Ingrown Toenail Surgery

What problems may lead to ingrown toenail surgery?

Toenails usually grow over the skin. Ingrown toenails develop when the edge of the nail grows deep into the skin. This problem usually affects the nail on your big toe, developing as a result of:

Trimming your toenails the wrong way

Cutting your toenail too short or in a rounded shape makes it easy for the surrounding skin to fold over the nail (then the nail grows under the skin).

Wearing tight-fitting shoes

Tight shoes and high heels press against the toenail, forcing it into your skin.

Sustaining a foot injury

You’re more likely to develop an ingrown toenail if you stub your toe, kick a ball too hard, or do anything that injures the toe.

What symptoms indicate I may need ingrown toenail surgery?

Ingrown toenails are known for causing severe pain. You may also have redness and swelling that appears alone or when an infection develops. An infection makes the skin feel warm and causes pus that leaks from the ingrown area.

Can I avoid ingrown toenail surgery?

If you have diabetes or a vascular condition like peripheral neuropathy, you should never attempt to treat your ingrown toenail at home.

These health conditions interfere with circulation, depriving your foot of the blood supply it needs to heal. As a result, you need professional foot care because any foot problem can quickly cause a dangerous infection or ulcer.

People who don’t have potential circulation problems can try to treat an ingrown toenail by soaking it in warm water. But don’t cut the nail because it’s easy to make the problem worse.

What should I expect with ingrown toenail surgery?

You may not always need surgery, and if you don’t, your provider uses one of several possible treatments to prevent infections while helping the nail grow over the skin.

But ingrown toenails cause a distressing problem: they tend to recur. You can prevent the pain of future ingrown toenails with surgery that permanently removes that portion of the nail.

Your provider performs ingrown toenail surgery, called matrix ectomy, in the office using a local anesthetic. They completely remove a sliver of the nail on the side that’s ingrown, then treat the nail bed to prevent the nail from growing back.  

Call Forward Foot & Ankle Associates or request an appointment online today to get help for an ingrown toenail.