NAIL SURGERY 

What happens when you undergo a nail surgery procedure ?

Nail surgery is a procedure routinely completed under a local anaesthetic, which involves two injections at the base of the toe. Once the toe is confirmed to be numb, a tight rubber band is placed around the base of the toe. At this point, either the whole nail (total nail avulsion) or a small wedge of the nail is removed from the offending side or sides of the toenail plate (partial nail avulsion). 

To stop the section of nail regrowing, a chemical called phenol is applied to the base of the nail to prevent the problem from re-occurring. The procedure takes approximately 10-15minutes, however, you will be booked in an hour long appointment to allow for preparation and monitoring after. A dressing will be placed on the toe which needs to stay in place until your follow-up appointment (about 48 hrs) when your podiatrist will change the dressing and examine the toe. At this appointment you will be provided with instructions on how to care for your toe.

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Healing takes approximately 4-6weeks, for this duration is important to keep your toe clean and dry otherwise a surgical site infection may develop that may require antibiotic therapy , it is quite normal for the surgery site to produce a clear/yellow discharge whilst healing is occurring. There may be some mild pain and discomfort following the procedure for which it is advised you take some painkillers prior to the anaesthetic wearing off. It is important for you to go home and elevate your foot and rest for 24hours after the procedure.

Initially, a wider fitting shoe or sandals is the best to wear as the initial dressing maybe bulky. You will not be able to swim until the toe has healed and high impact exercise such as running should be replaced by other forms of cardiovascular exercise in the short term.