An ingrown toenail can be very discomforting and painful. Many are suffering from this toenail skin condition, which should be addressed earlier as possible to avoid getting severe. Onychocryptosis or an ingrown toenail is a highly prevalent nail condition. It occurs when the nail edge starts to grow into the periungual dermis, which frequently affects the hallux and has a biphasic presentation.
How to treat ingrown toenails?
There are two different kinds of surgery for ingrown toenails to treat the condition, namely:
- Partial Nail Avulsion
- Total Nail Avulsion
These are two types of surgeries that are commonly used for treating Onychocryptosis.
What is partial nail avulsion?
Partial nail removal or Matrixectomy is the removal of a portion of an ingrown toenail that causes discomfort or pain to the patient. The surgical procedure helps stop the ingrown toenail from returning. A local anesthetic is used for this simple operation that requires a few minutes to complete.
Partial nail avulsion has two different kinds, namely:
- Partial nail avulsion. It is where only part of the toenail is removed.
- Full nail avulsion. It is where the entire toenail is removed.
A patient needs partial nail avulsion when the ingrown toenails are caused by different factors, such as:
- Fungal nail infection
- Genetic causes
- Incorrect nail trimming
- Poor choice of footwear
- Trauma or injury
Partial nail avulsion is a very common solution for an ingrown toenail that recurs more often. It is a minor surgical procedure performed to remove the portion of the nail by applying a chemical on the nail root to prevent the offending portion of the nail from growing permanently. There is a quick recovery from this surgery and there is no or minimal discomfort in the post-procedure of the surgery.
A patient needs a full nail avulsion when:
- Severe ingrown toenails
- Deformed toenails
- Severe concussion of the nail area
The procedure needs a local anesthetic. Most patients heal within 3-6 weeks. Follow-up appointments to check and redress the affected toenail are required.
What is a total nail avulsion?
A TNA (Total Nail Avulsion) is a surgical procedure that removes the entire toenail. The procedure is required when a severe ingrown toenail case has severely affected the patient. The ingrown toenail condition has both sides recurrently ingrown and a large curvature appears at the sides of the nail. The wound from the surgery heals within a few weeks.
Once the toenail is completely removed, it may take 6 months to grow back. The toenails take 12-18 months to grow back. However, you should not be confused if the injured nails have looked different when they grow back, it is natural and expected.
Therefore, as much as possible, taking good care of the feet is important to avoid ingrown toenails.
