Comfortable Permanent Surgical Treatment for Ingrown Nails

Millions of Americans suffer from ingrown toenails. Sometimes, the pain is so severe they find themselves missing work and canceling social activities. "Why, then, do they avoid treatment?" you might ask. The reasons are simple: they do not know a permanent procedure is available, and they are afraid of pain. What they don't realize is that home remedies are often more painful than medical treatment.

If you have recurring ingrown toenails, you know the familiar signs of pain. When your toe is really sore, you'll grab your toenail clippers and try to cut out the corner of the nail. Quite often, the pain continues. This is because the nail might be ingrown all the way along the side, not just at the tip, as shown in the diagram below.

In addition to being painful, home treatments are often dangerous. Here are the risks involved:

• Infection which might necessitate more extensive treatment
• Serious complications in people with circulatory problems such
  as infection, gangrene, and threatened loss of limb
• Return of the ingrown nail

Many people believe that improper trimming causes ingrown toenails, but this is usually not the real reason why ingrown nails occur. The most common causes of ingrown toenails are:

• Curved nails
• Fungus nail infection
• Family history of ingrown toenails
• Poor choice of shoes, or shoe pressure
• Trauma (injury) to the nail

Now, there is a procedure that eliminates ingrown toenails. First, we will use anesthesia. A normal injection can be done; you feel virtually nothing.

After Dr. Shlifer removes the portion of the nail that has grown into the skin, she will use a special chemical to destroy the nail root. In most cases, after surgery, toenails grow normally without imbedding themselves into the skin. Here's what you will experience during and after surgery, which can be performed in the comfort of our office:

• No pain during surgery
• You will be able to walk immediately
• You will be able to return to work the same day