Ingrowing toenail

lost-time

A few months back or maybe a year (!) I dropped the iron onto my right big toe. The nail went black and eventually a new nail appeared underneath this one and all was OK. But I quickly got an ingrowing nail and was initially very painful. Being a bloke i did nothing about it. The pain is only there if I bang or have pressure on it and there is a growth of skin to the right of the nail that bleeds like crazy if I pick at it (!). What are the steps in getting this sorted once and for all as I've had enough of it, bearing in mind it's quite well, er, 'developed'?

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go and see a private podiatrist or get yourself referred to one on the nhs via your gp.

this is so easy to sort out but if you fanny around with it, or let other so called medics try to sort it, it'll more than likely get worse.

just make sure you look for an 'hpc registered podiatrist' if you go private. yellow pages will tell you.

pauldowker

i had mine sorted last month, minor op as a day patient, the cut away the nail, kill the root and you never have to worry again, had two weeks off because i didn't rest too much. got to have the other toe done at some point..

it sounds drastic, but it's done and i can forget about it now!!

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in the meantime...

soak your foot for 5mins in a warm bowl of water with a palm full of salt in it 1-2 times per day. this'll cleanse, clean and help heal the area (it won't cure it though).

the tissue which bleeds is called 'hypergranulation tissue'. it's an attempt by your body to heal but because the nail is 'ingrowing' it has become 'hypertrophic'. resist the urge to cut the nail back as ususally only temporary relief is gained and can make the whole thing harder to treat.

put a simple dressing on the toe to maintain sterility but be careful to not constrict the toe with it.

wear good fitting shoes which will reduce the pressure over the toe.

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pauldowker wrote:

i had mine sorted last month, minor op as a day patient, the cut away the nail, kill the root and you never have to worry again, had two weeks off because i didn't rest too much. got to have the other toe done at some point..

it sounds drastic, but it's done and i can forget about it now!!

i would like to add that this type of problem doesn't always require surgery. it depends on the level of severity and what the nail is doing.

lost-time

Thanks.

Private? Sounds expensive...

Pauldowker, How did you go about getting it sorted? Did you see your GP first?

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lost-time wrote:

Thanks.

Private? Sounds expensive...

quicker...

the cost will depend ultimately on what treatment you have.

either way though the upshot is that whether you have surgery or not you should only require 1-3 visits at the very most.

go and see your gp and ask what the wating times are if you go nhs. some podiatry departments have a 'fast track' system for acute conditions asuch as yours. get the gp to find out the period for waiting.

lost-time

Pagem wrote:

lost-time wrote:

Thanks.

Private? Sounds expensive...

quicker...

the cost will depend ultimately on what treatment you have.

either way though the upshot is that whether you have surgery or not you should only require 1-3 visits at the very most.

go and see your gp and ask what the wating times are if you go nhs. some podiatry departments have a 'fast track' system for acute conditions asuch as yours. get the gp to find out the period for waiting.

Thanks. GP appt booked for next monday.

pauldowker

i went to my gp, had them done by the nurse, small procedure, but she didn't kill off the root, so this is why i ended up at the hospital.

I got a referal from the gp to see a podiatrist.

i agree, it's not the only way, but for me, it's been a god send!!

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pauldowker wrote:

i agree, it's not the only way, but for me, it's been a god send!!

yeap, it's a really neat, successful procedure. current literature states it at 93% successful...

like i said, many 'ingrowing' toenails don't require this but when indicated it's a great, quick and relatively painless procedure.

simkna

Have had both my big toes done at various points. It's no biggy. Go see your GP and get it sorted.

Si.

mbukfan

I treated mine in a rather odd manor but one which is handy if it starts giving you problems far from home (camping trip type thing). If you scrap the nail thinner in the middle it will relieve the pressure without causing the problems that cutting them shorter will. It does work but is a last resort

Mark _Ride

Not got much to add to the above, but I am currently in the process of getting my nail sorted. I just went straight to a private (but state registered) podiatrist, who said that I didn't need the full on operation. She just filed down the side of the nail to smooth it off and wedged a bit of gauze in there to allow the flesh to heal. It's not totally sorted yet but looking a lot better. Keep it as clean as you can though, get some TCP on it and bandage it up.

Noodoo

i've had one for nearly a year now.
Every week or so, i've been putting a little nick into the nail and then using tweezers to tear the nail out from under where the flesh has grown over.
It hurts like hell, but gives me another week of freedom.

I really need to get to a Pediatrist about it.
I've been given 2 courses of anti-biotics to treat it, but they haven't worked and the GP doesn't seem to want to refer me.

looks like i'll have to go private. rubbish.

PS... Husrts like hell when you stub your toe doesn't it?!

lost-time

Noodoo wrote:

PS... Husrts like hell when you stub your toe doesn't it?!

Yep! More so than on a good toe! Also hurts when the dog stands on it....

teacherman

When I was a nipper I developed one. My mum used to jam a pair of scissors down the side and ease the edge out and then snip it off after it had softened in the bath - it hurt like hell but it worked, although its taken me till into my 30's to forgive her.

Heh-is that wrong?