When You Need an Ingrown Nail Removal

Our Jefferson Parish community has lots of opportunities for children to run around and have a good time. Metairie, LA has a dozen public playgrounds. As your sons and daughters are out playing, make sure they are outfitted with shoes that fit properly. Ill-fitting footwear can sometimes lead to ingrown toenails. When the condition becomes severe, we may have to consider ingrown nail removal.

Ingrown toenails are a rather common issue where the side or corner of a nail has grown into the soft flesh surrounding it. This leads to swelling, redness, pain, and in some cases even infection. The causes are a bit varied, but include improper nail trimming, physical trauma, tight footwear, and simply having toenails that are unusually curved.

When patients come in with this condition, we will attempt to take care of it using conservative treatment first. This typically entails lifting the nail and placing a splint under it to help the nail grow as it should – above the skin and not into it. If this is not sufficient, or for severe cases, we may opt to do a partial removal of the nail. For this procedure, we can attempt trimming or removing only the ingrown portion.

Complete removal is typically only considered for nails that have repeatedly become ingrown. At this point, we have tried everything else, so we will need to remove the nail.

Ingrown nail removal is an in-office procedure and we only need local anesthetic for numbing the affected toe. We use special tools to cut the nail down to the cuticle. From there, we pull off either the whole nail or only a part, depending on your specific situation, and then use a chemical to keep it from growing back. This process typically takes less than an hour and you will be provided with post-op care instructions.

At Gulf South Foot & Ankle, LLC, we hope that we can treat your ingrown toenail without having to remove it, but hopefully you can find comfort in the fact we have the expertise you need for a smooth procedure. Our dedicated staff is ready to help you and your family with any foot or ankle condition you may experience, so use our online form or give us a call at (504) 708-4810 to schedule your appointment at our Metairie, LA office today.