Ingrown Tow Nails Main Description

Our consultant has over 30-years’ experience in painless and safe removal of ingrown toe nails. Using partial resection of the nail by chemical ablation or surgical removal (nail wedge resection), the surgery is normally undertaken as a day-case surgery under a local anesthetic and takes under 10-minutes to perform. You may require one or two days off work afterwards.

Ingrown Toenail Quotes

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MRS H J, W. SUSSEX:

"For such a simple operation my feet have been transformed for the better."

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Is a very common condition of the foot but seen in young active adults in particular.

Is a very common condition of the foot but seen in young active adults in particular.

What is an ingrown toe nail?

This is where the side of the nail punctures the soft-tissue fold (nail sulcus) causing pain and chronic inflammation. The body will see the nail as a "foreign body" like a spell or splinter and tries to destroy it, which sets up a chronic inflammatory response. This is seen as redness and swelling and reddy-purple tissue called granulation tissue in response to the "foreign body". This is usually accompanied by infection and a yellow or white pus-like discharge is often seen.

Sometimes the inflammatory response is not present and it is the shape of the nail (abnormal curved or involuted nail), which causes the nail to dig into the side of the nail sulcus.

Ingrown Toenail Patients

Ingrown Toenail Patients

  • Before and after nail wedge resection procedure for ingrown nails affecting both sides of this 16-year old boy's big toe. Picture on the right was taken immediately following surgery, which also removed the inflamed tissue that had overgrown the sides of the nail. The foot is pale ecause a tourniquet is used for the procedure.

Ingrown Toenail Treatment

Ingrown Toenail Treatment

Where this is being caused by the nail shape rather than inflammation & infection, regular podiatry treatment by a HPC-registered podiatrist can help relieve symptoms.

Ingrown Toenail Surgery

Ingrown Toenail Surgery

There are two main types of procedure in common use. One involves removing the nail section and applying a chemical (ablation) to destroy the nail-producing tissue (partial nail avulsion PNA); the other involves removing a section of the nail and inflammed tissue (nail wedge resection). In our practice, both are utilized but generally we prefer to use the nail wedge resection because healing is much faster than with chemical ablation. Both carry the same types of risks such as infection and regrowth of nail (nail spicule); but these are less than 5%.

 

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