Sometimes you can’t continue to live with something—it needs to be cut out. This could be a bad friend, an unhealthy habit or addiction, or something in your body affecting your health. Removing the problem can sometimes be the best option for treating painful ingrown toenails. If a nail can’t be treated conservatively, an ingrown nail removal procedure quickly eliminates the pain and risk for infection.
Ingrown Nail Recap
Ingrown toenails are a common condition that affect people of all ages. They develop when one edge of a nail grows incorrectly. Instead of growing straight forward toward the end of your toe, the edge curves and curls, growing sideways. This causes the hard keratin to grow into the soft, fleshy side of your toe, pinching or cutting into the skin. This is quite uncomfortable and increases your risk for infections. While there are conservative treatments to relieve the pain and help straighten out a curving nail, sometimes that isn’t enough. Sometimes you need more involved methods, like an ingrown toenail removal.
Having Your Ingrown Nail Removed
An ingrown toenail removal is actually a simple procedure. The offending edge of the nail needs to be cut out and removed from your toe. First, Dr. Noah Levine will examine your toe to determine if the procedure really is the best option for you. Then we’ll help you decide if a partial or complete removal is what your toe needs.
The removal surgery itself is relatively easy. Your toe will be numbed up carefully with basic anesthesia. For a partial nail removal, our specialists will carefully cut the ingrown edge of your nail. The hard keratin sliver will then be removed from your toe. The exposed area of nail bed and the inflamed part of your toe may be treated for infection, then bandaged up.
If you’re prone to ingrown nails in that toe, however, a complete nail removal may be better for your foot. Instead of just cutting out the ingrown edge, the procedure removes the entire toenail. This exposes the nail bed and potentially allows our experts to prevent the nail from growing back. This is helpful when the nail simply regrows ingrown—stunting the nail altogether saves you future pain.
When Nail Removal Is Best
An ingrown toenail removal can be a source of immediate pain relief and a quick fix for your toe issues, but it isn’t always necessary. There are conservative methods to help lift the curving edge above your skin so it grows straighter and not inward. There does reach a point, however, where the nail has curved too much. Conservative methods aren’t able to lift up the edge or prevent it from growing into your skin. The problem becomes increasingly painful. At this point, the removal procedure is the best possible treatment for fixing the nail and relieving your pain.
Ingrown toenails are painful and put your toe at risk for infections and potentially other complications. When conservative methods aren’t helping, an ingrown nail removal is a fast way to provide you with relief and eliminate the problem. Our experts at Absolute Foot Care Specialists will help you take care of your toes and your nails every step of the way. Call (702) 839-2010 or use our website to request more information on removal procedures, or to schedule a consultation at one of our Las Vegas offices today!
