Ingrown Toenail Removal
An ingrown toenail is painful and difficult at any age or stage of life. At Quantum Foot and Ankle Group, PC, experienced podiatrist J. Adrian Wright, DPM, MS, uses his own unique ingrown toenail treatment to remove ingrown nails safely with virtually no pain. With this gentle approach, Dr. Wright ends ingrown toenail discomfort and pain — it’s safe and effective even in young children. Call the Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey, office or book your appointment online today.
Ingrown Toenail Treatment Q & A
What is an ingrown toenail?
An ingrown toenail develops when your toenail plate is too wide for the nail bed. The corners of the nail curve down and into your skin at the nail borders. Most ingrown toenails affect the big toe.
The most common cause of ingrown toenails is improper grooming techniques, like cutting nails in a curve shape or trimming them too short. Some other common causes include inherited nail type, trauma to the nail plate, and wearing too-tight shoes.
What are the symptoms of an ingrown toenail?
Ingrown toenail symptoms occur in three stages.
Stage one
In the early stage, typical symptoms include soreness or pain at the corner of the nail plate, inflamed red toe, and toe swelling.
Stage two
If not treated in the early stage, an ingrown toenail frequently leads to skin infection. In stage two, the infection usually causes toe leakage like blood, pus, or both.
Stage three
If an infection isn’t treated in stage two, you can develop granulation tissue, which is stage three of an ingrown toenail. The granulation tissue is new skin that grows over the open infection. This worsens the infection further.
To avoid serious infection and complications, see Dr. Wright at Quantum Foot and Ankle Group, PC as soon as you notice early signs of an ingrown nail. Immediate care is especially vital if you have diabetes or any condition that inhibits healing.
What are some ingrown toenail treatments?
Methods like soaking, lifting, or filing the nail can sometimes give you short-term relief, but, those methods don’t actually reduce the oversized nail plate.
An ingrown nail often comes back after these treatments. The best ingrown toenail treatment is removing the offending portion of your nail.
To achieve immediate symptom relief and avoid ingrown toenail recurrence, Dr. Wright developed his own special treatment protocol at Quantum Foot and Ankle Group, PC. He removes the ingrown portion of the nail using advanced local anesthesia techniques.
Dr. Wright’s unique protocol is safe and effective for patients of all ages, including young children. Both children and adults tolerate the procedure very well because it causes minimal discomfort.
If you have a late-stage ingrown toenail, Dr. Wright also typically prescribes antibiotics to help you beat the infection. When taking antibiotics, be sure to finish all the medication or the infection could return.
Quantum Foot and Ankle Group, PC offers fast and effective ingrown toenail treatments developed by a leading expert. Call the office or book your appointment using the online scheduler today.