Conservative treatment of an ingrowing toenail involves removing the offending spike of nail or removing the curling/involuted side of nail and filing the edges to a smooth surface and applying an antiseptic dressing.
For a chronic condition, a permanent solution is to have minor NAIL SURGERY. A partial nail avulsion (PNA) involves removing 8-10% of the nail while a total nail avulsion (TNA) involves removing the whole nail.
In both cases the root or nail bed is cauterized in order to prevent it regrowing.
The toe has to be bathed in salt water and redressed daily for up to eight weeks until fully healed.
This has a 98% success rate and the final result leaves a very good overall appearance of the remaining nail plate or in case of a total nail avulsion, the nail bed heals over with a toughened hard skin.
SALE PODIATRY can assess your nail condition and is able to perform minor nail surgery under local anaesthesia with follow-up dressings until resolved. See Pricing