Nicholas Campitelli, DPM | Akron Podiatrist | Foot and Ankle Surgeon
The Foot Doc Blog – Leading Blog on foot and ankle pain
Providing information on foot, toes, and ankle pain or deformities. Questions? Please ask them in the comments section below. Check out our Youtube and Instagram sites as well.
Is it a good idea to keep having your ingrown toenail fixed while getting your pedicure done? Probably not. The risk of developing a toenail fungus or even a severely infected ingrown toenail greatly increases by having someone pick at the side of your toenail.
Suffering from a severely painful toenail that is constantly irritated with shoes and impossible to cut? Surgical removal is most likely the best option. Toenail deformities can be the result of trauma to the nail plate which can occur from dropping something on your toe, or simply through years of irritation of the nail plate on a shoe. Nail fungus can also be the cause of a deformed toenail, so it is imperative to first have the nail tested for fungus before making any decisions to permanently remove the toenail.
There are two possible solutions for you to fix your ingrown toenail. If this is the first time you are experiencing an ingrown toenail, then a nail avulsion would be indicated. This is a surgical procedure performed in the office where the ingrown border of the nail plate is surgically excised. Antibiotics are typically not needed and the condition resolves by simply removing the ingrown nail border. The recovery period is usually 7-10 days and heavy activity such as running can be performed within 24-48 hours.
CAUTION: THE FOLLOWING VIDEO CONTAINS REAL SURGICAL FOOTAGE
For recurrent cases of ingrown toenails, a permanent procedure is typically chosen. This involves the same technique as a nail avulsion, but a chemical is introduced into the nail groove and the nail matrix (cells that form the nail) is ablated to prevent the border of the nail from growing back. The recovery period is slightly extended for this procedure as drainage usually occurs for 14 days. Regular activity, as well as exercise, can again take place in 24-48 hours.