Nail Surgery

This is a routine dermatosurgical procedure done for both diagnostic and therapeutic purpose. This is a simple office based procedure.

There are many common conditions which can cause the nail and/or the surrounding skin to become painful or inflamed :

In growing toenails being the commonest
Paronychia – redness, pain around the nail
Foreign body in nail bed
Infections - warts

Different nail surgeries performed

Partial / total nail avulsion
Biopsy of nail plate, bed, folds
Incision / drainage of abscess / hematoma
Removal of foreign body
Ablation of warts and benign tumors

What is an ingrown toe nail and how is it treated ?

This is a very common and painful condition of the nails resulting due to penetration of nail plate into the soft tissue surrounding the nail.

Causes :

Trauma sustained during sports, walking
Incorrect nail trimming
Tight toe box space - improper footwear
Diabetes
Congenital nail plate disorders, excessive sweating, obesity

Treatment

There are two common minor surgical procedures that can be carried out.Both procedures will involve a local anaesthetic agent.

Partial Nail Avulsion

One or both edges of the nail are removed and the root of the nail (matrix) is cauterized using a chemical (phenol) / radiofrequency. This prevents these painful sections of nails from re-growing. Otherwise, predictably the nail will re-grow in the same way and produce the same problem. The healing time for this procedure is 4-6 weeks.

Total Nail Avulsion

The entire nail is removed .The healing time for this procedure is 4 - 8 weeks. Finger nails take on an average 3 months and toe nails take 6 months to regrow.