Ingrown Toenail Surgery Melbourne
Help cure your ingrown toenail with ingrown toenail surgery
Ingrown toenails are a painful condition in which the toenail grows into the flesh around your toes causing redness, swelling and even infection when left untreated. They can be caused by a number of factors, from incorrect nail cutting techniques and ill-fitting footwear to an unavoidable hereditary disposition.
If the ingrown nail is treated early, treatment is usually fast and effective, but chronic sufferers may require ingrown toenail surgery. This simple “walk in and walk out” procedure is performed at our Melbourne foot clinic by one of our highly trained podiatrists. Nail surgery takes just 1 – 1.5 hours and will help cure an ingrown toenail and prevent a recurrence.
NB. Any surgical or invasive procedure, including nail surgery performed under a local anaesthetic, carries risk. Before proceeding with nail surgery we always advise patients to seek opinion and consultation with one of our qualified podiatrists first.
Quick, Simple and Guaranteed Results
Treating chronic ingrown toenails with surgery is a safe and effective procedure performed under sterile conditions by our experienced podiatry team. Compared to other nail procedures it is less invasive with minimal recovery time and post-op discomfort. With no need for hospital time and guaranteed results, you will enjoy a life free of the discomfort and pain caused by this problem.
Ingrown toenail surgery procedure at Melbourne podiatrists
Initial appointment
An initial assessment is essential before any nail surgery appointment can be scheduled. At this appointment the podiatrist will diagnose your ingrown toenail and take a detailed medical history to find out if you are suitable for ingrown toenail surgery. They will then explain the procedure in depth, quote you on associated costs and schedule your nail surgery appointment if you choose to proceed.
At Melbourne Podiatrists & Orthotics we understand that there is often urgency with ingrown toenail surgery so we will always make sure you can get a nail surgery appointment, even if its required at short notice.
Nail surgery appointment
Ingrown toenail surgery is a simple “walk in walk out” procedure performed by our podiatrists under sterile conditions at our Melbourne podiatry clinic. You should bring in some open toed sandals or thongs for this appointment as you will have a bulky dressing on the toe post surgery. Please also feel free to bring in music, headphones or anything else that helps you relax.
Ingrown toenail surgery consists of the following simple 4-step procedure:
- An injection of local anaesthetic is administered to the toe.
- The ingrown section of nail is cut out at the root.
- The nail bed is chemically sterilised to prevent regrowth of the offending section of nail.
- The toe is cleaned and appropriately dressed with antiseptic to minimise post-op infection.
Redressing appointments
Your podiatrist will schedule you a redressing appointment 1 week following surgery. At this appointment the podiatrist will check the healing progress of your toe whilst making sure there is no regrowth or infection. A second redressing appointment is usually scheduled 3 – 4 weeks post surgery.
Redressing appointments are included in the cost of nail surgery. It is vital that you attend these appointments with your podiatrist to minimise infection and to ensure 100% cure of your ingrown toenail. Failure to attend redressing appointments may void your nail surgery guarantee.
3 month post surgery review
A 3 month review will be scheduled by the podiatrist post nail surgery. This review is a separate charged consult at our standard consultation rates. Toenails are very slow growing so this review is essential to ensure your nail surgery was 100% successful without any nail segment regrowth. Minor issues or problems can still be rectified at this stage post surgery.
NB. This review is compulsory for patients to meet the terms and conditions under our Nail Surgery Guarantee.
Healing
Ingrown toenail surgery at our podiatry clinic is “walk in and walk out” so there is literally no time off your feet. Post nail surgery you will have a big bulky dressing on your toe which you are required to keep dry for 2 days and to wear open toed sandals or thongs. Following removal of this dressing you can get back into normal footwear and resume normal daily living activities.
Most patients find they can resume most sporting activities after 2 weeks, whilst full healing of your toe takes approximately 6 – 8 weeks. Please speak to your podiatrist if you have any concerns or questions during recovery.
Toenails are very slow growing (a toenail can take up to 18 months to regrow) therefore you may not see the final cosmetic result until after this period. Good fitting footwear and avoiding nail trauma will ensure the best result.
Regrowth
Nail surgery at Melbourne Podiatrists & Orthotics is a very effective procedure. We estimate cases of nail segment regrowth at less than 1%. In the unlikely scenario there is nail regrowth causing further issue or the original problem returns then you will be covered under our nail surgery guarantee. In these cases our podiatrists will happily perform a second nail surgery procedure at no extra cost to fix the original problem.
Why choose Melbourne Podiatrists & Orthotics for ingrown toenail surgery?
At Melbourne Podiatrists & Orthotics we take ingrown toenail surgery very seriously and our podiatrists take extra care to ensure your surgery is 100% successful. When choosing a podiatrist for ingrown toenail surgery you should not base your decision solely on price but on all of the factors that the procedure includes.
Our podiatrists are experienced in ingrown toenail surgery and perform this surgery regularly on both children and adults. We simply love doing them.
We allow a minimum of 1.5 hours for nail surgery (3 hours for two toes) to allow time to manage any potential complications (e.g. achieving anaesthesia, post surgery bleeding). This extra time ensures a professional job and that the actual nail surgery is not rushed. Other clinics may only allow 1 hour, which can put the podiatrist under stress if things don’t go to plan.
We use a pain numbing device to help reduce the pain associated with injections. We also have other devices and strategies to help patients both young and old cope with the anxiety associated with injections and surgery.
All ingrown toenail surgery includes the follow up redressing appointments to minimise infection, post surgery complications and ensure healing.
We offer a nail surgery guarantee which guarantees success. We were the first clinic in Melbourne to introduce such a guarantee and few clinics in Melbourne offer such guarantees.
FAQ ingrown toenail surgery?
Yes. Whilst nail surgery is a very safe procedure there are still some contraindications to nail surgery. It is vitally important that you discuss with the podiatrist prior to booking surgery if you:
- Have a needle phobia or suffer from anxiety
- Are pregnant
- Are breastfeeding
- Have allergies to local anaesthetics such as lidocaine
- Have allergies to medicaments, primarily iodine and phenol
- Are allergic to certain dressings or bandages, primarily bactigras
- Are on blood thinners
- Have an underlying health condition that may affect surgery
- Are on any other medication that may affect surgery
Our podiatrist will discuss these with you to work out if you are still suitable for nail surgery.
Please inform the podiatrist prior to booking nail surgery if you have a needle phobia or suffer from anxiety with injections. In some cases your GP may need to prescribe you with oral sedation for use prior to nail surgery. If indicated our podiatrists will be happy to discuss these options with you and your GP.
We advise that nail surgery with the use of phenol is best avoided if you are pregnant and conservative treatment options should be explored instead.
Whilst local anaesthetics like lidocaine are generally considered safe after the first trimester (12 weeks) the evidence for the use of phenol (which is toxic to humans) is limited during pregnancy, therefore it is best avoided.
If you are pregnant we advise seeing one of our podiatrists to discuss conservative ingrown toenail treatment options. In some cases, after the first trimester, we may be able to remove the offending nail under local anaesthesia without phenolisation and this may provide a short term solution.
For urgent nail surgery during pregnancy our podiatrists may decide to refer you to a podiatric or orthopaedic surgeon for a different nail surgery technique without the use of chemicals.
With breastfeeding we always take a conservative approach therefore we advise it is best to delay nail surgery and the use of phenol until after breastfeeding.
Whilst research has shown that the use of a local anaesthetic such as lidocaine during breastfeeding is safe, there is limited evidence on the use of phenol. Whilst the small quantity of phenol applied to the nail bed during nail surgery is unlikely to affect the breastfed baby, it has not been extensively studied and therefore it is best avoided.
For urgent nail surgery where the benefits outweigh the risks we advise consultation and approval from your obstetrician prior to nail surgery.
Stop suffering and book your nail surgery today!
If you are suffering from a painful ingrown toenail then ingrown toenail surgery may be the cure you are looking for. The friendly podiatry team at our Melbourne clinic are experts in ingrown toenail treatment and highly trained in effective nail surgery procedures.
Get in touch with us today for more information or to book a consultation with one of our podiatrists.