Ingrown Toenails (ONYCHOCRYPTOSIS)

Patients usually report:

• Painful swelling and tenderness at the nail edge
• Infection may be present in the form of a small abscess
• Pus
• Offensive smell

If treatment is sought early, then surgery may be avoided by simply having the offending portion of nail removed conservatively. If however an ingrown toenail is left untreated (see above), then conservative treatment will be very painful and surgery is indicated.

The most common procedure for ingrown toenails involves removing the offending portion or portions of nail following a local Anaesthetic to numb the toe, and applying a chemical called Phenol to stop the offending section of nail growing back.

 

If the ingrown toenail is severe and the excessive skin covers most of the nail plate then it may be necessary to remove the whole toenail.

This procedure can be performed in an outpatients setting and has a success rate of 94%. The post operative care involves daily footbaths and dressing changes until the toe is healed, usually this takes about four weeks.