Treatments
Nail Surgery – Ingrown Toenail
Nail surgery is sometimes required in patients with ingrown toenails where part of the nail has grown into the surrounding skin. This can happen slowly or even overnight and if left for too long can result in a deep abscess or infection. It is therefore important to have your nail cut and debrided regularly from a podiatrist to prevent it from getting more serious.
Symptoms
Symptoms can be experiencing irritation and pain from a nail that may also be red, discoloured and swollen and growing into the skin.Causes
Causes can be from previous injury to the toe, improper shoes, repetitive strain from athletic activity, bunions and from toe deformities. Thickened or fungal nails tend to also aggravate an ingrown toenail.
Treatment
Treatment can consist of non-prescription and prescribed antibiotic creams which are good for mild cases, however an oral antibiotic can also be prescribed for cases that are not. Usually the nail border causing the symptoms is removed. In more serious or stubborn cases nail surgery can also be carried out under local anaesthetic where the nail root is removed, and a special chemical is applied to hinder the nail corner from growing back.Result
After surgery it can take a few weeks to recover in mild cases and a few months in serious cases. Proper wound care is explained and highly recommended to reduce the risk of infection, patients will have follow up appointments.Please call or request an appointment online for our experienced podiatrist to examine which treatment is best for you.