Nail Surgery

Nail surgery is the removal of all of the toenail or part of the nail. A local anaesthetic is administered at the base of the affected toe or toes to numb them so that you will not feel any pain during the procedure. After the removal of the entire nail or a portion of the nail, a chemical may be applied to the exposed nail bed and matrix to prevent regrowth by destroying the nail cells. The aim of nail surgery is to provide a long term cure for ingrowing toenails and does so in 97% of cases. So why not contact us for advice or to make an appointment for Nail Surgery in Durham.

An ingrown toenail develops when the sides of the toenail grow into the surrounding skin. The big toe is often affected, either on one or both sides. The nail curls and pierces the skin, which becomes red, swollen and tender. Once the nail pierces the skin the open area can become infected which can cause the skin to swell around the nail further and exacerbate the condition.

Nail surgery offers a permanent cure for ingrowing toenails and is performed under a local anesthetic.  When conservative treatment of an ingrown toenail is not appropriate it is at this point where nail surgery should be considered. If you’ve had an ingrown nail for some time (reoccurring) or its just too painful to try and treat yourself it is advisable to see a qualified Podiatrist who can advise on the best way of treating your nail.

• Surgical Treatment of Ingrown toenails
• Where conservative treatment has been unsuccessful
• Performed under a Local Anaesthetic
• Permanent resolution of and ingrown toenail
• To reduce pain
• Removal of troublesome nail
• Minimise risk of infection
• Return to usual activities

A nail surgery appointment is expected to take around 60 minutes and it usually follows a previous appointment where consent for surgery is received. It is important to understand the benefits and risks of treatment before the day of surgery.

A local anaesthetic is administered into either side of the base of the toe which has the ingrowing nail.
The podiatrist will then check that the sensation in your toe has gone before starting the operation.
Once the toe is numb the procedure is relatively straight forward. Once the nail or offending portion of nail is removed, phenol a caustic solution is applied to the nail bed and nail matrix which prevents nail regrowth.
Once the toe has been treated your toe will be dressed to keep it in a sterile environment, this dressing should be left in place and kept dry for around 48 hours when you will have your toe checked by the Podiatrist. Your toe or toes will be checked to ensure the normal healing response has started.
A new dressing will be applied and you will be issued with dressings and an advice sheet on what to do.
Further review appointments will be made available

Nail surgery is often the choice of treatment for persistent ingrowing toenails that have not responded to conservative treatment. Conservative treatment involves trimming the nail spike out and clearing the side of the nail bed, this is carried out in a Podiatry Treatment. In some cases this is enough to encourage the nail to grown without digging into the side of the nail bed.