Ingrown toenails can be treated conservatively or surgically depending on many factors such as:

• shape of your nail – the more your nail is pincher or curvy (involuted) the higher the chance of reoccurring ingrown nails
• severity of ingrown nail – how infected and how much extra tissue (hypergranulation tissue) is growing over your nail
• number of infections / episodes of ingrown you have had. How many times have you had to be on antibiotics?
• activities that are required and types of shoes you need to wear
• your ability to manage cutting your nails

In most cases one of our podiatrists will conservatively remove the offending nail often called a spike / spicule (using local anaesthetic if required) to allow the nail to grow out properly.  It is like removing the jagged edge of your nail and making it smooth again.  This allows the nail to grow out past the skin without irritating the nail skin (known as nail sulci).

Should conservative measures fail then nail surgery can be performed in our rooms.  The procedure that we prefer is nail phenolisation which offers a permanent fix to your ingrown nail problem.  Our podiatrists or visiting podiatric surgeon can perform this procedure at Foot Focus podiatry.

Please refer to here for more information on ingrown toenails and conservative treatment options.

Should I Just Let My Ingrown Toenail Grow Out?

You can try to grow your nail out but if it is too painful then you will need the help of one of our friendly podiatrists to help grow your nail out.  Usually this will require cutting the corner of your nail and making the nail edge as smooth as possible.  Sometimes packing the nail away from the skin or taping the toe can help the nail grow out.  The key is to see a podiatrist to see if there is a good chance your nail can grow out.  If your nail can grow out and you wear appropriate shoes and always cut your nails so the corner are free then there is no reason that your nail should become ingrown again.  At foot focus podiatry we can teach you how to grow your nail out and cut your nails to prevent ingrown toenails. We also stock proper podiatry nail clippers / cutters that you can purchase.

How Can I Permanently Fix an Ingrown Toenail?

If your ingrown toenail is mild then allowing one of our podiatrists to cut your nail properly and assist growing your nail out may be all you need. Otherwise nail surgery is recommended for reoccurring ingrown toenails.  This can be performed by one of our podiatrist or Dr Reza Naraghi (podiatric surgeon) who attends Foot Focus Podiatry rooms.

Please refer to here for more information on surgical treatment options for ingrown toenails.