Ingrown Toenails - Treatment

Treatment with over the counter products and topical or oral antibiotics is usually ineffective
since they do not address the ingrown nail itself. In order to resolve the condition the
offending nail border must be removed (Fig. 2).

• If the nail is only minimally ingrown the offending border may be removed simply by
  trimming the nail margin. This does not usually require use of a local anesthetic.
  
• If the nail is significantly ingrown or an infection is present, removal of the offending
  nail border and drainage of the infection usually requires local anasthesia and a more
  aggressive nail border resection. Any hypertrophic granulation tissue is usually resected.
  Antibiotics should be used appropriately.


• In cases of reccurrent ingrown nails a matricectomy may be performed in which the
  offending portion of the nail is permanently removed.
  
• If an abnormality of the nail, soft tissue, or bone is present a more involved surgical
  procedure may be needed to correct the condition and relieve the patient’s symptoms.

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