Ingrown toenails
What are they?
Ingrown toenails can be quite painful.
They occur when a portion of the nail grows in the skin. It is often related to the curvature of the nail. When it is curved, the nail borders are starting to be more perpendicular to the ground. Then when you walk, the skin between the nail and the ground gets irritated by the nail. It sometimes creates a small cut in the skin which can become infected.
Signs and Symptoms
- Pain at the tip of the toenail
- Redness
- Drainage
- Curved toenail
- Having to cut the nail at an angle
Home Remedies
- Soak in warm water and salt
- Apply antibiotic ointment and a band-aid
- Use wide a shoe with a wide toebox
- You can attempt to cut the nail in the corner
Options offered in the Office
- Slent back. This is basically to cut the portion of the nail that is growing in the skin at the tip of the nail. No anesthesia required. Immediate relief.
- Partial Nail Avulsion. This is done under local anesthesia and consists in removing the side of the nail causing the problem This is useful when there is an infection.
- Partial Nail Avulsion with Matricectomy. This is used when the nail is very curved or if the patient keeps getting recurring ingrown toenails. It is done under local anesthesia and it entails to put a chemical at the base of the nail where the root is so that this portion of the nail does not grow back anymore. This is a permanent solution.
- Onyfix. This is used in patients that do not want to have a permanent procedure done or that cannot have one done due to poor circulation for example. Onyfix is a compound that is placed at the base of the nail. As the nail grows, it decreases the curvature. It usually requires 2-4 applications. Once the nail is straighter, the correction typically lasts for a couple of years.
Having an issue with ingrown toenails?
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