Ingrown toenails can occur when the edge of the toenail has grown into the nearby skin fold causing irritation and possibly infection.
Ingrown toenails can be caused by trauma to the nail, poor nail trimming, wearing improperly fitting shoes and having congenital involuted nails. There are many ways to treat ingrown toenails such as routinely removing the affected nail edge, packing the affected nail edge to prevent it from irritating the skin fold or permanent surgical removal of the affected nail edge may be needed.
Chronic cases of ingrown toenails can be treated with permanent removal of the affected nail edge. For the procedure, your toe will be anesthetized, prepped with antiseptic and a tourniquet will be applied. The procedure involves removal of the affected nail edge and phenol is applied to kill the nail matrix in order to prevent nail regrowth. After the procedure, the toe is cleaned and wrapped up in a dressing. During the period that the toe heals, the toe will be regularly cleaned and dressed with a topical antibiotic and bandage. Once the toe fully heals, the nail should return its normal appearance and be narrower in size than before.
If you are having problems with ingrown toenails, you can contact us at 416-299-1508.