ingrowing toe nails

Can't comment on your risk of infection I'm afraid, but I've had both my big toenails removed for the very same reason. At first they did what they call a 'partial removal' where they removed the outer edges of the nail, this didn't work so I decided to have them both taken off.

Mine took around 6 - 8 weeks to heal and you have to have the dressings changed regularly due to the infection risk, you don't actually feel the toenail getting removed as they anaesthetise the toe, however you will feel them putting the injection in the toe but the pain is short-lived.

TBH, it was one of the best decisions I've made and wish I'd done it years earlier, the skin on the toe goes hard just like the toenail and you simply don't miss the nail, if any other toenail was causing problems I wouldn't hesitate to have them removed.

I had a strip of the side of my big toenail removed due to repeat infection. Healed well and no problems since. Will have the other done if recommended.


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I couldn't wear a shoe straight after due to bandage. No swelling though. Just wore flip flops mainly. After a few days bandage was replaced with a much smaller one and I could wear shoes again.x


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Had my right big toenail removed , and a smaller one. 2 days after getting the big one removed it I went to a Moby concert . Lol had mine done in October and it was a bit of a pain wearing open toe shoes for a while. But it never got infected though mine did take several months to heal properly. Think that was because unknown to me I had the start of reduced circulation in legs even then.

But think it was worthwhile getting done as before that was causing me lots of problems. Just take care of it afterwards and it should be fine. Good luck.

Tight shoes or pressure around the toe causes the deformation that gives ingrown toenails when you cut the toenail short, into the quick.
loose shoe and square cut, a single cut at 90 degree is what I do

I had both my big toe nails removed 18 months ago, after repeated treatment for ingrowing nails. I had it done privately, though I was told by diabetes clinic afterwards that I could have had it done on the NHS. I'd been going to a fantastic podiatrist a couple of times a year for quite a long time because of the Ingrowing nail problem, and it seemed easier to have the op at the same clinic.

The op took about an hour, and my OH gave me a lift home. I wouldn't have wanted to drive straightaway. The dressings in the first couple of days were quite bulky, and my toes felt quite tender to start with, so I needed to wear loose-fitting shoes and slippers for a couple of days.

What surprised me a bit was that the healing is quite a long process - several weeks before the wounds even dry up. I was shown how to dress the wounds by the podiatrist, and it involved soaking in salt water and drying and dressing with spray and fresh gauze squares and toe bandages every day during all that time. Quite labour-intensive! (But, preferable, in my opinion, to endless ingrowing scenarios!). This has to be done to avoid infection, which I felt was especially necessary because of my diabetes .

I'm very pleased that I had it done. I'd been worried that my toes would look gross without their nails, but they don't: you have to look twice to notice that the nails aren't still there. My distorted untreated nails had looked uglier. Plus, you can still continue to paint your nails - once the healing is complete of course. The nail varnish doesn't stay intact for as long, but that's not a problem, it would stay put for long enough for a night out on the town!

C1a1r319 said:

Thanks for the replies. I think I will have it done as they are really bothersome.
Does it swell up?
Can you wear normal shoes after?

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I can't say mine swelled up but it was weeping quite badly for the first couple of weeks which eventually settled down. As for shoes, well I'm a man and wear wide-fitting footwear anyway so didn't have any problems, if your normal shoes are tight-fitting then this could be a problems and you may need to get a cheap pair of loose fitting shoes.

C1a1r319 said:

Hello,
So much going on with me, im falling apart.
I have to have my ingrowing toe nails cut off and acid put there to stop the bit that in grows from growing again ON BOTH FEET, BOTH SIDES OF BIG TOE!!!!
they are going to do one at a time.
Is the procedure worth the risk of infection, should I just leave them be and opt out? It takes 12 weeks to heal.
has anyone else had this procedure? if so,was it ok?
I know everyone is different so it might affect me differently
Claire

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Hey Claire

I had a bad ingrown toenail that got infected a few months ago and what worked for me was to go and see a Podiatrist and have them carefully shaped over a number of appointments.

I was given a course of antibiotics that stemmed the infection.

The ingrowing nail was carefully filled back and removed. I then had 3 follow up appointments to ensure they were growing straight and a number of things such as cotton wool under the nail to force it to grow out worked wonders.

I now make sure I do not cut them too low and go and see the podiatrist every 2 months for general diabetic check-up

If the danger of infection outweighed the benefits from having the procedure done then the GP would not have recommended the procedure. Contrary to the common opinion on these boards, doctors are not hacks who randomly cut off bits or inject you with untested drugs at random.