Nail surgery
Nail surgery is an extremely common procedure carried out under local anaesthetic and is used in circumstances like an ingrown or involuted toenail, fungal or extremely damaged nail. It can be done as a partial nail avulsion (PNA) or total nail avulsion (TNA) depending on whether only the side/s of the nail need removing or the whole nail.Â
Your recovery will be monitored closely by our team of podiatrists, including a follow up the next day to remove the dressings. You will also be instructed how to change the dressing yourself on a daily basis until we will see you in a fortnight to monitor the healing process.
FAQs
How painful is it?
You will feel a mild discomfort with the local anaesthetic, but then your toe will feel numb. It takes away the pain sensation but you will still feel some pressure during the procedure. We will check in with you regularly to make sure you are feeling well.
Will it be sore after the procedure?
Generally speaking, there is very little discomfort the night of the operation or during the healing period. Any pain is usually easily controlled by paracetamol or ibuprofen (do not use aspirin or products that contain aspirin, as this could encourage bleeding).
What will my nail look like after?
If you have a partial nail avulsion, your nail will appear slightly thinner in appearance as we would have taken the sides out. We can apply a chemical called phenol to the nail matrix which prevents it from growing back and re-offending. If you have a total nail avulsion, the skin will harden once exposed to the air and after 6-8 weeks, a tougher skin will develop where the nail used to be. Many ladies paint this skin and the surgery goes virtually unnoticed.