Ingrown toenails are common and usually treatable without surgery. However, in severe cases, people may need a small medical procedure to treat an ingrown toenail.
If they notice them at an early stage, people can treat ingrown nails at home. However, in severe cases — especially when the nail has become infected — people may need to see a doctor for advice, antibiotics, or a surgical procedure.
In this article, we explain when a person needs surgery for an ingrown toenail and discuss the procedure, recovery time, and risks.
Ingrown Toenail Surgery
Ingrown toenail surgery is usually an outpatient procedure that involves the use of local anesthesia. Local anesthesia means that the person remains awake, but the doctor numbs the area so that the person cannot feel their toe.
Some doctors offer a sedative or twilight anesthesia during the surgery. With twilight anesthesia, the person remains awake but groggy, and they may not remember the procedure.
If a person prefers general anesthesia, the surgery may take longer and require more preparation. With general anesthesia, the individual will be unconscious, making it a good option for people who are very anxious about surgery.
Ingrown Toenail Surgery, Removal & Treatment
Several surgical procedures can treat an ingrown toenail. An orthopedic surgeon or podiatrist can offer advice on the best option, but a person should be sure to make them aware of relevant health issues, including any prior history of ingrown toenails.
This painful condition happens when the toenail grows down into the skin. It most commonly affects the big toe, with the corner of the nail growing into the nail bed. In most cases, it occurs due to tight fitting footwear or improper trimming of the nails.
People can often treat ingrown toenails at home by wearing sandals to avoid putting pressure on the toe, soaking the toe in warm water, and keeping the area clean to help it heal on its own.
Ingrown Toenails Explained
However, if there are signs of infection, a person should see a doctor rather than trying to treat the nail at home. People should also seek medical care for an ingrown nail if they have a health condition — such as diabetes, nerve damage, or poor circulation — that makes home treatment risky.
Ingrown toenails irritate the skin. As a result, they can make it easier for bacteria and other microbes to get in, which increases the risk of infection. Promptly treating an ingrown toenail reduces this risk. Some signs of infection include:
If the toenail is very swollen or inflamed, or it does not get better after a few days, a doctor may diagnose an infection and prescribe antibiotics. They might
Nail Surgery — Happy Feet Podiatry Services
A special splint to prevent the toenail from growing deeper into the skin. If the toe still does not heal, a doctor may recommend surgery.
For most people, the wound will heal within several weeks. The pain will steadily lessen in the days following surgery and should have gone by the time the wound heals. It can take several months for the nail to regrow, but the length of time will vary from person to person.
Minor complications are common following nail surgery, though serious complications are rare. However, an untreated ingrown toenail carries a much higher risk of complications than nail removal.
Ingrown Nail Surgery: Preparation, Procedure, Recovery
People should discuss the benefits and risks of surgery with their doctor, who will take into account their particular risk factors. People with a history of anesthesia complications and those with weakened immune systems may be more vulnerable to complications.
Ingrown toenails can be painful, but with proper home or medical treatment, they are rarely serious. Surgery presents some risks, but it can alleviate the chronic pain of an ingrown toenail.
People with ingrown toenails should discuss their treatment options with a skilled, experienced podiatrist or orthopedic surgeon. Excellent medical care and diligent home management can reduce the risk of complications following surgery and increase the likelihood of a full recovery with the regrowth of a healthy nail.
Recovering After Ingrown Toenail Surgery
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Our Hallandale Beach office welcomes you. You are at the right place. Our podiatrist is very experienced in the treatment of ingrown toenails, nonsurgical and surgical treatments.
Booking an appointment is easy. Book an appointment online now by clicking on this link or call our Hallandale podiatry office at (954) 455-9404.
Surgery For An Ingrown Toenail
Slant back is a simple cut into the toenail if your ingrown toenail is not so bad. Our Hallandale Beach podiatrist, Dr. Adriana Strimbu, will simply cut a small piece of your toenail on the affected side of the toe in order to alleviate the pain.
It is not recommended that you do ingrown toenail removal / treatment at home. Removing an ingrown toenail at home is what is referred to as "bathroom surgery".
An ingrown toenail is when the corner or border of the toenail presses and grows into the surrounding skin. This will result in redness, pain, swelling and/or pus. Usually the big toe is most affected. Ingrown toenail is called onychocryptosis in medical terminology.
Nail Surgery For Painful & Ingrowing Toenails
It all depends at what stage your ingrown toenail is. At first, your toe may look normal but you will feel like an ache or throbbing to the toe. Looking at the toe, you may not see anything wrong with the toe. Later on, the toe will slowly become more painful, red and swollen, which will worsen day by day. Pus can be present as well.
Yes you can if you don't get too much pain or if it does not get infected. It is recommended that as soon as you sense some pain to the toe or you see that your toe starts getting red and swollen, you should start soaking your foot in warm water with epsom salt. This will help reduced the inflammation and pain. However, keep in mind that once your toenail starts growing into the skin, it is hard to get rid of it by doing nothing. Generally, you need to have to get out the small spicule from the ingrown to alleviate the pain, redness, swelling and/or infection. The reason your ingrown toenail does not heal by itself usually is because, this small spicule will act like a thorn in your toe. So your body will try to heal the toe, but because it acts just like a foreign body, many times your toe cannot heal until this foreign body is removed.
If you see that after you soak it, and the pain, redness, swelling and /or pus does not go away then you should seek help for a podiatrist. You can call our podiatry office at (954) 455-9404 to schedule an appointment or book an appointment online now.
Ingrown Toenail Removal Treatment
Please consult with a podiatrist if your toe is red, swollen, painful or pus comes out from your toe. If your toenail is ingrown, surgery might be necessary to remove the ingrown toenail. Also your podiatrist might place you on oral antibiotics if there is infection of the toe.
Podiatrists are highly trained to take care of your ingrown toenails. You should see a podiatrist right away if there is pain, redness, swelling, pus or other signs of infections. Diabetics and people with poor circulations are most at risk and should seek treatment immediately if they think that they have an ingrown toenail.
An ingrown toenail is often confused with a pincer toenail. An ingrown toenail has a normal shape toenail, meaning it is not raised. A pincer toenail is a very deformed toenail. It has an abnormal shape of decreasing width and increasing height of the nail plate.
Ingrown Toenail Do's And Don'ts: Affiliated Foot & Ankle Care: Podiatrists
A nail salon technician does not treat ingrown toenails. You should consult with a foot and ankle specialist (podiatrist) when it comes to treatment of an ingrown toenail.
No. It is not recommended that you cut your ingrown toenail by yourself because you can get an infection. If your are a diabetic or if you have poor circulation this could end up in toe amputation.
Soaking your feet in warm water with epsom salt for 15 minutes two times per day will help decrease pain and inflammation until you get further treatment.
Ingrown Toenails Treatment
Yes. Your toe will be numbed up before the podiatrist removes your ingrown toenail. The injection consists of a local anesthetic such as lidocaine, which will be injected into your toe about 5 minutes before the ingrown toenail removal.
An ingrown toenail may be very painful. The actual removal of the ingrown toenail itself is not painful because your toe will be already numbed up by a local anesthetic injection. But some people say that the injection of the local anesthetic into the
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