A very quick and effective way to eliminate ingrown toenails, nail surgery is a minor surgical procedure performed under local anesthesia by which we remove either all, or part of the painful toenail
When toenails have a tendency to curl from one side to the other (involuted nails) or have developed a spike, digging deep into the soft
skin and becoming embedded (ingrown toenails), they can cause excruciating pain and lead to severe infection, affecting the toes’ bones.
Ingrown toenails is not a serious condition, however it can be extremely painful if not taken care of correctly. What’s more, it’s not the type of problem that will resolve on its own. If not treated, the condition will worsen and could even become recurrent.
At Flawless Feet we carry out a minor procedure known as nail surgery to remove ingrown toenails. If the word ‘surgery’ gives you the creeps, rest assure this is not a theatre operation. The procedure is carried out at our clinic by one of our podiatrists, who will explain every step in detail and make sure you feel comfortable and at ease.
During the surgery, we remove part or the whole of the ingrown toenail. When this is achieved, we apply a chemical called Phenol to the root of the nail (matrix) to sear it and prevent the nail from re-growing and causing further pain.
The procedure is done under a local anaesthetic, which means there is no discomfort during or immediately after the surgery. You will be sent home with the toe bandaged and after-care instructions (i.e. pain medications, elevation, rest, keep dry, etc). Typically, we will review you within a couple of days to change the dressing and give you further instructions on how to take care of the toe (ie changing dressings yourself) for the next 1 - 2 weeks.
Two weeks after the surgery, we will assess the toe again to make sure it is recovering properly, and continue to monitor it until it’s healed. The recovery time frame from ingrown toenail surgery can range from 4 to 6 weeks, depending on the severity. Cosmetically, the nail plate will look slightly narrower once fully healed, but this is usually barely noticeable.
No surgical procedure, no matter how large or small, is without risk.
The most common issues that may occur following ingrown toenail surgery are infection, recurrence or delayed healing. Typically, the chance of developing any of these problems with ingrown toenail surgery is very small, and measured at only a few percent of all surgical cases in healthy individuals.
The success rate of nail surgery is 95% but there is a 5% chance of regrowth. This will, in all likelihood, require a further procedure to deal with the problem.
Because of these potential risks, which we will explain in detail during your consultation, we will ask that you complete a consent form to indicate you are aware of them before we undertake any surgery.
If you are a SELF FUNDING patient you will be covered by the Flawless Feet Nail Surgery Guarantee, which means that we will perform a second procedure, at no cost to you, assuming that you have not developed a clinical contra-indication to the procedure.
INSURED patients will still be covered by their medical insurance in this unlikely event.
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