"Ingrown" nails and other toenail problems--surgical treatment

Appropriate office treatment for "ingrown" or deformed toenails can bring quick and lasting relief. The principle is the removal of the portion of the nail that irritates. For mild problems, a buried nail corner or spur may be successfully trimmed away without anesthesia. More extensive infection requires a nerve block anesthetic of the toe and removal of a wide triangle of deformity with nail edge and the mass of heaped up granulations. Chronic or recurrent infection is often associated with some abnormality of the nail. It usually saves time and suffering in the long run to remove a third or so of the width of the nail together with its matrix or "root." Sharp dissection is relatively easy and far more dependable than other methods of removal or destruction of the matrix. The matrix of the entire nail can be removed just as easily to eliminate such problems as the grossly thickened nail of onychogryphosis.