Foot Clinic

If you have an ingrown toenail then you should not ignore it in the hope it will go away. It will not get better on its own and it may even become infected and more painful. 

Nail surgery is a minor procedure performed under a local anaesthetic, to remove a portion of, or the entire nail plate. This procedure may be recommended for problematic nails, such as ingrowing toenails, fungal nail infection or a painful, deformed nail. A chemical called phenol is used to destroy the nail matrix (at the root where the cells of the nail are made) to prevent it from growing and causing the same problem in the future, this is called chemical matrixectomy. Some people may not require the chemical matrixectomy and only need a portion or the whole nail removing temporarily, in acute circumstances such as trauma to the nail, or an attempt at self treatment which has exacerbated the problem. 

Ingrown toe nails can often reoccur. The most common reason for an ingrown toe nail to occur in the first place is the shape of the nail (curved down the side). With sound advice on self treatment, it may be possible to prevent it reoccurring.  

Cryotherapy (or cryosurgery) is the treatment of skin lesions by a cold substance, mainly liquid nitrogen. It is a relatively straightforward, almost painless procedure that involves the short exposure to liquid nitrogen or other cryogens, followed by slow thawing, also known as the freeze-thaw cycle.