A number of things can cause an ingrown toenail to develop, including:

• Badly cut toenails – cutting your toenails too short, or cutting the edges, will encourage the skin to fold over your nail and the nail to grow into the skin.

• Wearing tight-fitting shoes, socks or tights – this places pressure on the skin around your toenail; the skin may be pierced if it's pressed on to your toenail.

• Sweaty feet – if the skin around your toenails is soft, it's easier for your nail to pierce it and embed itself within it.

• Injury – for example, stubbing your toe can sometimes cause an ingrown toenail to develop

• Natural shape of the nail – the sides of curved or fan-shaped toenails are more likely to press into the skin surrounding the nail.

• A fungal nail infection can cause your toenail to thicken or widen.

 

When to see your Podiatrist
See your podiatrist as soon as possible, if your ingrown toenail is badly inflamed, bleeding or has pus coming from it as it may be infected.
It's also important to seek medical advice if you have diabetes and an ingrown toenail. Having diabetes could affect how your toenail heals and or lead to further complications.

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There are three stages to the operation:

• Firstly you will be given an injection of local anaesthetic which will make your toe numb.

• Once the toe is numb, the podiatrist will carefully remove either all or part of the nail, and will use a chemical called phenol to kill the cells of the exposed nail bed. This normally ensures that the nail will not regrow in this section.

• A dressing will then be applied to the toe. You are advised not to drive whilst the toe is numb, our advice is to get a taxi or a lift home and avoid excessive walking for the first 24 hours.

 

Will it be painful afterwards?

It is advisable to bring loose fitting or open toed footwear with you on the day of the procedure as a large dressing is applied to the toe. Some patients may experience slight discomfort when the anaesthetic wears off, but this does not normally last very long. If there is a discomfort it is advised to take a painkiller (something you would usually take for a headache).

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Dressings and follow up

We advise that you attend the clinic to have the toe re-dressed within a few days of the operation being carried out. Another follow-up will be scheduled 14 days after the initial redressing but the dressing will probably require changing daily for 6/8 weeks. We will provide a list of specific dressings to purchase and instructions on how to do this. Last but not least we will do a final review towards 4 weeks post-op. 

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Are there any risks and complications?

As with all surgery, there are minor risks.
• Infection;
• Recurrence and regrowth of the nail (under 10%);
• Delayed healing;
• Adverse reaction to Phenol / Local anaesthesia;
• A thickened nail plate;
• Altered nail shape (every effort is made to provide a cosmetic appearance. Sometimes due to a large involuted plate condition/infection, a large section may need to be removed).

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Can anyone receive this treatment?

Although treatment is available to most patients with painful ingrowing toenails, we will need to assess if there are any medical or surgical reasons why such a procedure should not be undertaken, this includes taking a vascular assessment. If you wish to discuss Nail Surgery further, or have any questions about the information provided, please do not hesitate to contact us.