Podiatry

Ingrown Toenail Surgery Toowoomba.

Don’t let your toenails be a source of ongoing pain.

Our ingrown toenail clinic offers comprehensive care from conservative treatment to advanced surgical solutions.

Experiencing pain and swelling on your toes?

What is an Ingrown Toenail?

Ingrown toenails usually occur on the big toe when the edge or corner of the nail grows into the soft flesh that surrounds it. A small part of the toenail pierces and penetrates down the side of the surrounding skin, causing pain, redness, and swelling in the affected toe. The wound may bleed, and it is common for an infection to develop, causing yellow, white, or clear discharge to present at the border of the nail.

Some people never suffer with them, others may experience it just once and manage to remedy the problem conservatively without too much discomfort, while for some, ingrown toenails may be a constant cause of pain, swelling and infection.

Common Causes of Ingrown Toenails

There are many causes for an ingrown toenail, including:

Improper nail cutting – Cutting toenails too short or trimming around the edges can make the skin fold over, forcing the new nail to grow into the skin
Trauma or injury to the toe – Constantly stubbing your toe or suffering injury can change the nail’s shape
Tight-fitting footwear – Constant pressure on the toes can force the nail to grow into the skin
Repetitive activities – Running and similar activities can cause the nail to change shape over time
Infection of the nail or nail bed
Lack of regular foot hygiene
Oedema (swelling of the feet)
Genetic factors – Some people have uncontrollable genetic factors that dictate the way their nails grow

It is important to remember that ingrown toenails are not self-healing and often worsen without treatment.

Professional Ingrown Toenail Treatment

The ingrown toenail treatment you receive will depend on the severity of the ingrown nail, whether any infection is present, what treatments have previously been used, and whether the problem is reoccurring. Our professional podiatrists are able to determine the cause of the problem and help you resolve it in the most suitable way.

Conservative Treatment Options

For mild to moderate cases, we can provide non-invasive treatment options:

Soaking the feet in warm salt water or apple cider vinegar baths to help clean out any debris or infection and soften the nail
Dressing the affected nail with betadine and a bandage to protect it and reduce the risk of infection
Applying topical antibiotic creams when there are obvious signs of infection like redness and pus
Lifting the nail and placing a small piece of cotton or splint under it to help guide the nail to grow back properly over time
Gently lifting the corner of the nail and ensuring it’s cut straight (never cut down the edges)
Avoiding tight-fitting footwear and wearing open-toed shoes where possible until the ingrown nail is dealt with

When to Seek Immediate Podiatrist Ingrown Toenail Removal

You should immediately see our Toowoomba podiatrist if:

The issue is not getting better or is worse after multiple courses of antibiotics
You have an infected ingrown toenail and new skin is starting to grow over it
You’re unable to put weight on the toe, or the ingrown toenail is impacting your quality of life
There are no signs of improvement after a week of home treatments
You have diabetes, poor circulation, are undergoing chemotherapy, or have a medical condition that can cause poor wound healing or put you at increased risk for infection

We will begin by taking down your medical history and performing a careful assessment of your ingrown toenail. This information will be used to recommend the best possible treatment plan.

Permanent Solution for Ingrown Toenails .

While some people may only experience an ingrown toenail once and so can manage it conservatively, many may suffer from repeated ingrown toenails, often affecting the same border of the nail. If this is not your first ingrown toenail, we may recommend a permanent solution in the form of ingrown toenail surgery in an effort to prevent the problem from continuing to cause you pain in the future.

We have two primary options available:

1. Partial Nail Avulsion (PNA)

A PNA is a minor procedure performed in the treatment chair. It takes one hour, with approximately 15-20 minutes of ‘procedure’ time, and the rest is spent on prep work and dressing the toe afterward. This ingrown toenail surgery is comfortable as it is completed under local anaesthetic.

During a PNA, we remove a small portion of the troublesome nail and apply a chemical that destroys the nail-growing cells. This means that you will not continue to produce a nail in that small corner of the nail that we address. Instead, your nail will appear to have a smooth and straight nail border. The nail does not look abnormal and, once healed, it is often unnoticeable that you’ve had the procedure done at all.

We monitor you carefully in the weeks following the procedure to ensure it is healing well, to show you how to care for your toe, and to reapply the dressings until it has healed.

To read a case study of a partial nail avulsion completed on an ingrown toenail, click here.

Timeframes

Appointment length – 60 minutes
One day of rest is recommended (treatment day)
2-8 weeks for recovery
Appearance changes – minor to none
Pain level – local anaesthetic
Success Rate – 80% long-term resolution success

2. Total Nail Avulsion (TNA)

A TNA procedure is very similar in its methodology to a PNA, except that instead of removing a small portion of the ingrown nail, the entire nail is removed. This is often selected by patients who not only have an ingrown toenail but also changes to the structure or appearance of their toenails (like nail thickening, nail shape distortion, a moth-eaten appearance from toenail fungus, and similar problems).

With a TNA, there are two options after removing the nail:

Permanently prevent the nail from growing back by chemically destroying the nail-growing cells
Allow the nail to regrow, in the hopes that the appearance/structure will improve as the nail starts ‘fresh’

With the latter option, your ingrown nail may recur. Many people who have TNAs do believe the ingrown nail is associated with changes to the nail shape or structure, and having the procedure may prevent them from coming back.

Time to nip that ingrown toenail in the bud? Book an appointment with our team today to discuss your options.

Can I Prevent Ingrown Toenails?

The good news is that, in many cases, ingrown toenails may be preventable. Our podiatrists have provided some general advice:

Cut your nails straight across, never down the sides – Cutting your nails frequently but only trimming small amounts can help maintain a healthy length and encourage better growth
File the corners of the nail to remove any sharp edges and avoid cutting your nails too short
Wear proper fitting footwear – Never cram your feet into shoes that are too small. Choose shoes with a wide toe box to avoid putting pressure on your toes. Remember, when performing sport your feet need extra room as they will get hot and swell
Avoid picking at your toenails and running anything down the side of them that has not been properly sterilised
Practice good foot hygiene – Your feet get hot and sweaty, and cheap shoes don’t allow them to breathe properly, making an ideal environment for bacteria and fungus to grow. Soak your feet regularly in warm salt water baths to help clean out any debris or infection. Wash your feet regularly with soap and dry them properly between the toes

Exercising proper foot hygiene (like taking regular showers and washing your feet with soap) may also go a long way to ensuring that your toenails do not become ingrown.

Your Ingrown Toenail Questions Answered .

What is an ingrown toenail?

Suffering from ingrown toenails is often a painful and frustrating ordeal. An ingrown toenail means that the nail edge has penetrated and grown into the surrounding skin. In most cases, the nail curves down into the skin, but in some cases it could be that there is excess skin/tissue surrounding the nail that the nail has grown into. Either way, the nail has pierced the skin.

Why does an ingrown toenail occur?

Ingrown toenails don’t just have one distinct cause but have many. For a lot of people, it is their nail-cutting technique. Toenails should be cut in a straight, clean line. Curving the edges of the nail too much can encourage the nail to curve down into the skin. Not cutting the very edge of the nail and ‘pulling’ the nail off can also leave a nail spicule at the edge of the nail which will then grow into the skin. It is often difficult to see or obstructed by the surrounding skin so you won’t know that it’s there.

Following the same principle, ‘picking’ your nails instead of cutting them can cause the same issue.

Tight footwear may also cause ingrown toenails because of the pressure it creates on the toes and surrounding skin that pushes into the nail. For others, their cause is uncontrollable genetic factors that dictate the way their nails grow.

How do I know if I have an ingrown toenail?

The main symptom is pain with touch, pressure, and movement. The toe may often appear red and swollen. As with anything that breaks the skin, ingrown toenails pose a serious risk of infection, so they must be treated with caution.

How do I treat an ingrown toenail?

Those with diabetes, nerve damage, or poor circulation should never attempt to treat their ingrown toenails at home.

If you have good general health and suspect you have an ingrown toenail, soak the nail in warm salty water for five minutes then dry thoroughly.

If pain persists, it will need to be examined by your podiatrist who will determine the proper course of treatment. This will involve treating the infection if present and clearing the offending nail edge.

Because ingrown toenails may reoccur, you can discuss with your podiatrist if a more permanent way of stopping ingrown toenails is appropriate for you. We do this by using a solution to stop the nail cells at the edge of the nail from growing as part of a minor surgical procedure. This aims to leave you with a normal and straight-looking nail edge. Your podiatrist will also provide you with education and advice for managing and caring for your toes.

What is the cost of ingrown toenail procedures

It can be impossible to quote for the cost of treatment of any ingrown toenail surgery without having first seen the patient and assessed the severity of the case. We want to keep things personal and make sure you understand all the treatment options, costs involved and the goals that you want to work towards, in order to create the best outcome for your situation.

It is easy to book an initial consultation with us either by phone or online and speak to one of our friendly team who will help direct you to the right person. We treat everyone with the respect they deserve and use a holistic approach so we can treat you as a whole, looking at all aspects that may be affecting the obvious symptom.

Treating people as individuals means we wouldn’t want to mislead you by quoting a false cost of treatment before we have even seen you and assessed your case, but we are confident we can help you achieve your health goals.

Why Choose Optimise Health?

Our team of professionals pride themselves in being energetic, fun and passionate about the work they do.

State-of-the-Art Facilities

We’re proud of our modern treatment rooms and facilities — come and check them out for yourself! Plus, take advantage of the latest technologies and treatment methods.

Proactive Treatment

The last thing we want is for your ingrown toenail problem to reoccur, which is why we are committed to getting to the source of the issue from the beginning.

Multi-Disciplinary Approach

The Optimise Health team is composed of various allied health professionals to ensure that you receive a well-rounded approach to your care and treatment plan.

Our Toowoomba Location.

Visit our Toowoomba clinic, located at 14 Ipswich Street, where our team of specialists at Optimise Health are available throughout the week to support your health and wellbeing.

Seek Podiatric Care for Ingrown Toenails .

For the most part, ingrown toenails are preventable and may be managed conservatively without the need for surgery. In particularly severe cases or if the issue is occurring frequently, however, a more aggressive form of treatment may be required. The skilled podiatry team at Optimise Health has ample experience dealing with ingrown toenails — we are ready and waiting to help you walk comfortably as soon as possible.