Ingrown Toenail Removal (in office)

Ingrown toenails can occur due to improper nail care, poorly fitting footwear, trauma to the toe or nail, excessive sweating, or other medical conditions. When the ingrown toenail becomes severe enough to cause pain, drainage, infection, and/or difficulty walking, physicians may recommend removing the ingrown toenail. Removal may be partial or take the whole nail, but in either case, the nail matrix (part of the nail bed that grows new nails) will be treated to prevent the removed nail portion from regrowing.

Ingrown toenail removal can be performed in your doctor’s office with a local anesthetic, often lidocaine. In most cases, the doctor will try to save as much of the healthy nail as possible by only taking the outside 20-25% of the nail plate. After the removal, the nail will be treated with antibiotic ointment and wrapped in a gauze bandage to protect it.