Fast and effective ingrown toenail treatment
We are seeing a lot of people coming for ingrown toenail treatments at Hove Foot Clinic at the moment. If you are suffering from an ingrown toenail, it is important to act quickly and not ignore it as it can get a lot worse!
If you would like to book an appointment for us to assess your nail and hopefully treat conservatively you would need to book an initial new patient problem nails assessment and treatment.
Lyndsay is our ingrown toenail specialist at Hove Foot Clinic. Most of the time she can fix them conservatively by cutting back the problem nail but sometimes nail surgery is required. Lyndsay is also now offering the non-invasive and pain free Onyfix treatment for ingrown and painful involuted and pincer nails. The Onyfix system works by applying a light-cured medical grade composite to the nail closest to the proximal nail fold. Once cured under UV light, it hardens to create a stable band that gently trains the nail into a natural shape as it grows. Unlike traditional braces, Onyfix is complete glue-free, pressure-free, and comfortable. You are able to wear nail varnish over the top (no gel polish).
If nail surgery is required either the entire nail (Total Nail Avulsion) or one or both margins of the nail (Partial Nail Avulsion) would be removed. The procedure is carried out under local anaesthetic. In some cases, following removal of the nail itself, a caustic chemical (phenol) is applied to the nail matrix to prevent the nail from growing back.
However, if the nail has been damaged, either from a fungal infection or trauma and the nail is likely to grow back without problem, no phenol will be used and the new nail will re-grow.
What would happen on the day of ingrown toenail surgery at Hove Foot Clinic?
Once in the clinic, we will reassess your foot problem, your health and your current medication. We will also ensure that you have adequate footwear for going home in and a suitable method for getting home. We will ensure you are booked in for your follow up appointments and can still attend these. Any further questions can be clarified at this point. We will weigh you to calculate the safe amount of local anaesthetic we can administer. Once all the paperwork is complete and everyone is content to proceed, surgery will begin.
We will be wearing clinical dress as normal, a mask, safety goggles or glasses and an apron. We will wash your foot in a surgical wash. A local anaesthetic injection will be given; this does not take long but can be quite uncomfortable for a few seconds. This is similar to the anaesthetic given by dentists. For most nail surgery this injection is in given in the base of the toe on either side of the toe. The local anaesthetic takes a just a short while to take effect.
What happens next?
The foot is tested to ensure the area is completely numb. The surgery will not go ahead until this is so. Additional anaesthetic maybe given if needed/appropriate but it is unlikely to be felt should this be the case as the toe will already be slightly numb from the first injection.
Next the foot is swabbed with an antiseptic wash using a sterile swab. A tourniquet is applied to the toe to prevent bleeding during the procedure and the agreed nail/section will be removed. If the intent is to prevent re-growth, phenol will be applied. The tourniquet will be removed and the toe will be dressed in a sterile dressing.
How long will the ingrown toe nail surgery take?
You should allow for 1 to 1 ½ hours (if a longer period of time is needed, Lyndsay will discuss this at your initial appointment). This allows time for the pre–operative assessments review and other paperwork; preparation including local anaesthetic and the surgery to be carried out.
Can I drive home?
No. Some or all of your foot may be numb and you would not be safe to drive and driving would invalidate your insurance. You are advised to either get someone to take you home or take a taxi. It is important that you do not walk home or take public transport.
When would I be able to return to work/school/college?
This depends on the type of work you do. Under most circumstances you can return to work the following day. Due to the nature of the procedure you will need to continue to wear open toed footwear for a few days (for some this may be longer). It is advised that any strenuous activity be avoided until the wound has healed.
When can I wear normal shoes?
The pressure from normal enclosed footwear may delay wound healing. It is advisable to wear open toed footwear for a few weeks to help it to heal.
How long will it take to heal?
This is highly variable from person to person and depends on the size of the wound, general health and lifestyle variables. The average times for healing are between 4-10 weeks for a partial nail avulsion and 6-12 weeks for a total nail avulsion. These times only serve as a guide and are dependent on optimal healing conditions being maintained.
