the next day. Sometimes you may need a little bit of time out of certain sports/activities but we aim to keep this to a minimum.
3) Will my nail regrow?
A final stage of nail surgery is applying a chemical called phenol to the area where the nail used to be. The purpose of this is to prevent the nail (or portion of nail) from growing back. There is a very small risk of the nail regrowing but this happens in less than 5% of cases. Every precaution is taken to prevent the regrowth of the nail.
You can opt to not have the phenol applied and then the nail should regrow, however it may regrow to cause the same problems – or worse! For this reason, most people opt to have phenol applied.
4) What are the risks of nail surgery?
Nail surgery is a minor surgical procedure; however, it does carry some risks. In a nutshell, the main risks are: post-operative bleeding or infection, phenol burn, allergic reaction and nail regrowth. Although this may sound alarming, these are, thankfully, very rare occurrences. We will ensure these risks are fully explained to you and that precautions are taken to minimise these risks from occurring.
5) Will I need time off work?
We recommend you relax and put your feet up for the rest of the day following nail surgery. You will need to keep the dressing clean and dry until your next appointment, but most people manage to go about their normal activities from the next day onwards.
