Ingrown Toenail Surgery

What is Ingrown Toenail Surgery?

Nail surgery is a quick and simple procedure conducted in the clinic, under a local anaesthetic to the toe. The offending ingrown portion of the toenail is removed from the root and a chemical is used to burn the root so that part of the nail doesn’t grow back.

Why would I need to have toenail surgery?

Some ingrown toenails can be recurrent, even with professional treatment. When a toenail continues to cause ongoing problems for the person, a simple surgical procedure is required to cut away the part of the nail permanently.

 Toenail Surgery procedure

Your Podiatrist will administer a local anaesthetic injection into the relevant toe/s being operated on. Once the toe is completely numb, a tourniquet is placed onto the toe to reduce local blood flow. Using specialised instruments, the offending nail edge is removed from the nail bed and cut down to be removed from the base of the nail. A caustic chemical, known as Phenol is the applied to prevent future nail re-growth. The tourniquet is then removed, and the toe dressed to prevent infection.

Post Toenail Surgery

Open toe shoes (ie./ thongs) are recommended after the procedure as the dressing can be quite thick, and restrict the ability to put a closed toe shoe on for the first couple of days post-procedure. A redressing/review appointment is usually set within a week after the surgery has been performed.