An ingrowing toenail is one that pierces the flesh of the toe and can be extremely painful.
It can become infected and bleed. It commonly affects the big toe but can affect any toe.
If left untreated the infection can spread to the rest of the foot and be more painful to treat.
Treatment
For basic problems a podiatrist at Orthotika will remove the offending spike of nail. If it is painful to touch the podiatrist will do this with a local anaesthetic and advise on how to prevent the condition. Antibiotics may be provided to treat any infection.
If you are particularly prone to ingrowing toenails Orthotika’s podiatrist may recommend a more permanent solution called a partial nail avulsion. This is done with local anaesthetic. A small section to the side of the nail including the growing base of the nail is removed. The nail becomes slightly narrower. A chemical is used to prevent the nail re-growing along the offending nail edge. This is 97% successful in preventing nail regrowth. Overall the nail looks fairly normal after removal.
Aftercare
If you have nail surgery at Orthotika you will have a series of redressing appointments made at the same time.
Click Here to download Orthotika’s information sheet on Ingrowing Toenails.