It is a procedure most commonly used for people suffering from ingrown or mis-shapen nails.
This involves the permanent removal of either ‘part’ or ‘all’ of your toenail, under local anaesthetic.
HEALING: The average healing time is 4-8 weeks, providing you don’t have an infection. This is because of the chemical burn that is used to prevent the nail from growing again.
During this time you will need to keep the toe dry and covered to help reduce the chances of infection. Please consider your ability to do this post surgery when selecting your surgery date.
FOOTWEAR POST SURGERY: You will have a large dressing on your toe 24-72 hours post surgery which will prevent you from wearing ‘normal’ shoes during this time. Please consider your school/work and if its possible to wear open toed shoes until you have it removed and go into a much smaller dressing.
SWIMMING/WATER SPORTS/HOLIDAYS: If you are a keen swimmer, please be aware you will have to stop until the toe is healed. If you are off on a holiday with a pool and you are excited about some quality ‘pool time’ please discuss this with your podiatrist to help find the best time for scheduling your surgery, to enable optimal holiday fun.
SPORTS: If you are an active sports person, please discuss this with your Podiatrist as you may need to reduce your activity to help with healing. Especially if your sports are in or around water.
TRANSPORT: Arrange transport to and from your appointment, you may not be insured to drive whilst your toe is numb.
CONSENT: Anyone under 16 must have a parent/guardian accompany them to give consent on their behalf.
FOOTWEAR: Bring open toed shoes/sandals to accommodate a large dressing
ENTERTAINMENT: Bring a book/tablet/phone to use during the procedure to help distract and calm you. People often find the use of headphones a great way to zone out, before, during and after the procedure.
FOOD: Eat and drink normally before you attend your appointment, make sure to have had some food in the lead up to avoid risk of feeling light headed.
TIMING: Allow 60-90 minutes for your procedure, we look to go at your pace, if you need extra time to relax before your anaesthetic, we cater for this and allow plenty of time to make sure your toe is numb before we proceed.
PREPRATION:
IMPORTANT: Advise us if you have had anaesthetic in the last 24 hours prior to your nail surgery. eg dental treatment.
Nail Regrowth: This is uncommon but may occur in some cases.
Delayed Healing: Optimal healing is usually 4-8 weeks, but this can be longer depending on your age and medical conditions.
Phenol Burn: Occasionally the phenol spreads to the surrounding skin causing a blister
Infection: If the toe becomes red, hot, painful or swollen, seek advice from your podiatrist or GP
Adverse Reaction to anaesthetic: This is very rare, but you need to advise us if you have had any previous reactions or if this is your first time having local anaesthetic.
Nerve Irritation: In rare cases, the nerve can be damaged close to the injection site, causing temporary numbness or altered sensation for 12 months or more.
Nail surgery Check List