Ingrown toenails can be a real pain in your foot, which left untreated can pose a serious health risk. Besides pain around the edges of your toenail, common symptoms of ingrown toenails include thickening or enlargement of the skin and the build-up of fluid, swelling, and pressure around the nail.

Ingrown Toenail Removal

Though the less severe cases of ingrown toenails can be managed with home care remedies, it is recommended to have them checked by a podiatrist or doctor. The best way to eliminate a chronic or recurring ingrown toenail is through a minimally invasive surgery, especially if you are experiencing severe discomfort or infection.

The toenail surgery involves removal of the offending portion of the toenail from the base, also known as the nail matrix. This procedure, known as a Partial Nail Avulsion, can fully resolve many chronic or severe ingrown toenails as well as prevent recurrence of ingrown toenails. In some cases, skin overgrowth, also known as hypergranulation tissue, also needs to be removed as part of the toenail surgery. This sounds painful, right? The infected ones are usually painful and the idea of someone prodding them can make one squeamish.

The good news is that you won’t feel any pain throughout the procedure because you will be under a local anaesthetic. The only discomfort you are likely to experience is during the anaesthetic injection. We have remedied this as well through the use of refined injection techniques and Comfort-in needle-free technology to numb the area before injection. All you will feel is just a slight sting to nothing at all, and a sensation of the toe being filled up with some fluid.

Does Ingrown Toenail Surgery Hurt Afterwards?

Since the surgery is carried out under a local anaesthetic, the patients do not experience any pain during the procedure. However, when the anaesthesia wears off after the surgery, patients often experience some level of soreness around the toe that underwent surgery.

In some cases this may be followed by a small throb that lasts for a couple of days. The pain can be easily remedied through the use of over-the-counter pain relief medicine. You are also likely to experience some level of tenderness when direct pressure is applied to the toe area.

Generally, those who had very painful ingrown toenails, will experience immediate relief after the surgery.

There are instances however where one may experience pain after the procedure. This is usually an indication of complications such as an infection especially for those who do not adhere to the home care instructions given by the podiatrist.

Common mistakes people make that can increase the risk of infections include:

• Removing the post-operative dressing before recommended.

• leaving the area to air dry, or getting it soaked.

There are also a few instances where deeper parts of the nail bed may be damaged during surgery which cause poor drainage and healing and hence pain.

On rare occasions you will experience pain in the nail as it becomes ingrown again. As such, it is recommended to have your toe checked if you experience significant pain after the surgery.

Verdict

Ingrown toenail surgery is usually a safe, effective, and painless procedure. We utilise a minimally invasive procedure called a Partial Nail Avulsion with Phenol matrixectomy that has been shown to have a 98.5% success rate.

Contact Ingrown toenail Clinics to discuss what is right for you on (02) 9964 0099 or email us at info@ingrowntoenailclinics.com.au