Removal of the ingrown nail is an advanced surgical procedure of an ingrown nail. Ingrown nails are an unpleasant and painful condition. It is about sticking in the nail plate into the surrounding tissue. As it proceeds, it causes pain in the entire big toe, making it difficult to wear shoes and causing discomfort when walking.

The skin around the nail fold (on the sides of the nail) becomes swollen and reddened, and if the nail pierces it, there is bleeding. The resulting wound can become infected – bacterial superinfection. Therefore, in the event of the occurrence of this ailment, it is very important to observe hygiene rules.

Most often it is caused by incorrect nail clipping – too close to the skin. But it can also be caused by a result of:

• wearing uncomfortable shoes: too tight, with narrow tips, putting pressure on the toes,
• wearing high-heeled shoes,
• nail damage (accidental hit, pinch),
• congenital predisposition to grow nails “downwards”,
• recurrent athlete’s foot,
• cuts to the nail shaft.

If you notice a problem, see a podiatrist. Importantly: it is worth doing it in the initial stage of the disease development. Thanks to this, it may be possible to avoid surgical intervention: cutting out the marginal part of the plate or the entire nail.

If the patient develops an advanced disease, you will need to see a surgeon who may decide to remove the entire nail. This is especially needed when the skin under the damaged plate starts to purge or is damaged by mycosis. The doctor then cuts out the plaque along with the so-called nail bed, otherwise known as the matrix. The treatment is carried out after relieve / heal inflammation. It is performed under local anesthesia and takes about 15 minutes. Sometimes it is necessary to put stitches.

A few days after the surgical removal of the ingrown toenail, the patient may experience discomfort and pain, therefore it may be necessary to administer painkillers. About two days after surgery it is possible to walk, and the seams are usually removed after a week.

We invite you to the General Surgery Clinic, where the procedures are performed by experienced specialists.