Ingrown Toenail
At Sure Step Podiatry, we understand the discomfort of having an ingrown toenail and its impact on your quality of life. We’re dedicated to providing the best care and advice to help you treat and prevent ingrown toenails. Fortunately, we can treat ingrown toenails quickly and painlessly, so talk to us today.
An ingrown toenail (or onychocryptosis) occurs when the corner or side of your toenail curves down and grows into the surrounding skin. Left untreated, it can be very painful and often lead to an infection.
The most common cause of an ingrown toenail is when people trim their toenails too short or round off the corners. This trimming can cause the toenail to grow into the surrounding skin. Other causes of ingrown toenails include poorly fitting shoes, fungal infections and foot deformities.
These days there is no need to suffer from ingrown toenail pain. Relief from the discomfort of ingrown toenails can be managed with conservative treatment gently and simply by cutting away some of the nail. However, severe or recurrent ingrown nail treatment is achieved with a simple and quick procedure, under local anaesthetic, called a PNA or Partial Nail Avulsion. The method involves the podiatrist removing a wedge of the nail and cauterising the matrix (where the toenail grows from) to stop the toenail from growing back in that area. It often results in the nail appearing slightly narrower than before the procedure. The appointment for the procedure is 1 hour, and complete recovery is expected within 4 to 6 weeks of the treatment.
