(The images shown here may be graphic to some or my hairy, bloody toes may offend you. If you’re worried, stop reading right now. For a look at what complete toenail removal and what getting that infected is like, click here.)
My name is Tyler and I’ve been in an abusive relationship with my nails for as long as I can remember. For all my childhood and the first decade of adulthood, I chewed my fingernails. I chewed them to the nubbins until they hurt.
Sometimes they bled. There were hangnails every day. For years, I had no idea that what I had WAS a hangnail, and had always heard about hangnails being such horribly painful maladies. Ridiculous, I know, but I thought what I had was normal. I’d be approaching 30 by the time I overcame that nasty habit.
And that’s where I thought it ended. And then I started running more. And then I noticed that my toes hurt.
Picture these attached to the inside of your big toenails. The fat part should attach at the cuticle.
Every step hurt. Every step always hurt. Not just when I ran, but whenever my toes had pressure on them, like say, at the end of a bed with tucked in sheets (I kick the sheets out to avoid pain, not because I had some weird claustrophobic thing). More so after I played sports that required lateral movement, like tennis and basketball, but I figured the pain in my big toes was just part of that. What I didn’t know was that the nails curved inward at each edge, digging into the sides of each one. Man, that hurts to think about it that way.
Clippers and nippers hurt! Way painful. No matter how hard I tried, I could never cut off enough. One time, while I was recovering from pilonidal cyst surgery, I’d managed to angle cut down almost to the cuticle of the outside of my big toe (outside being relative to my body) and went to my normal doctor. She brought in some old dude who shoved pliers into the side of my toe, sending painful shocks through my body that made me convulse, which irritated my still-open wound hole.
It hurt so f***ing bad.
While the acute pain subsided after the skin on the side of my toe healed, the nail eventually grew back and dug in again. Instead of trying to trim it, I went the opposite way and let it grow back out, hoping that the problem was just that I sucked at toenail cutting. After three-ish months, the nail came back and my left toe hurt again. Like before, I ignored it and went about my running.
Super-sharp knife being used to separate my nail. She also cut a bit of the toe, but that’s normal and heals quickly.
Five half marathons, a few years and hundreds of training miles later, the outside of my left toe hurt so much that removing the toenail seemed like a great idea. Remembering that my nurse practitioner was a distance runner, I asked her what to do. She referred to me Dr. Serrina Yozsa, a podiatrist working out of the office adjacent to Scottsdale Hospital on Osborn by the Scottsdale Giants stadium. I walked in, she did some ingrown toenail surgery and sent me home. Recovery was quick and spring 2011 is the first time in my life that athletic activity didn’t make my left toe hurt worse.
While the nail eventually did start to curve into my flesh again, her trimming job allowed me access to the offending area. A quick snip and file solved that issue. But now that the outside of my LEFT toe no longer hurt, I realized that the inside of BOTH big toes hurt a helluva lot, too.
Have you ever tried to use nippers and clippers on the inside of your big toe? Holy hell that area is sensitive. No matter how long I soaked my toes in hot water, no matter how careful I was with the cutting and no matter how many painkillers I took beforehand, I just couldn’t trim enough of the nail back to alleviate the pain. And because the area was so inflamed, I usually ended up cutting the skin on my toe, adding to the pain.
Three shots in my left toe, six in my right. I felt every one.
Don’t think my toe LOOKED all that bad, though. While the area was red, it was impossible to tell anything was wrong, which is why I was so hesitant to get it taken care of in the first place. I’m not sure if I was waiting for it to swell up and start draining pus, but I just couldn’t bring myself to get checked out by Yozsa again. And then I started playing tennis again, with the lateral movement re-igniting the digging and the pain. After completing the Tough Mudder, I headed back in to Yozsa for another round of ingrown toenail surgery.
(I don’t have health insurance, which was another barrier to getting this checked out. My bill for all three surgeries was around $250 per toe, which was totally worth it and I’d pay it again.)
The procedure was the same as previous: three shots at the base of my toe (six for my right toe, because it was slightly sprained from Tough Mudder and far more sensitive), then a mini log-splitter-ish tool to separate the ingrown part down to the cuticle, then pliers to rip that part out, followed by a wooden kabob stick with its tip dip in some kind of chemical that burned and killed my root. It looked far more painful than in felt. Well, that is until I woke up a few hours later when my numbing medication wore off and my toes screamed, “holy hell you ripped a nail out of us! And you cut us up in a really sensitive area! What the hell?!”
This scared me a bit, but most of that gross stuff came off during the initial soak.
I spent 2-4:30am that night alternating between gently laying a bag of ice on my flat-on-the-ground feet and then laying on the floor with my feet up on the couch. It hurt, I could barely walk and all I wanted to do was fall back asleep. Mercifully, that throbbing pain was nearly gone the next morning. Good thing, as my post-op care involved SCRUBBING THE WOUND WITH A TOOTHBRUSH.
Yeah, seriously. Twice a day, I was to soak my toes in warm water with vinegar and baby shampoo, then scrub with a toothbrush, then soak in some anti-bacterial spray, then apply wound dressing, then cover it with at first gauze and wrap, than large bandages. Twice a day for a week, then once a day for a week and then…healing?
It worked. Just like last time, I healed in about two weeks without any infection complications or horrific pain beyond that initial shock during the first night. While I couldn’t wear shoes or Vibrams for ten days, it was a small price to pay for pain-free walking, running and tennis playing for the rest of my life.
In the following gallery, you can see images from my surgery (including the pieces they tore out of my foot. Notice the angle on those pieces, as the small part is what I was able to trim back. Nuts that my nails dug so deep.) as well as pictures from a few days after the initial surgery. I’d guess that mine was a fairly typical case, as we were never much worried about infection. I was able to play tennis 12 days after the surgery (not well, but I could move) and am pain free three weeks later. There’s still some healing to be done, and some dead skin to be trimmed back, but I can’t feel the digging in anymore.
If you’re having problems with your nails and fear ingrown toenail surgery, don’t. It’s totally worth it.
(This is an RSS link for the comments, which we’re using to help each other out with ongoing concerns)
Here are the products I used and how I used them:
Amerigel Wound Dressing Tube, 1 Ounce
Apply directly to wound 2x daily until seepage stops, then mornings only. I was told not to use Neosporin until the wound was small enough for a bandaid, which was about two weeks. The only time I used Neosporin right away, I developed an infection, though there were contributing factors.
Johnson’s Baby Shampoo, 20 Ounce
Mix with warm water and Epsom salt in bowl, soak toe at least 1x daily before bed until wound closes (2-5 weeks), ideally 2x daily until seepage stops (5-10 days).
Dr. Teal’s Salt, Detox, 3 Pound
Mix with warm water and baby shampoo in bowl, soak at least 1x daily before bed, for 2-5 weeks. I’ve found that soaking in the morning is more pain than its worth, and the evening soak really helps with pain overnight.
Curad Non-Stick Pads, 2 Inches X 3 Inches, 20 Count
Cut these diagonally and use to wrap wound. Bandaids work okay, but tend to be overwhelmed easier by ointment, seepage, and general sweatiness. You can get the regular ones to save a few bucks, but be prepared to rip your scabs off if you do.
Ever Ready Self Adhesive Non Woven Cohesive Bandage 2″x5 Yards Pack of 12 FDA Approved
Don’t bother with the bigger wraps, paper options, or reusable stuff. It’s a pain in the ass to have to worry about. These self-adhering bandages, when paired with non-stick pads, make for a far better protected area. If you need to use the whole pad to cover the tip of your toe, this tape can easily be extended to wrap that area, too.
J.CROW’S® Lugol’s Solution of Iodine 2% 2oz
After seepage stops (5-10 days), apply once daily either directly or as drops in soaking bowl, in the mornings. Can be used at night to dry out seepage, but I like this in the mornings and Epsom salt at night.
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- Uuuuuuugggggggly. Notice the curved inside edge, that’s from me trying to alleviate pressure. Doc said I did a good job.
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- Three shots in my left toe, six in my right. I felt every one.
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- I think this is iodine. Whatever it is, it washed off.
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- Dr. Yozsa has to give herself some space to work.
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- Super-sharp knife being used to separate my nail. She also cut a bit of the toe, but that’s normal and heals quickly.
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- Less blood than I expected. This is right after the pull.
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- Pliers or vice grips or whatever…after the cut, she pulled back then pulled out.
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- Picture these attached to the inside of your big toenails. The fat part should attach at the cubicle.
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- This scared me a bit, but most of that gross stuff came off during the initial soak.
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- Coagulated blood looks nasty, but it cleans up quick.
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- That’s a real toothbrush and yes, I had to brush fairly hard. This hurt far less than I feared.
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- Hard to keep the area totally clean, so I just brushed until it really hurt.
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- Not much swelling, but the root is super sensitive.
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- Some redness, and boy, did shoes hurt. Sandals only for the first week.
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- Easy to see the separation from where the nail was cut off.
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- The dressing I used was like a really thick Neosporin.
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- There’s less redness on this toe, but a bit more seepage.
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- After the baby shampoo and vinegar soak.
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- I really need a pedicure.
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- Clean! By this day I wasn’t much afraid of hurting anything.
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- Be sure to apply dressing to the bandage, not the toe. Here I had to reapply the bandage because the dressing seeped onto the sticky part.
1,061 Comments on “Ingrown Toenail Surgery & Post-Op Care (w/ pictures)”
I had this done in high school. The shots were by far THE WORST part of the whole deal.
No, the Post up is the hardest part and taking care of it. You can literally feel were the shots done and what was removed after the procedure if not taken your medication, as if the doctor was stabbing you over and over with that sharp needle.
Most painful part for me, besides the one time it got infected, was when the shots wore off that night.
Holy crap that was terrible. Always better the next morning, though.
Hi Tyler. I had this op when I was a kid but I had it done on both sides of my nail on both my big toes. The healing process and the ease of living thereafter has been amazing but I am now 23 and I have a bit of a problem. I knocked my toe a couple of weeks ago, I treated it and it was fine but only a little blue at the bottom of the nail. Today I was washing my car and I felt my nail only to realise that it is completely loose. I have done some research which suggests that if you can see a half moon pink/white under the nail its indicative of a new nail growth which is there however I am worried about it growing back since I’ve had this operation? Will it grow back? It’s not painful at all, it’s not swollen or oozing any liquids but I’m just really worried. Both my nails grow normally as any other nail so the operation didn’t prevent the nail from growing or permanently remove the nail. Any advice will be appreciated. Thanks.
It can grow back, yes. Mine did, three times.
Keep an eye on it, most docs don’t seem to want to operate until it hurts.
Did the redness ever go away?
So I just had something similar done last Friday (8/5/16) Doc cut out the sides that had ingrown into the toe, leaving only a sliver of a toenail left in the middle. In your opinion, during the healing process, what step(s) should I take to avoid the removed parts from ingrowing again?
If you MUST, you can take an extremely soft brush to the affected area and scrub off (gently) any skin.
But there’s really not much you can do to stop it from growing down (more like an arch that starts to curve inward) while it’s healing.
That’s more of a long term thing (don’t wear tight-fitting shoes, work on walking/running form).
Hi Josh, I had that done today. How did you healing process go? Any infection and did it go back ingrown?
What was worse for you, the freezing or the post-op pain?? For me it was the excruciating pain after.
Except for the infection, it was right when the local anesthetic wore off, sometime the first night of the surgery.
My 13 yr daughter just had the surgery that permanently removes it on Wednesday. She is a pitcher for her middle school softball team. Her coach let her sit out practice Wednesday and today but told her she really needs her tomorrow because of the opposing team. I am afraid she will aggravate it worse, it’s her drag toe. She said it does sting but there is no drainage. We have been soaking in warm water and epsom salt 2x day, applying neosporin and bandages. Do you think this is a bad idea to let her play?
Yikes!
Worse? Not permanently, though I’m betting her cleats aren’t doing that toe any favors.
Not sure how well she’s going to be able to use her drag toe, though.
At worse, you’re risking an infection that is likely curable by antibiotics and will hurt so much neither she nor you will never want it to happen again.
I tried to help a buddy move on day two, and while I did get a painful infection, I was quickly okay.
Make sure to change those bandages often.
Ok , im a teenager , specifically a 17 year old and i got this done 5 days ago , so far no pain is present but what i do see is a bit of clear liquid that is sort of sticky . Im scared because i dislike the thought of it getting infected and things getting worse. My follow-up is in a week, any way my point is , is there anything in specific that i should do ? Any reccomendations ?
That’s likely the seepage I refer to, it’s a normal by-product of new skin growth.
If it’s (mostly) clear and you’re in no pain, you’re 100% on track.
Keep doing what you’re doing.
I don’t know if anybody still reads this but I had this surgery done on Friday. I’d been suffering with a painful and infected ingrown toenail for months, tried all the home remedies and finally went and seen a podiatrist last week. I had partial nail removal and they destroyed the nail matrix to prevent it growing back. By far the worst thing we’re the numbing injections. I won’t lie to anybody, they’re painful. Once they’ve worked their magic though you literally feel nothing. I had to ask if he was touching my nail as I couldn’t tell what he was doing. The nail was off in less than a minute. After the surgery I went home and took paracetamol straight away, not because I was in pain but just because I wanted it to have already kicked in by the time the anaesthetic wore off. Once it had worn off it was slightly painful but you should keep your foot as elevated as possible as that helps and also stay off it completely for the first 24 hours, especially if you’ve had the nail matrix destroyed as bleeding can wash out the chemical used which you don’t want. I just kept up with the paracetamol and by the morning the pain had gone. I’m seeing him on Monday for him to take the dressing off and to show me how to dress it myself. Obviously I still have the road to recovery ahead of me, 6-8 weeks roughly but the ingrown toenail was agony and so it was worth it in my eyes… (despite the expense, £340!!!) Good luck to anyone having it done, just brave the numbing injections and the rest is a breeze!
Good advice. Glad you’re doing better!
Hi
Just had both my big toe nails removed a week ago. My doctor has recommended Polysporin ointment and band aids with bandages..still feeling pain..trying to rest..taking painkillers and anti biotics.
Is it normal to feel pain after a week?
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Pain, yes, but it shouldn’t be getting worse. My toe joint swelled a bunch because of me flexing it and whatnot, that was sore. My toe was definitely sensitive for weeks. It took a bit of practice to get a good wrap going, I tried to forgo regular bandaids and instead wrapped for a more customized cushion.
Unless the pain is creeping up your leg and you have to be careful when you move. That’s a sign of a likely infection.
Ice helps, as does elevation. Your tose have been through a lot, yo!
(edit: i reread your comment for a fourth time just now and somehow just realized you had both big toenails removed and yes it’s totally normal to have felt pain, I did in both toes while only one got infected. All that new skin is crazy raw, as your body has never, ever felt there before.)
Hi Sophie, I had both of my great toenails removed in February, plus they treated the nail beds with acid to prevent regrowth. I am really wishing that I just did the outer edges! Pain wise, I went through hell!! The injections to numb my toe we’re a breeze for me, she used this really cold stuff that she poured on them to numb them while she injected them. I didn’t feel a thing!! Everything after was horrific! I had prior nerve damage to my feet, my doctor did nothing to prepare for this to exacerbate my condition. In order to sleep at all, I had to sleep sitting up every night for two months, the pain was so bad. My doctor wouldn’t give me anything for pain, this was the most traumatizing event in my life!!
That sounds horrific. I’m so sorry you had to go through that.
My 24 year old daughter just had this done. I don’t think it was surgery, she just went to the general doctor and they numbed her foot and took the nail out. She said it was very painful at first. She woke up last night in the middle of the night when the shots wore off. She said it was very painful at that point. She took some Excedrin then and she woke up so far feeling much better. She is to follow up with her doctor in a week.
I think that’s considered outpatient surgery, it’s what I had done.
The waking up when the shots wore off is definitely normal, as is waking up feeling better.
The first few days are CRITICAL in preventing infection, so please do send my best to her and remind her to stay out of shoes and off her feet as much as absolutely possible for these next few days.
I just had both big toes done a few hours ago, those shots were no joke HORRIBLE! The pain currently is tolerable, hope it’s no worse by morning.
If it is, I recommend ice and anti inflammatories.
Did your toes look weird after it healed? I’m 16 and doctors recommended the surgery and I’m scared my toenail will fall of and my toe will loom weird because I’ve seen posts about peoples toenails falling off.
The only time I’ve had an issue with a toenail coming off is when my doc decided to remove the whole nail.
Just trimming didn’t bother the entire nail or make it loose or anything.
From what I’ve seen, the nail grows back pretty normal when trimmed, just a little narrower.
Tyler, how long did it take to heal?
To stop hurting, hours to days.
To lessen sensitive, weeks to a month or two.
“Totally” grown back in, a few months.
Not sure if anyone still uses this thread but i had mine done last night and this morning it has been killing are there any home remedies to help it as my doctor wont prescribe me heavy painkillers
It confuses me why docs refuse to offer a few days of Vicodin for something like this, it’s always been painful for me.
Anyway, ibuprofen and water, then rotate ice and raising it above your heart (I sat on the couch and then laid with my back on the ground my my feet on the couch) until the swelling/pain went down.
When can I go back to the river? I just had my big toenail removed….
I was told to wait until it dried out and no longer needed a bandage at night to keep the goo in, so 10 days to three weeks.
But really the key is to be careful about keeping it clean and dry.
Hi! I just had one fine a week ago and I could not avoid walking on it. I also was not able to soak it as much as I wanted. I noticed that some blood dried at the edges and the skin is healing weird like curving in. What do you think I should do?
Curving in like it’s taking the the space caused by narrowing the nail or curving in like the bandage or maybe shoe it too narrow?
Okay pretty sure ima get a surgery for that and I’m scared that out of my mind like so scared I feel like crying I don’t wanna go through the shots and omg it’s just so scary
The surgery hurts less than the infections do, though it is a lot of pain at once.
Ask for spray and extra whatever you need, it helps!
Dude I got procedure done on my toe only sliver was taken out about a month ago, I didn’t listen been wearing shoes and went in ocean not it’s hurting and all of a sudden so much blood is coming out I can’t stop it. And I seems like skin is growing out of my toenail. Idk what to do in trying to go back to soaking and cleaning I tried to show my doctor he said it’s fine but I know it’s infected idk what to do its so messed up.
If it’s bleeding but not terribly painful, it may have just opened up. Infection is usually incredibly painful, and the sensation climbs up your leg.
Is that what’s going on?
Also, skin growing out of your toenail how? That might be new skin growing back.
What’s your pain like?
I’m so happy I found this in 2020 haha. I’ve been getting ingrown for years and usually just have them cut out, but this time I had the chemical used so the edges wont grow back, on two toes. I’m on day 2 and one seems normal but the other is super red and a bit puffy. But after seeing your pictures I’m thinking itll be fine?
Hi! finding this in 2023… had the side of my big toe nail removed with the acid to keep it from regrowing… healing was going fine for about a week then the pain started up again. I was up in the mountains and didn’t bring epsom salt to soak my toe like I should have, so that is totally on me. Needless to say, when I got back I soaked and was pressing around on the bottom near the “root” area since that was the most painful area, and out popped some leftover nail. It left a hole where it came out of, despite the other area starting to heal. I feel like this set me back in the healing process, as it’s sore still a few days later and weeping a pinky/clear/slightly yellow liquid that gets crusty. Still wearing a bandaid minus showering and soaking. Should I go back to my podiatrist early as I don’t see him for another week? Thanks so much!
If the liquid is still clear and there’s no pain radiating from the wound, it’s not likely infected. I would be VERY careful to clean that “new” area out, though. There’s not much they can do right now besides give antibiotics, as any further surgery would likely traumatize the area more.
Also…is seeing a different podiatrist, maybe one who won’t leave a piece of nail in your toe, an option?
Also, are you wearing closed-toe shoes?
Hi,
The piece of nail that popped out is called a spicule, it’s a shard of nail basically, I had the exact same happen to me, as Tyler said as long as it’s clear and there isn’t any new redness or heat, pus etc the you are fine to wait the week to see your pod 😊 hope this helps,
Kelly
I agree. Now that I’m in pain now, I think it’s hurts more than the shots because I have a lot of discomfort and it hurts to soak my toe.
Hello Mr Hurst just a question I had my ingrown in the same left toe removed twice already and they do the same procedure cut close to the edge then removed the peice causing the pain. It’s growing back a third time I just read that you can correct it? How? It’s like the nail grows out straight from the top but it like grows into the left side of the skin in the bottom and it’s terribly frustrating because it’s like I hate going to the medical to get it removed every few months. Any help is appreciated. Thank you.
That happened to me too, which is why I ended up having both big toenails totally removed.
It turned out that my shoes were both too narrow for my foot and didn’t allow my big toe to splay like it wanted to.
Having 2 ingrown toenail surgery tomorrow…same as posted…i am having local anesthesia before my shors in feet so wont feel the needles…havent seen anyone on this blog that has this done…
An icy-cold spray? I used that at least twice.
I had my left ingrown toenails removed yesterday and they told me it was fine to go to work with my steel toe boots. I called later to complain and she wrote a note to be off for 24 hours because of having appointment in their office with no sleep nothing said about the procedure.
It started out with a bad infection from me trying to cut it out myself and after 2 antibiotics that didn’t work I ended up having this surgical procedure done Friday she had to give me 4 shots to numb the toe the shots hurt so bad I mean I didn’t expect that at all .afterwards I went home to elevate and rest the numbness only lasted a hour it was throbbing in severe pain.I literally had no pain meds she told me to take motrin what a joke.It didn’t help I was up all night from the pain. The days following my toe is still hurting and and so sore ,even to bend my toe up and down from the injections its so sore.I had to go back to work on Monday in crocks with the toe wrapped of course but it is so hard to even walk still.i don’t do well with anything and take a longer time to heal. My pain level is always high unfortunately also having fibromyalgia and RA doesn’t help.Anyway hopefully this will heal soon.Been soaking it in salt and using the kit I bought amerigel rinse and ointment. So I’m doing what I’m supposed to.What sucks is I have to go back and have both toe nails permanently removed and burnt so they don’t grow back ever again like this.
I’m really sorry you’re hurting. I did go back to have my big nails fully removed, I’ve never had a problem with them since.
That is the most beautiful post ever…. Ok, I’ll be happily avoiding that!
If you ever have the issue, get it taken care of early.
Unlike I hoped, it will never get better on its own.
Hi I just got my ingrown toe nail removed last night when should I remove the gauze off ?
I always left mine on at least 24 hours and took it off during my first soak, either the next night or morning after that.
oh god!!! i just had this done…which is why i’m looking around. i refused to watch any of it and can barely look at my feet now and you post pictures?!!! ugh!
Yeah, I am a little sorry about that.
I’m so glad you posted pictures! I got this done a few days ago and was curious if my experience is normal. Looks like it is. 🙂 I got it done to both sides of my left big toe. I only had a little pain the day after. No pain walking but I couldn’t fit any of my shoes over my big bandage so I had to wear a slipper to work! haha My dr has me applying ear drops with a qtip, sound a lot easier than what you had to do.
hi vanessa i was wondering how long you kept a bandage on it while healing
Don’t know if Vanessa will see this, but I kept mine on until the seeping/blood was minimal, then left them off at night.
I switched from bandages (gauze and tape) to bandaids, then nothing. You’ll notice little to no bleeding after a while.
What, man. Don’t be sorry. You clearly stated in the top such gross things would come from this page. She should be sorry for looking and commenting.
is this the surgery that perminately removed the toenails so that they could no longer grow back? I just got mine done a week and a half ago and they look nasty (and knowing they will never grow back doesn’t make me feel any better)
In my case, yes. But not every nail that’s cut needs to be burned at the root (that’s what the acid on the end of the stick does), but the removal process is pretty similar.
Hey I had a partial nail removal two days ago and now it’s like black and kind of yellow around the wound and idk if that’s normal, I think he used silver nitrate to keep it from growing back and I don’t know if that’s why it looks so weird but it’s not really painful at all anymore just a little swollen and weird colors.
For me, yes those colors were. They should change to sorta greenish and brown as it heals. Freaked me out too, but then I found it that it was just the dead roots regrowing from the inside and pushing the dead skin out.
Pain has always been a better indicator than color for me with ingrown toenail recoveries, keep monitoring that and you should be fine.
Hi im 17 and i had part of my nail taken out on both sides of my right foot and 1 side on my left and i felt no pain after the operation and when i took the bandage of they look good but its been about 10 weeks now and they are swollen and red and have been for some time now and ive taken antibiotics and nothing has helped theres no pain though
Glad you have no pain!
Are you still wearing the same kind of shoes you did before? I had to rethink how I shod my feet in order for them to get healthier.
I had this done, my right toe was infected so it took 4 shots in that one and two in the other. Because my right big toe was infected, they didn’t put the stuff on to keep it from growing back. Guess what, after maybe 5 months I am going back in two days. I have to admit, I almost passed out after the shots.
Oh man, that really sucks.
This was my second surgery, but I’ve never had the same area done twice. I do have to do regular upkeep to keep my nails from curving again. It sucks, but at least I can dig them out myself now.
Hopefully this will be the end of my ingrown toenail experience.
I will most likely get this surgery done soon.
So, from what I’ve been reading, the only pain is from the initial shot in the toe and when you’re treating the toe after the surgery. During the surgery will there be any pain whatsoever? Some stated that there will be a large amount of pressure during the whole procedure. My main concern is the pain. Will there be any?
The surgery hurt so little that I could take pictures without even the slightest of flinching.
I have a high pain tolerance, but even I would have moved slightly while filming had it hurt.
Ask for extra shots if you’re worried!
I just had it done on the inside of my left big toe I have dealt with ingrowns my whole life. I had to go to work the same day I work in a factory and have to wear steel toe should of called off cause the next morning I woke up and couldn’t walk ready to go get a few more shots so when the doc says try to stay off of it you should probably listen
Yeah, you definitely need to give it a long weekend before going back to work.
Hope you get some days off!
I just had this surgery done today 🙂
Good luck! Keep it clean and you’ll be fine.
I am one week out, and still in pain. What are the proportions of vinegar, baby shampoo and warm water? My doctor told me to use Epsom salt soaks and thick ointment daily. Maybe the vinegar, baby shampoo and toothbrush scrubbing is what I need, as it looks like a lot of dead skin next to the nail. Thank you for the info!
About 4 to 1 (I made two small batches of each, both had water)
I used the ointment, too. Field dressing something.
Wow, my doc said absolutely no Epsom salts. Huh.
Tyler Hurst | https://tdhurst.com | 323-tdhurst (834-8778)
do the shots hurt really bad? like on a scale of one to ten how bad?
Maybe a 6-7? But it’s only for a brief moment. I didn’t wince or flinch, and I’m pretty aware of pain.
Lies!!! Tyler.. LOL. That shot be it short lived, was painful as HECK YEAH.. Omg can’t wait to get my left big toe done.. Such a relief.. Thanks for sharing
One old doc, about six years ago in Phoenix, used pliers to rip out a piece of my left toe once. No shots, no pain pills.
Needless to say, it didn’t work.
molly – I really believed the shots would be unbearable ! No ! the two I received on one toe only felt like pricks . The big toe was totally numb !
That’s fricking awesome! My left toe was always like that.
My right toe was so sensitive it made up for it, unfortunately.
I absolutely HATE shots and was SUPER nervous about it but they sprayed my toe with some cold stuff before sticking me. The stick wasn’t too bad but the meds going in burned a little. Totally worth it though. My ingrown was hurting something fierce, even waking me at night.
I am having both of my big toes tomorrow…ingrown not infected but tired of going to get a pedicure to cut out…painful…i cannot deal with pain…they will be putting an iv with local anesthesia before they give me the shots in my feet..plus a Valium before i fet there…hope all goes well…scared
I know this sounds weird, but once you cut them out, it will never hurt like that again (provided proper healing, of course).
This part hurts and it’s scary, but it’s been worth it for the non-pain I feel now.
had toenail removal yesterday, the shots were very,very intense, second time for this toe, killed the nail bed this time, hope that ends my problem.
Hon cindy,
Just wondering what “killed the nail bed” entails? Does that mean a new toenail won’t grow back?
Yes, although sometimes it can.
Got it. So if the nail was completely, and when I say completely, there is nothing left of it, but the nail bed wasn’t “killed” will it grow back then?
Thanks for replying.
Usually, yes.
Some people want them to grow back.
I did not.
Me to and the numbing finally wore off and IM DYING. THE PAIN IS UNBEARABLE
I FEEL LIKE SOMEONE IS POUNDING A HOT NAIL IN THE TIP OF MY TOE! I HAD INFECTION SO I’M NOT SURE IF THAT COULD BE WHY…
Ibuprofen.
Painkillers.
Ice for 15-20, then elevate for 20.
Repeat as necessary.
What kind of painkillers???? I’m in so much pain! Alternating Ibuprofen and Tylenol!!! Elevating but not icing maybe I’ll try that… ?
Ice and cannabis. Helps a ton with the inflammation, which I think is what’s causing the pain usually.
Hey Tyler had the procedure done today and now my toe is hurting something fierce worse than before the procedure how long does this last
Mine lasted until the morning.
Ice, elevation, and anything anti-inflammatory made it suck less.
I walked 5 miles after i got the whole nail removed.. big mistake.. The pain was unbearable, I contemplated calling an ambi. but then again itwas *5 Miles* don’t ask why I had to walk. My toe wass till numb after the first 3… I took about 1600mg of painkillers (normal dose was half that) and i STILL felt the pain. After the first hour I began to get a little tipsy, and then after the second I was fine. 🙂
I just had this done on both side of mt big toe on each foot….
My question is do yoy lose your toe nail and will it grow back
No, but it might grow a little bit. You have to keep trimming and filing, but it should be easier.
Tyler Hurst | 602.614.4137
He tyler I had my surgey 1 year ago and I accidently cut a bit of the skin next to it and it’s all red with a yellow stuff I don’t think it’s puss though should it heal in a week
Ouch.
You sure that yellow stuff ain’t puss?
I heal pretty quickly down there now (cut my toe twice on things), as long as I keep it warm and dry.
Hello just had this surgery done yesterday. Can someone tell me, am I supposed to remove the gauze now and leave it off and just apply the neosporin for a few days after soaking and thoroughly scrubbing it clean. or does the gauze and toe sock stay on longer?
Yeah, gauze comes off the next day, then brush and clean it twice daily.
Tyler Hurst | 602.614.4137
Okay I’m asking because the doctor says to keep gauze on for the first 7 days. but it stays very moist and goopy Like that. I would think to heal it needs to have air. All in all it just doesnt look good
I just had my surgery done today. Didn’t think it was going to happen either. I had been dealing with a mild case of ingrown toenail on the right side of my right big toe. Had been dealing with pain for a few months before attempting to trim it back on my own. it worked at first til it started growing back..then it hurt again. So i went to the doctor to get it fixed before it became a real problem. It sounds like mine was a lot easier then what most of you went through. The doctor sprayed this really cold stuff on my toe before giving me the shot, so instead of feeling any pain, i felt just pressure..Honestly, it was like someone had just dipped my toe in snow or a cold lake. And all i could feel was pressure when he inserted the needle. After that the rest was a cake walk. The offending part of the nail was out in seconds. To be safe, he removed the right side of the nail, similar to how the guy in this forum had his removed. I just hope i can keep up on cleaning it. And that the pain isn’t too bad when the nummness wears off. The only thing i’m really worried about is today is tuesday night. and i work a retail cashier job from thursdays through sunday…I hope it won’t hurt to bad on those days
I had the surgury done a few weeks ago but ny doctors making me keep my covered all the time which is making the scabs go white and kind of like when you skin your knee and have a bath. but he said they were healing fine but I think I will go back in a week.if it hasn’t stopped
I suppose each doc has their own way. Mine healed pretty fast, was playing tennis in ten days.
I’m having this procedure with the chemical done tomorrow…well today now; it’s past midnight. I had the “minor” version w/o the chemical done in February, but the nail pulled a fast one and took a dive back into my skin. My question is regarding the recovery time. It definitely looks like tomorrow will be ice packs & pain meds, but how soon after that should I anticipate being able to get around with minimal pain?
I was playing tennis at eight days.
Walking around without a limp after four.
Follow the care instructions to the letter and you should be fine.
Thanks. The procedure went well, shots were definitely the worst part. Today is 1 week later and it feels worse than it did hours after it was done. Lots of discharge and redness, not to mention really sore around the base of my toe (cuticle area)…:>( Of course, today is the day after Christmas and the office is closed.
Were you told to scrub it twice daily?
hello ..
my surgery have done since may 2012
i’m very thankfull to God .. Now i’m alright
my foot nail was growing
the DOCTOR operate it & now i’m right
i ve’nt prblm 🙂 my foots are right
I had my ingrown toenail surgery on both toes 45 days ago however I’m still getting pain from my shoes and my toenails are still oozing when I walk and they’re only just scabbing? The doctors said there was no infection however just a slow healing process, did your toes go through this phase and how long for them to heal?
Are you wearing the same shoes you were wearing from before the surgery? I found that my shoes were causing issues, so I had to get wider ones.
It took 6-8 weeks to heal, depending on how well I rested.
I had this done. In 5 days it will be four months since the procedure and it has come back again. I don’t want to have this procedure done again but I know I will have to. Completely infected again. I was giving multiple shots about 5 in one toe. My toe still have the scars from when the needles were injected. The pictures above are nothing like what my toe looked like afterwards. My whole entire top part of my big toe was completely black and blue. If I could upload a picture here I would. But after the surgery I didn’t feel any pain, even when it was in the healing process. I actually for awhile had no feeling of my toe. What scares me the most is that I have diabetes and you have to be very careful with trauma especially to your feet. Ingrown toenails are so painful and I feel bad for people who have them.
Yeah ive had it for 5 mounths and i hear u get scars
from it ifits true im pretty sceard even more +
if u toe was that bad im tolld that i will only have
2 injections i really dont want scars :s
Scars? I didn’t, though my nail will never look the same.
I never got any scars and I had it done 3 times. I’m finally gonna have them do the chemical procedure to stop it. Usually its hereditary, my dad got them, but I never started getting them until I hit puberty. I only get them on my right toe. Hurts but definitely worth it.
Ffff, I’m terrified of needles and have a badly ingrown toenail,
I was talking myself round to get it seen to, thinking, it can’t be that bad…
I’m sat here dizzy now after reading so many times how bad the shots were.
Were they seriously THAT BAD? Oh god…
Only one toe was bad, but it was totally worth it.
This was my second surgery (first one was the other side of my left, big toe).
I’d do it again.
Without a doubt, only use a specialist. I had it done by a GP first…big mistake. That was horribly painful. Second time, used a podiatrist…piece of cake. My son now has to have one removed, but I am going to ask if they can kill the root so it does not grow back. Both sides of both of my toes were cut out and roots killed. Never another problem with them. Without the roots killed…had to have the second surgery. 1) only use a podiatrist 2) ask them to kill the root if possible 3) the first shot hurts, but not any worse than hitting your toe on something…so totally worth it. Do not be afraid.
I’ve suffered for years! In May of this year both toes were so bad, I was in tears. The right side of the right toe became infected. For 3 days I could not walk. A friend who had had the procedure done to 8 toes all at the same time, made me an appointment. I’ll say this right now, thank God I never googled anything prior to the surgery, and thank God she never told me what all was involved!! She knows I’d have cancelled. I had this done on 6 June and am still healing!! I’m a slow healer and its winter here now, so crap for me. My friend had to use Epsom Salts already back in 2000, every day for a week. My bandages were only allowed off on the 4th day for the first time, where I had to soak in Saline solution every day for a week. This was followed by ointment, a special strip of gauge which had its own ointment, then clear gauge and finally bandaged again. When I went for my one week check up, my toes (both big toes, both sides) were very red due to dryness. So, Oh my word, she had to ‘clean’ them!!! At one point, I kicked so high and hard, I’m surprised I didn’t connect with the doctor and knocked her out! They were still sensitive, not painful. Anyway, she applied what looked like leather strips into each wound (all 4), and re-bandaged. I had to have these on for another 4 days while soaking them twice a day for this period. I slept in my lounge for two weeks on the recliner. Not because of pain, but sensitivity from the weight of the duvet. Me toes seeped for three weeks, and still do, very minimally though, today. This Thursday was a month exactly. I still have quite a bit of crusted blood, no matter what I do as it keeps healing and forming a crust every time I clean it. They are healing, slowly. Depending on the extent of the ingrown toenail, healing can take up to two months. I see this is my lot. After all of this, the injections are most definitely the most excruciating part, and I practically screamed bloody murder! I had to have 3 on each side, and felt every single one! worth it, regardless. After? It was bliss. Prior to walking out, I was told to take two painkillers, which was awesome. The throbbing was minimal once feeling returned, and no pain since I walked out of the hospital. At all. My nails are still curved, but I’ve been told it takes at least 6 months for changes to occur. Lets see. Was it worth the excruciating injection pain? Absolutely, because the relief is beyond amazing. That was the only pain I had throughout the whole process. My toes look just like your picture, with the exception that all 4 sides were done. For those suffering, dont wait, don’t try to fix it yourself. It just builds and gets worse eventually. Much as it happened to me. Not worth it. See a podiatrist. Wish I’d done this years ago!! Oh, I only mangaged to put socks on in my second week as it just felt weird, and shoes only in my third week. Due to nails still being sensitive. Thanks for sharing your experience.
Had my left toe done on 3rd June and its now fully healed, had my other toe done a few weeks later. Hurt a bit more and is weeping a lot now but it’s okay. I’m walking fine but I’ve been advised to lay off sports for a few months. Really happy with the results so far
I had my toenails done about three weeks ago. They aren’t sore or swollen anymore but they are still weeping/bleeding a small amount and they appear to still be “open”. Is this normal after 3 weeks ?
I’d think not, but my doc said pain and swelling mean infection, everything else is just healing.
I have this problem at the moment and i have a big pice of skin growing next to the nail so when i go to cut it it is so pain full and the skin covers over my nail so i cant reach the nail very well , and so next mon i will have an opration with 2 needles which im so damm sceard of , im so sceard of them that i counldn’t care less if my right foot went gangrenre , ih gosh eveytime i think about it , ut reminds me i only have 5 day and losing . I’m so worryed i keep thinking what if it goes wrong 2 needles my god ….
Hello Tyler, im having it done tomorrow and im freaking out. Sorry to ask again but i didn’t quite get it the last time you answered thid question: did your nail grow back normally after the surgery? You only got the sides done right? Do they grow weird or deformed?
Thank you
Normally? No, not really.
I just got 1/3 of the inside of my right on toe nail removed on the 16th of this month (6 days ago) and the pain hasn’t subsided at all!! I had an extreme infection in the toe and nail almost 3 weeks ago and have been on antibiotics since then. I was hoping by now that my toe would stop throbbing, but as the days go by, the throbbing stays the same! My Dr. told me to clean & change the bandaging (and use a triple antibiotic ointment) once a day, when I do this it is absolutely excruciating! I have painkillers but they aren’t even phasing the pain that I am in, and I’m no wimp! I’m contemplating calling his office tomorrow, as I feel like it’s not normal for my toe to still be throbbing. I’ve been soaking it and keeping it clean, the thought of scrubbing it with a toothbrush though makes my skin crawl!
I would call. Throbbing usually means infection.
I got mine done, both sides on both big toes and being terrified of needles didn’t help matters when they are the most painful needle sticks in the whole world! My first toe went fine but the left one had to be poked to numb it like 6 times for whatever reason I could still feel stuff. And now 3 days later that’s the one that still hurts like hell. The other one is definitely manageablr. But my questions are 1. I only gave myself 5 days to recover and my job involves lots of walking around and close toed shoes..will I be able to handle that? And also my doc said something about using cotton under the nail as it grows back to prevent it from growing the same way. Was anybody else told this? I’m super confused by that part of the instructions. And how did anybody end up getting the black chemical off their foot? Thanks!
The black chemical fades are you skin grows.
My right toe hurt a lot afterwards too, because it took more shots to numb it.
You should be fine with closed-toe shoes, just expect to limp a bit.
Yes, you can stuff cotton in between your nail and your toe, right where it was cut, to prevent a skin-like nail-ish thing from forming.
My nails kinda grow down from the side, so I trimmed them a bunch to keep them from growing back, but I should have used cotton.
I just had this surgery done today, around noon. I know I’m suppose to soak it 2-3 times a day but I forgot to ask if I was suppose to keep the bandage till tomorrow or start the soaking tonight. What was recommended to you? Oh and for those who are asking about the injection pain I was extremely worried about that before I went in. Everything online I read said that it was extremely painful but to be honest, it wasn’t that painful. Just a bad pinch where the needle went in. I didn’t watch while he did it and did deep controlled breaths while he was injecting it. I expected far worse. It’s now 5 hours post op and I’ve taking 1.5 pain killers and I’m doing fine. Don’t know if it’s because the numbing agents he used are still in effect, the painkiller, the offending nail being gone or a combination of all three but so far so good. not looking forward to unwrapping and soaking though. Fearing that’s gonna hurt, but we’ll see.
I’ve always left the bandage on, at least overnight, for every surgery I’ve had. Wouldn’t think your situation would be any different.
Thanks Tyler! Super appreciate your response! I thought I had asked every question I needed to post op but I guess that one slipped my mind! Probably because it was in the ER and I know the doc’s are super busy and my toe was the last on their mind (it not being a “real” emergency). However I am pregnant and it was infected and my OB told me to go in. I was just worried beacuse I can see the blood through the gauze and wondered if it needed to be changed to a fresh clean gauze for healing purposes.
I just had a surgery yesterday, the shots were very easy, two to numb the pain and I barely felt them. The procedure was very quick. Definitely worth it. He trimmed the nail and killed the root. There is clear seepage and a very dull slight ache. He told me to wait 3 daye but I took it off after 36 hours after researching online. Hopefully this won’t happen again. Glad I went in to a podiatrist after 3 months of stubborn pain.
I had my surgery a week ago and the swelling is so bad after the procedure. I had both of my toe nails done both sides on each toe. It was a horrible feeling after. The pain was so intense and I have been taking 2 tabs of Tylenol 500 mg every 4 hours round the clock. I would be relieve of the pain for the two hours only and after I would start feeling the burning pain on my toes that you wish it was just amputated. I do not know why the doctors can not prescribe any anti-inflamatory to help us relieve the pain. It has been almost 10 days and the pain never disappeared. I took my chances and took an anti inflamatory that I have and it gave me a lot of relief. I wish the doctors should know better than saying just to take Tylenol or Aleeve. I have been soaking my feet twice a day morning and evening with Epsom salt and 2 squirts of betadine. Wipe it dry and then put on ointment that the dr has prescribed to prevent infection wrap it in a gauze and band aid around it. I left the top open to let the wound have some breathing space. Today I decided to put a band aid on top toe since I was going to church to prevent infection. Oh that felt so good. My toes a feeling a lot better. BTW, I was also taking antibiotic Levofloxacin and since the swelling was so bad the dr gave me additional antibiotic climdamycin. I went back to the dr after 3 days and he injected me again and clean my toe nails and tomorrow I will go back again for another cleaning. I am sure I will have another shot again when he does the cleaning. The injection is not as bad as I thought. The cold spray really help a lot before he gives the injection. The gentle hands of the dr really help a lot in the process. I could say this because when he did the procedure he was very tender. when I came back for cleaning, he was in a hurry to do it because there were patients waiting after me and it was really different. Like he does not care if you get hurt. It’s like he is saying deal with it. But on the other hand I can not afford to hate him. He is just human going through his day to day schedule. I still thank God, he took care of my problem which I have ignored for a year and waited till the time it became worst. I was in complete denial that I needed help from the doctor because of the stories I heard from friends.
Yikes. Seems like you contracted a bit of an infection. Your situation is why I convinced the doc not to do BOTH toes at once, because I was worried about being immobile. It cost a bit more (another $70 visit fee), but it seemed worth it.
Good luck and pay attention to that swelling.
I had my toenail completely removed about a day and a half ago and I soaked my foot for over two hours and the gauze is stuck…I drenched it in antibiotic ointment, hoping that would loosen it, but still no luck..Any suggestions?
Two hours? Holy crap! Have you tried a shower?
Yep. I’m going to try soaking it again today. I called the dr and they said it’s normal, but I don’t think it’s usually this stuck…I can’t wait to get back to playing tennis and riding my bicycle again! I had no idea having a toenail removed would be this painful!
The gauze never came off so I went back to the podiatrist. The gauze had ended up incorporating itself under the nail bed. The podiatrist said she had never seen that happen before. I’m special like that, lol! She ended up re-numbing the toe and this time it was extremely painful due to the swelling and tendermess and having the gauze surgically removed. This time I got pain meds and antibiotics for the infection. This has been a slower and more painful recovery than I expected!
I had my left big toe both sides done 3 weeks ago. The shots didn’t hurt me at all and I never really had any pain. My podiatrist told me to soak my foot in epsom salts for 15 minutes 3x a day and to replace the gauze each time for a week. Than after a week I have been leaving the bandage off and just putting it back on at night. The most pain that I have had is when my dog accidentally steps on it or jumps on it. I am still having discharge which is normal and you can have it for up to a month or two. I still have some redness as well but never even really had much swelling. I guess I am just weird like that and I was told to where sandals or open toed shoes for at least the first week or two due to the pressure that tennis shoes can put on the toe. I go back on September 4th for my follow up plus to have my right big toe done. They also went ahead and used the acid to kill the root which causes a 3rd degree chemical burn hence the reason to use the epsom salts to help with the burn.
My podiatrist offers what they call C&C–they use a round buffing instrument and sort of sand the skin on your foot with it–it smooths the skin and then they concentrate on sanding any calluses or corns (don’t have any) Now I was always told to trim nails straight across so nail would grow out and not hurt, but nurse then trimmed in all the corners of my nails a lot. I asked her about this and she said she noticed I had the beginnings of ingrown nails. Yes, it did relieve the pressure and no pain but now I’m worried that this cutting into the corner. I was always told not to, internet is full of sites that say if you do this you will definitely get badly ingrown nails. Also, nurse mentioned this method of cutting the ingrown toenail out. My questions are: 1) So will this type of trimming the nails lead to a slight ingrown to get worse? Like did nurse do this to create future business–I hate putting it that way but…..Any input from anyone on this? 2) What is the black discoloration I see mentioned? Does it wash away or does it take months for skin to slough off? How bad or big is the black area? How long to go away? 3) How does your big toenail look afterwards? I mean, after all the healing and things are normal, does it look super skinny or weird if you have to have both sides done? 4) I don’t quite get the part about skin growing in where the nail was removed and that skin can get hard and hurt. Can you elaborate please? 5) I seeing people writing about drainage. How much? How do you handle it when you are at work? How much gauze do you have to use to keep it from leaking? Nurse said after day 1 remove gauze and go to a simple bandaid–is that enough to absorb seepage? Thanks–I’m just anticipating!
1) So will this type of trimming the nails lead to a slight ingrown to get worse? Like did nurse do this to create future business–I hate putting it that way but…..Any input from anyone on this?
No, it will not cause ingrown nails, but it could make them worse. Depends on if you’re growing from the base or the nail itself.
2) What is the black discoloration I see mentioned? Does it wash away or does it take months for skin to slough off? How bad or big is the black area? How long to go away?
Few months. Just peels all away.
3) How does your big toenail look afterwards? I mean, after all the healing and things are normal, does it look super skinny or weird if you have to have both sides done?
Mostly the same, just without the reddened skin.
4) I don’t quite get the part about skin growing in where the nail was removed and that skin can get hard and hurt. Can you elaborate please?
That’s just me. My nail grows down on the sides, and that hurts. Most people’s grow from the base of their nail.
5) I seeing people writing about drainage. How much? How do you handle it when you are at work? How much gauze do you have to use to keep it from leaking?
Just enough to cover it. The drainage has never come close to soaking through.
Thanks so much for your response. Amazing how small our toes are compared to the rest of our bodies–but can they cause grief!!!!
Had my toenail removed 14 days ago and I feel like the pain is also most the same before and after removal. Before removal it was very painful to walk and wear shoes being it had gottened infected and afterwards it’s been very tender. Injections were painful, I was injected 8 times. After the 6th I went numb. I’ve bumped my toe a few times but I’m still having a lot of pain even up to the point of not being able to sleep because of pain, dr never said to soak just to keep it dry….been a painful ordeal hopefully I get better soon….
Never soak at all? Yikes. Recovery times range for 3-6 weeks, so you’re still in that period. Good luck.
I had to have a complete ablation on my left big toenail in October of 2011 and have not had another problem since. Just had the same thing on my right big toe last Monday due to my RSD the pain has been terrible since.
That’s my next step with my right toe.
Hi,
I did the surgery a few weeks ago ( burning of the nail matrix) and now I have still have intense pressure. Is this normal ? could it have grown back?
Thanks
Mine did, yes. I’ve had it three times. I may need to get the nail completely removed.
Just had mine done today, still numb so no pain yet, the needle was just uncomfortable. The most painful thing was watching the procedure, but after reading all these posts I am very nervous about post op pain. Keeping my fingers crossed I am one of the lucky ones.
My post-op pain was just when the local anesthetic wore off, so the night of. After that, no problem with pain.
Hi. I had this minor surgery four months ago.but still there is a gap between my toe nail and the cuticle on both toes.I am worried does this get better?
You mean a space between your nail and the side of your toe? Because if you mean cuticle, your nail wouldn’t be attached.
I Had the big toenail on my right foot removed on Friday the 11th of April at 11 am. Post op instructions were to soak 2x a day for 10 mins in lukewarm soapy water, leave the bandage from the Dr on for the first 48 hrs also take clindamycin 3x/daily. after 48 hrs i am to remove the bandage,soak for10 mins apply Mupirocin ointment and then wrap with a band aid. I am wondering if it’s normal to still be experiencing minor bleeding 33 hrs later and some throbbing.
Bleeding, yes. Throbbing might mean you have the bandage tied too tight. Is there pain anywhere besides the wound itself (toe joint, foot, etc.)?
No pain anywhere else. I am a lil worried that all of the posters seem to have been told about epsom salt and or the scrubbing with a tootbrush and none of that was mentioned to me.
its funny cause i always have had this problem since i was 18 but always took care of it my self im 43 now, i always thought i was the only one who had this till i read about it on here . i would have to dig it out just like your pics and yes it hurt but as im sure you can agree its that brief moment of real bad pain to finely get major re-leaf i have a hole set of tools i use to do the job its like im a pro now ,,, i never got a infection so far so i must be doing it right lolol… self extraction isn’t for everyone but then again Ive been doing it since i was 18…
I had ingrown toenail surgery about 3 weeks ago and my big toe is still sore and there is still a space with dead skin, my question is will this dead skin fall off on its own or will I have to go back to get it trimmed off? How long does it take for your toe to look normal again?
I trimmed off my excess skin. Takes a few months before it heals, but what do you mean by “normal”?
I had the acid procedure on both big toe nails in January of 2014…it is now June and my toes are still not healed. I have been on several antibiotics for infections and still am soaking my toes in warm water with Epsom salts and applying bacitracin and bandaging daily. If I had known this would be so long in healing I would not have had it done.
Yikes. Mine were okay to run five weeks after another surgery in January 14 to remove both nails. Fine now. That sucks!
Thank-you for writing so honestly about you’re toenail dramas!
I’m 22 and yesterday I had my 5th surgery on an ingrown toenail (both sides of both big toes and an extra that wasn’t fixed up properly the first time). I’ve had the chemical burns, minor trims and yesterday’s incision down to the bone with 4 stitches….Thank-you genetics and sports!
I had little sleep last night because of the relentless throbbing and couldn’t remember the last surgery recovery (5 years ago) being so flipping painful! I was worried I might have developed a weak pain threshold but after reading about your antics with a bag of ice at 2am, I feel better about being in so much pain. 😛 No one seems to understand what a hassle they are but I’m thankful I’m not the only one who always has issues with my toes.
Wait until I share my latest story of REMOVING both my big toenails (because I tired of having the sides constantly worked on) and one getting infected. Hooboy!
You’re not alone in the late-night pain!
Hey, name’s Caroline and I had a question about the recovery process. I’ve had the partial nail removal about 3 times, had 7 ingrown toes overall, but I fixed 4 of them myself. Recently I got a surgery, and I’m not sure if the healing involves under the nail turning purple. Like a dark shade, is it suppose to do that or is it infected? Because I’ve been putting neosporin on it and warping it to keep clean for a week now. Let me know? Thanks!
The purple was part of the healing process for me. As long as it doesn’t swell, smell or turn red, I was told it was only temporarily.
I just had this operation done on my left big toe, they removed roughly between ¼ and ⅓ of the left side of the nail, all the way back to the cuticle/matrix/whatever it’s called. Like, they apparently twisted the nail to pull it out. Does it still grow back, and if so, how long does it take to grow? And is it even really noticeable, once it grows back completely?
Also I work night shift at Kroger, pulling around pallets of stock for hours on end. I’m consistently on my feet. How long will I need off before I can really handle this? The doctor said I’d be fine in a day, but I don’t believe that for a second. It’s been a day and a half and it’s still incredibly sore to the point I can’t walk at all. What do I do?
Thank you so much for all the info on here. This page has helped a lot with so many people, and I’m hoping for the same for me. c:
Did they insert a wooden stake, with some sort of acid, into your cuticle? If they did, there’s a 93% chance it won’t grow back.
I took three days off from any kind of movement (for me, that was tennis and running) when I had my nails clipped like yours. It took about that amount of time for the pain to go away, but in hindsight I would have stayed off my feet more.
Any chance your doc can recommend a week or two of light duty where you can use crutches or sit down (maybe drive a forklift)? My doc was willing to write notes to whoever she needed to, and though I didn’t need it, I can see how many people would.
Just be completely honest about the pain. If you get yourself an infection (which I did when I had both my big toenails removed earlier this year that I’m going to write a post like this about), you’ll be COMPLETELY out of commission for 3-5 days.
Nope. I wasn’t looking (I’m extremely squeamish and haemophobic) but I was told what was being done since it was a student supervised by a trainer doing the work. They only removed the side of the nail and the shards that had grown into the skin, no damage to the nail bed or anything. The dye they used pre-op looks gross, but other than that, it’s apparently a very clean job, just looks like part of the nail is missing so the skin under it is now exposed. They said it’d grow back in a few weeks, but everywhere else I’m reading said it takes months to regrow. I’m rather OCD, so I’m scared it’ll look “wrong” for a long time, if you get what I mean.
I can probably talk to my supervisors about working with others as a team instead of by myself, and acknowledge I can’t put pressure on my feet without risking further damage, and hope they cooperate with my disability. Even if it’s just an entry level job, I love my coworkers and intend on staying, I just can’t do much immediately after this kind of operation, and I don’t want them to look down upon me for taking time off after I’ve only worked for 5 weeks. I didn’t know what the operation was going to be, or I’d have asked sooner for a couple weeks of medical leave, just to be safe.
I’m glad the operation was done, it’s a lot better than it getting worse or infected. But it definitely creeps me out if I see it, and I’m hoping it heals pretty quickly. Any tips to avoid recurrence? I know clipping straight across (square cut?) is important, but I’m thinking I need wider shoes, and I’m probably going to soak my feet in warm water regularly, just to keep the nails softer and less likely to cause problems. Anything else I can do? I’d like to avoid this ever again, if at all possible.
I’m scheduled for this ingrown toenail surgery on Monday, for both sides of both toes. I’m practically terrified of the impending pain, how many needles I will be getting, and the thought that I will not be able to walk or drive for 2 weeks to a month is very upsetting to me. My daughter just started kindergarten and does not take the bus! I have to clean the litter box for 3 cats inside out tomorrow night, as I’m afraid I will have to stay away from it for awhile. Do these podiatrists prescribe real pain medications, such as Percocet? I will be cancelling and walking straight out of the office if they tell me to just take Tylenol. I have a very low tolerance to pain and am really annoyed about this whole thing. However, if it will be the “Permanent Correction” I keep hearing about, so that I can wear something besides sandals all year long, and not screech out in agony everytime I so much as tap my toes against something, it seems like I have to go through with this. UGH.
I’ve had this done three times, once on each toe and then both at once (I’m the guy who wrote the article). The shots weren’t bad at all, just a pinch and then a swollen feeling. You’ll be able to handle this, because it’s NOWHERE near as bad as stubbing your ingrown toe on something.
I asked for extra shots on both toes, mostly because I was paranoid too, so don’t be afraid to request it if you still have feeling before they start. It doesn’t make you a wuss.
93% of people don’t have their nails grow back. I’m one of the 7%, which sucks. I didn’t ask for any pain meds the first two times, but I did the last, as when the local anesthetic (shots) wore off, my toe throbbed and throbbed and throbbed. It sucked hardcore for about two hours, but that’s the ONLY time I had any issues with it. Serious. Ask for two days worth of real pain meds, I don’t see why your doc wouldn’t agree, especially if you have a low pain tolerance.
Please let me know what I am honestly to expect. All the doctor said during my consultation was that I would probably have to wear bandages for a week. But all these posts I’m reading here makes me think it will be longer than that. I have the Heebee Jeebee’s and want to cancel this.
I wore bandages for three weeks, but they didn’t affect my walking a ton after the first day. The gauze and tape aren’t as intrusive as I thought, but pointed toes will be a problem. See if you can wear more casual shoes and you’ll be fine.
I was back to playing tennis in ten days. My toes were a bit tender when pushing off, but it was doable. Your low pain tolerance likely would preclude you from doing this, but if I was able to play tennis I bet you’ll be just fine walking.
DON’T CANCEL IT. It gets better, I 100% promise. The surgery pain doesn’t last forever and you can walk in comfy shoes, just probably not run or work out a lot. THE HASSLE IS WORTH IT. Took me 30 years of pain to figure this out, if I had another toe that needed this procedure, I’d get it done in a second, even though my left toe was infected this year (I’m just unlucky, I swear, my doc said I was her first infection) and I couldn’t walk for a week.
But the regular surgery is fine, just follow the directions and soak 2x daily (DO THIS AND NEVER SKIP IT) and your only pain will be that first night when the shots wear off.
As I said previously, 93% of people never need surgery again. I’m one of the 7% and just this January had both my toenails removed. I’ll be posting about that soon. But even as much as that infection was, if it grew back, I’d do it again. It feels THAT much better to walk without toenails digging in.
Hi Tyler,
Thank you for the detailed accounts. I’m scared also wondering if I should go through with the surgery. If you were in my shoes would you still do it?
My big toes of both feet have curled nails causing hangnail. I used to cut curved down & pull the sides up to get it out. But when I learned never to cut down just straight across I have been. When I pull up it hurts mostly because it would get tender & sometimes bleed, when I have the tenderness is after cutting or pulling the nail out. Currently I’ve ignored or don’t feel the ingrown nail. I like the idea that I won’t have to worry about it being painful again, but your blog has scared me thinking why cause pain if I don’t really have pain now. I don’t get pedicures now anymore since the last technician pulled it out in a way that my toe was irritated & sore for over a month.
1) given it doesn’t hurt now should I even do it? I saw in a different post you mention handling early is wise not wait until it hurts 2) did insurance cover this service? Since I looks like a few followup appointments are required.
I’m drawing a blank on my other questions but will post again when I finish reading all the comments.
I forgot to comment that I’m scared also because everyone had taken pain medicine afterwards & during but since I’m still breastfeeding & my daughters won’t take the bottle or have forgotten how to & would cry loudly. Is it doable without? Podiatrist I saw spoke about taking hangnail off, burning root & that most people take pain meds. But he said I could just ice packs if I didn’t want to take meds. Most commenter mention the long process & I worry since it’s winter & 20-30 degrees outside if now is a good time to do this since I would have to wear sandals for a week or more.
A) do it next week one side of each big toes like I’m scheduled with just Local anesthesia & no pain meds & ice
B) wait until an ingrown is annoying or irritating me then get surgery
C) wait until I’m no longer breastfeeding (1.5 years to go) to get surgery so I could get fully sedated & take pain medication freely?
1. For me, I’d do it next week. Better to have the pain you know than random stuff.
2. I always wanted to do it this way, but my doc said the surgery would hurt even more.
3. Even when I had my infection, I only needed 2.5 days worth of pain pills (worst-case scenario). 1.5 years sounds like a long time to wait for that.
I only took pain meds when I had an infection, and that only happened once.
Besides needing ice packs and it hurting for a few hours the night right after the local anesthetic wore off from the surgery, there wasn’t any long-term pain issues (except for the one infection, but that was also sorta my fault).
1. Pain came in waves for me. I got it done when I could afford to, because I knew the pain would always come back.
2. Most insurance does, I think I paid cash at the lowest reimbursement rate ($170 per toe).
There’s was only one required follow-up visit each time, and that was included in my original payment.
I go in in a less than a month to have the left side of my right toenail removed. Really not excited for this, but then again who would be. I have been doing what my husband calls “bathroom surgery” for ten years now and have finally given up all hope that it would fix itself, or that I could even fix it. Cutting away at it always relieved the pain short term but when it came back whooee it would be worse than before. I’ve done everything from making myself bleed to almost vomiting from the pain and as much as I know that healing from the surgery is probably going to hurt (from what I have seen here and what others have told me) its going to be very much worth it. I am really glad I found this because even though its a little graphic for lack of a better term, seeing what’s actually going to happen has eased some fear. Thank you for sharing your experiences for those of us going in or just coming out of this procedure. I can’t wait to be able to play with my daughter pain free 🙂
Yeah, I always tried drunk in the bath tub. So dumb.
The surgery should NOT hurt. If it does at all, ask for another shot. That’s definitely uncomfortable, but don’t worry about feeling like a wimp. We all have different pain tolerances.
I’ve watched (obviously) all my surgeries now and it’s not terrible. Because it’s so numb, it looks a lot like someone else’s toe.
I only had pain that first night. You’ll do great.
I just felt like stopping by and posting a bit of an update and another little message to other readers. It’s been a couple weeks now since I had the surgery. I was out of work until the start of this month, just because it took that long ’til I could comfortably walk again, much less put a shoe on. Bought steel toe work boots, used ointment and a bandage around my toe the first couple days I was working, and was able to put a sock on over that no problem. Eventually though, I was able to go without any bandaging at all, and I have no soreness or discomfort whatsoever now.
Overall, while the initial recovery period is a little gruesome both in the fact that the first night was easily the worst pain I’ve ever experienced, and the fact I couldn’t put any pressure on that toe at all (which meant no walking for the first week), I’d say that it was actually pretty easy to handle. I’m really haemophobic, so it was a little gross to me at first, but now it just looks like part of the nail’s missing. Skin is perfectly smooth, although the cuticle looks odd because of how they cut the nail out. It’s actually really clean. I’m happy with how well the surgery went.
If you get an ingrown toenail, immediately take care of it. Soak it in warm water (with salt/epsom salt if needed) and try to get it out (safely) before it gets infected. If it’s just started to swell, try doing the same but see if you can drain the infection out cleanly. Don’t try to cut it out unless you’re sterilizing the tool you use, and be careful, because it can often make things worse. If you can’t resolve it on your own early on, go ahead and get it taken care of by the doctors. They usually do a fantastic job fixing it, and honestly, while the first few days might be gruelingly miserable, it’s worth it in the long run because it doesn’t take long for it to stop hurting. Leaving it as is will only let it get worse and hurt more and more, both pre-surgery and post-surgery.
Also wanted to say thanks again to Tyler for this article and the responses I’ve gotten previously. I was terrified of this at first, but reading about it now after it’s all said and done, I have to say, Tyler covered the process beautifully. The only difference between mine and his is that they didn’t apply phenol to the nail bed at all, so my toenail will grow back (hopefully not ingrown this time). Additionally, I wasn’t given any instruction to clean whatsoever. No scrubbing with a toothbrush, no soaking in epsom salt, nothing. I just applied neosporin-type ointment to the wound, covered it with gauze, and went on with my day. After the first week, I did soak it in just straight warm water and used a cotton swab (Q-tip) to gently clean the surface of the wound, but that’s all. And it’s perfectly clean and healed now, all that’s left is the nail growing back out.
Cool. Glad your nail was able to grow back normally. My doc said 93% of them do and don’t have any more problems.
But the nail doesn’t usually ever look the same, though. Probably only obvious to you.
Hi I just got mine two weeks ago and am wondering if the side if the toe will ever grow back and be as strong as it was before? And is so how long does the healing take?
Did the doc shove a stick filled with acid into your cuticle?
Hi , I just got mine two weeks ago and am wondering if the side of the toe will ever be as strong as before the surgery? If so how long?
You’re asking if the nail will grow back, you mean?
Can this happen at any age
Likely. Mine were issues my entire life, but they recently got worse as I ran more and got older so I didn’t heal as quickly.
Getting both big toes done this Friday.. Wish I would have known about this procedure years ago.. I figured it was normal to have all this pain from playing lots of sports and walking…. Duh….
Same boat. Figured because I wasn’t a runner, it was my fault.
But as a runner, the problem just hurt more often.
Hiya, have a question for my fellow ingrown toenail surgery people. I had my surgery 20 years ago in my teens both sides of big toes all at once! Went hiking this weekend (prefer to wear loose fitting or open toed shoes) and really suffered some trauma to both toes but especially my right toe. I have some bruising around the cuticle and swelling (I can push my nail down at the bed and it kinda moves, eek). My surgery was pretty extreme, probably had 1/4″ of my nail removed total on each foot. Have any of you had this problem? It is really itchy but I am guessing that is good and means it is healing. My boots are comfortable and I also size up a half size. Has anyone used lambswool or something. Would really like to take of hiking instead of just walking but I think that up/down slopes really did a number on my toe. Any suggestions are helpful. Thanks!
I hike in lambswool and/or merino wool because I’ve been worried about this happening (my big toenails are now both gone, never to grow back), but have been lucky so far.
Is this the first time you’ve hiked like this since the surgery?
Hi. I’ve been dealing with pain on my left big toe with an ingrown nail for about a week. I’ve been trying to take care of it alone because-sad to say this but I feel super insecure because I have a fungal nail since HS 2010.. will they perform a diff procedure ??
You feel insecure showing your toe to a doctor because of the fungal nail? Is that what you’re saying?
Yes!
The doctor has seen far, far worse.
Don’t for a second feel insecure about showing a doc, it’s usually never as bad as you think it is anyway.
But I’ll tell you this: if my doc had said that I had to run around the block naked in order to get my ingrown toenail removed, I would have done it. It feels THAT much better now.
I’ve had the surgery so many times over the past 10 years, I can’t count. I’m toying with the toenail removal, but always back out due to the fear of dropping something on my big toes. Have the phenol, you will thank yourself.
I think some of us in the 7% just have great healing properties, and the good side is that we have good circulation. I had it again this afternoon and it is just a pain in the a**. The one thing I’ve learned after having it so many times is be observant of the scar tissue. I’ve had to have the corner of one of mine done twice because scar tissue built up near the matrix (underneath the skin) and caused the same problem. Also make sure they make a clean cut (I even remind them now) the first time into the nail. I had a substandard clean cut once and now I have 2 separate layers, stacked on top of each other growing, but the thinner one always splinters off.
Don’t expect to be a foot model after (I am pretty sports oriented, even after 5 ACL repairs), but I imagine most people that are in the pain the ingrowns cause don’t really care about looks.
I had my toenails completely removed after two or three trimmings.
The toenail bed feels weird for a while, but stubbed toes are a thing of the past (it’s the NAIL that, when pushed into the cuticle, that hurts: who knew?) and my toes are no more sensitive now (had it done in January, trained for and ran a marathon March-October) than they were before.
Hi,
I just got two ingrown toe nails removed on my left toe this week. I had like 3-4 shots of Epi because it was badly infected. I soaked it this morning for the first time with Epsom salt and Iodine for the first time by doctor and it hurt me so bad! What should I do to clean to without hurting?
I have good news and bad news.
First, the good news: it’s never going to hurt that bad to soak it again.
Second, the bad news: it’s only to hurt slightly less than the time before.
Tip: soaking at night helped with pain more than soaking in the morning did. I usually just showered in the am.
I just had this done yesterday and I am in SOOOOO much pain! I had both sides of both my big toes done. I am very very annoyed because my doc made it sound like I would leave feeling better than I came. When I asked about the pain she warned me the shots would be bad but I should feel better the next day. WOW was that not the case. On my way home the numbness wore off and I started having pain that I would rate 8 or 9/10. I am also annoyed because I was never given any instructions on cleaning like people have stated here. She told me I could start showering the next day but never gave me instructions on keeping my toes clean 🙁
Yikes! Soak your toes in epsom saltwater. Twice a day.
I had this done in the UK last summer and although fully healed a week ago I started noticing it was loose. Then last night the actual toe nail fell off. I was not impressed it’s fair to say. The injections were definitely the worst part.
I have read all the statements here and on other web sites. I was afraid. I have had ingrown toenails in both my large toes for years. I gave myself an infection and so off I go to a Dr. I ask him what my options were and explained I was afraid of the shots. He offered to do both toes all 4 corners by putting my to sleep. I was still afraid for the pain that would come afterwards. I was so amazed that I did not have any severe pain at all. I never took the first pain pill and actually I didn’t even need Tylenol, but I took it to be on the safe side. I am soaking everyday and having the discharge like others, but my toes do not hurt. It did not even hurt soaking them the first time, it actually felt great. If anyone out there is afraid like I was please explore your options first and find a good Dr. This will be one of the best things you could ever do for yourself and your health. I have no regrets and if had to do it all over again, would do it again without any fears. I hope this message helps someone out there that is or will be faced with the same fears I was faced with for no reasons at all. Good Luck!
my son just turned two he’s been having a problem with his toenail since 8 month old…but the problem had definitely gotten worse since I started walking thank goodness we live in Florida because he will not wear sneaker it’s always sandals have to wait till he falls asleep so I can trim the extra nail that hangs on the sides the doctor looks at it but tells me that maybe I’m cutting his nails wrong …not true
i haven’t cut his nails for 2 months..but tonight I had to trim them because they had the nail hanging on the side again and it was bloody it bothers him so much and I could see it red and swollen he’s always in pain I wonder if theres another solution besides surgery ?
or will my 2 year old keep going through this :'(
well posting that comment sure served as a waste of time lol
..thank goodness I got a new pediatrician and read different article/blogs
thanks for nothing……pls delete this i unsubscribed
good luck to anybody else
You’re telling me “thanks for nothing”?
I had it cut and the root burned on Wednesday and it looks like bruising under the cuticle and today I had blisters around the bruising. Is that a sign of infection? I don’t have any pain whatsoever.
Is there fluid in the blisters? If so, is it clear and light or dark and thick?
If there’s little or no fluid, and there’s a bunch right around the cuticle, that’s pretty normal. It freaked me out at first too, but it went away as I healed.
No pain almost always means whatever’s happening is normal.
Ohh ok i freaked out cuz my sister said it looked infected (she has no experience in the medical field) It was pink…. Like blood mixed with clear puss, like water, But just a little bit. The doc didn’t tell me anything except put antibiotic ointment on it… I did wear sneakers and was on my feet yesterday and today… I’m going to wear my boots for the remainder of the week and wrap it up. Seemed better that way. And for everyone who said the needles hurt, the doc didn’t freeze it prior to the novicaine needles? Mine did.
I love how this post is from 2012 and you’re still responding to people’s comments. So nice.
WELL, I just had surgery today, my right toe, on BOOTH sides. The injections were HELL. After that, piece of cake, paid left, dropped of my prescription for pain killers, 2 hours later I was home, almost in tears from the pain. Doc told me to soak in water and salt. So I did, it looked like half of my toe was missing lol …. Over did it with the pain killers AND they still haven’t worked. Point is, it’s 1:09 am my foot is elevated and I can’t sleep from the dam PAIN !!! I HATE THIS !
This happened to me twice.
For what it’s worth, it shouldn’t hurt like that after the first night. If it’s infected, it will take a few days for it to manifest.
I spent a night rotating from icing my toes on the ground while sitting on the couch to laying on the ground with my feet up on the couch.
It gets better (almost every time)!
YES…. Still hurts today, I think my case was pretty bad, I soked my foot this morning … And when I tried to clean the edges, it hurt soooo bad, and now I’m too scared to clean it …. Idk how you did the whole tooth brush thing … 🙁 OUCH !
Idk what kind of doctors ya’ll are going to but I have had NO pain at all. I get if the toe was infected and then you had it done, then yes it would be painful as hell. Soaking it in warm salt water and antibiotic ointment after you dry the area will help the infection. As far as the tooth brush goes, I would use it but I didn’t have an infection. On a pain scale from 1-10 I’m at a 2. And it has been a week and a half. I wish I could show a picture of my toe because its still bruised and scabby. 2x a day soak and antibiotic ointment(I got it at the dollar tree) and keep it covered while u have shoes on. But keep it dry at night if you can tolerate the blankets on it, if not put a bandaid over it.
My pain at night came after I needed extra shots and then walked around a bit on it that day. Never had any pain after the first night, save for my last time when it got infected.
Good work cleaning your wound and yay for no infection!
I had it cut and root burned yesterday and still no pain. I was wondering if it was supposed to be painful or not, because it doesn’t hurt me. The skin at the edge of my toe is pale, near where the nail was removed, and I was wondering if that is normal.
I’ve had both no pain and lots of pain for similar surgeries, so I’m betting it totally depends on the person and situation. As long as you have feeling and no pain, you’re good.
The pale skin is likely dead and may peel off as new skin grows to replace it. It is pretty weird looking, but I’ve had that happen every time. Once it was black and blue and look almost bubbly, but it was just dead skin layers.
Do the shots hurt i am getting mine removed tomorrow and im 11 will it hurt for me.
Shots are pretty quick. It’ll pinch for a second, but the pain goes away quickly.
My doc started by spraying some freezing thing on my toe first. Numbed up pretty well.
Tyler please tell me.. How long in total did it ever take to heal? When could you put on shoes and walk about normally and then exercise(run) normally? Cause walking on that foot and running on it are two different things to me? Also what chemical did they put on it to kill the root? And did it ever grow back? Do you still have to apply “maintenance” to it? Your help would be much appreciated . I’ve been having this problem for going on 2 years now. I had the surgery but it grew back.. I guess since the doc didn’t apply a chemical.
I could walk “normally” in less than a week, but my toe was still wrapped up.
Running took 3-4 weeks.
No idea what chemical they used to burn the root, all I heard was “acid” and they applied it with what looked like a big toothpick. Just kinda shoved it in there.
Yes, I had a lot of maintenance, because my nail never grew back at the root, the nail itself seemed to grow sideways/into my nail bed.
My nails grew back THREE times. I had both the toenails on my big toes removed in January 2013, have had zero problems since.
2-3 weeks. All I know is that she called it acid.
Mine grew back, too.
I had this procedure done today! On the outside of my left big toe and inside on my right big toe. I can’t say I didn’t feel anything. Found out the enzymes in my body breaks down the numbimg medications EXTREMELY fast. Dr froze point of shot on both toes and had a big syringe full of lidacaine. He put more than half of the first syringe in my left big toe put the rest in my other one refilled syringe a bit and put it in the right one again. He was 100% shocked it wore off in less than 15 minutes Lol. He said the condition is very rare to have then put enough in my left big toe to make my foot numb that he could have fixed a broken ankle in a normal person. Now. That being said I’m a little freaked out. I have on my left foot by my big toe a purple spot it looks like my foot is turning purple ONLY in that one spot?!? Is that normal and can I wait to call out patient surgery tomorrow morning or should I actually go into the hospital to. check it out?
Is it throbbing or painful? If not, then you’re okay. The purple is just part of the healing process, likely dead cells from the medication or freezing.
But if it’s throbbing or painful, go in right away.
Hi – My 11 year old daughter is having this done in a couple of weeks time for the first time. She has had infected toenails due to ingrown toenails for more than 6 months now and about 5 lots of antibiotics!
My worry is the healing process. Nobody seems to be able to tell me when she will be able to go back to school. The podiatrist said to keep her off the next day, but play it by ear about when to go back.
She will have a big bandage on her toe which I have been told needs to kept on for a week after which she will go to the nurse for a check and redressing.
How long can she expect the healing process take as she obviously has Physical Education at school and does ballet?
Also, probably my main worry is how squeamish she is. When she went to be assessed, the podiatrist was talking about the procedure and she passes out at the surgery! Would a doctor prescribe something for her as we don’t want this happening during the procedure.
Thanks in advance.
I could move around just fine 2-3 days after the surgery, so I’m betting she’ll be good to go back to school after 1-2 days.
As for changing the dressing, I only did that morning and night, so the nurse may not be needed.
The key to healing is to keep the toe as protected as possible. Gym is out for a few weeks, ballet is DEFINITELY out for maybe a month. I remember trying to plan tennis after 2.5 weeks, made a hard stop and pivot, and felt my toe smash up against the shoe. It definitely hurt, but it wasn’t enough to stop me from playing.
As for her squeamishness…ask the doc to put a sheet up. Mine offered to do so, but I wanted to watch. The pain from the shots isn’t terribly bad, especially if they numb the toe first with cold.
But honestly, nothing in the procedure hurt more than bashing my infected, ingrown toe on stuff, so your daughter has already felt far more pain.
Good luck!
Hi Tyler thanks for the response the purple spot went away but unfortunately I think I have an infection in both toes. While changing bandages on my toes to soak them in lukewarm epsom salt I noticed a gunky gooey green glob on the bandage. My dr prescribed antibiotics to take since my left toe had an infection in it before the procedure. I’m curious if I should keep taking my meds and hope it goes away or call and let them know?! My dr took a culture of the toenail and infection because I get them twice a month he’s worried.
I had this done like 2 weeks ago and my toes are both leaving a yellowish thing inside the bandage. Is that normal? Also the white dead skin is starting to turn purple, but does not hurt or throb. Could that be a bruise, since I play soccer and have hit it a couple times?
The yellowish is just discharge that’s part of the healing process. I had that too, had no issue.
The purple skin is dead from the anesthetic, and should peel or fall off when new skin grows back.
Is the purple skin around the cuticle? Like just under?
The purple skin is on the side of my toe that I had the nail removed, where the dead skin starts. If the cuticle is the part where the toenail starts, then no. Thank you for your response.
Yeah, likely just bruising. Skin is pretty sensitive while it’s healing.
My doc said as long as there was no pain or smelly discharge, I was fine.
My purple faded to green, then yellow, then gone.
Probably should keep the soccer to a minimum, though.
I just had both large toe nails completely removed by a gp two days ago. I am supposed to soak it, but the second water hits it this excruciating burning sensation kicks in. They aren’t infected, and I have been changing the dressing regularly. But there is dead skin on the side i think i could get rid of if i soaked it.
They usually don’t hurt much if at all. When you soaked yours did they burn/sting? I have been afraid to take a shower. The entire nail bed is just open, denuded skin. I have pictures, they are a lot more graphic than the partial removal ones. I’m looking for something to soak it in that won’t be brutally painful. It takes so long for the pain to go down after the soak the way my doc wanted me to do it. I’m not into torture, there had to be a better way.
Yes, when I had both my toenails removed in January of this year, they stung when I soaked them in water and Epsom salt.
Hurt like a bitch.
Shower felt way better.
Hi, I just had my right toe (both inner and outer) done on Tuesday. I have some brusing at the bottom of my toe and I have a lot of pain under my big toe. Would that be from the shots? Is that normal? If so when can I expect the pain on the bottom of my toe to go away? Thanks for you helpful comments
Bruising is normal, it’s just dead skin from the shots. It may flake off as it fades, nothing to worry about. It will be tender, but only for a few days.
By the bottom of your toe, do you mean your toe joint where it connects to your foot? If so, that’s like from you being super tense, the doctor holding your toe at a weird angle, you walking on it harder than you should but you don’t know that because it’s numb, and just general stiffness from not being used as much.
However, if the pain moves into your foot and leg or starts pounding, it’s infected and you’ll need antibiotics and hopefully a few painkillers to ease the pain while the medicine does its work.
My left toe was infected January of this year after my fourth time getting my toenails trimmed my doc removed them completely. Pain was INTENSE. Trust yourself and don’t be afraid to ask for pain meds if something hurts. Docs are cool about that as long you don’t ask for a bunch of refills (though I did, once).
Soak it twice a day, keep it clean, stay off of it.
Thank you for your help! The pain on the bottom of my toe is actually directly under my toenail pretty much. I looked when I soaked it, and theres a small white line about half an inch long or smaller. I’m assuming that may be from the needle but I get queasy once I think about it so I try not to. I also think I’ve been on it a bit too much so maybe that makes it worse in terms of pain.
Try harder not to move around so much and be sure to take advantage of assistance when you need it.
I rode the electric cart at my pharmacy. Was embarrassing, but it helped not increase the soreness.
Just had 2 ingrowns removed from big toes. Surprisingly the shots didn’t hurt. The cold spray hurt alit. My podiatrist put me on antibiotics beforehand due too diabetes and I’m on blood thinner from strokes n heart attacks. He also prescribed me silvadine cream. Which is for burns. So I’m using that instead of neosporin. Shot site still really hurts and alot of itching. Everytime I clean they hurt worse. Wwondering why no one else has been prescribed the burn cream?? It’s to help heal from the burning acid
First ingrown toenail I ever had. Went to podiatrist an he did a basic removal, it was in the bottom corner on the outside of my big toe. It was slightly infected at the time of the procedure, he told me to do the Epson salt soaks twice daily but, it appeared to be getting a bit worse. So, he put me on antibiotics. I followed up with an office visit ad he said it is healing just fine. Only problem is it is not. It has been 11 days and I can still only wear flip flops. The lower corner where the ingrown part was is fine. It is above that, length-wise as the nail regrows across it keeps splitting the skin. Is this normal? Will it stop splitting? I really need to wear shoes again as the snow is starting to fly..
I wish mine had been as easy as yours!! I had mine done on 11/21/14 and the pain afterward was 10+ on the pain scale. I had to call to get a prescription for pain meds…which didn’t work and two days later was prescribed a stronger pain med. I had both sides of both big toes done. I got 5 shots in each toe. The drs ended up having me keep my feet up for 5 days. It was probably my 8th day before I didn’t have to take pain anymore. The swelling in my toes was horrible to say the least. Even the joints hurt. The dr thinks I had a bad reaction to the silver nitrate used to cauterize the wounds and because of how many shots she had to give me. After having to keep my feet for so long when I was finally able to start moving around on day 5 the swelling went from just the two toes, all the way up both calves. By thanksgiving they had to prescribe meds for the swelling. Today is day 10 and all of the swelling is about 85-90% gone and today is the first day I can fully bend my toes due to reduced swelling. I’m still wearing flip flops in this freezing weather because I still cannot even handle the pressure of loose fitting slipper.
Ouch! Yes, that sounds more like my more recent surgery (had both toenails completely removed) and I was out of it for weeks and weeks.
Even though it still hurts, I’m glad it’s getting better (albeit slowly).
Just think, after this, no more weird toe pain! You’ve suffered this long, you can handle another few days.
I’m now on day 20 and 2 of the 4 are part way healed. Still can’t wear shoes. Slippers are ok for about 15 mins then I have to take them off. No infection, but I did not expect it to take this long to heal. I’m soaking in epsom salt twice a day, then triple antibiotic ointment and covering. Really miss wearing shoes.
Hi Tyler!
I just got this procedue done a few days ago. I have no drainage and no swelling. I’m not even in pain! But, it smelled really bad the first two Times I changed bandages. I’ve been soaking it two times and day and putting Neosporian on it and wrapping It. Last time I changed bandages the smell wasn’t as bad. Could it be an infection? And if so, since the smell isn’t as bad, could that infection be going away?
You’re better off going by pain, not smell.
Provided you have feeling in it and everything, of course. When it hurts, you’ll know.
And if you think about it, and I know this sounds gross, but there is dying flesh around the wound. It will heal great and all, but the smell is more likely something like that.
Good luck!
Yeah I had the minor surgery 4 times on both my big toes problem is Emergency Rooms and Walk Ins just numb you and pull the piece out to heal the pain and make it go away for the time being. But what happens is after a short period of time the nail grows back into the same spot and the ingrown comes right back. So I went to a specialist for the first time today cause the E.R. and Walk In were obviously not working out and he numbed me cut the nail down on the side and pulled the piece out put the chemicals in so the nail does not grow back. And they put my dressing on and sent me on my way and I have to say even after this little time I feel great like a pressure has been lifted off of my toe. So moral of the story do not go to Emergency Rooms nor Walk Ins. Look for a specialist they will get the job done trust me their great. Also the worst part is the numbing after that its smooth sailing from there. You don’t feel a thing.
Nice! Most of my procedures were like your last, but I always had to go back because my nail grew down into the toenail at the edges (meaning my nail curves instead of growing straight across).
Good tip on making an appt with a specialist.
Had my left big toe done in May, pretty straight forward no problems no pain, November, 6th it grew back into toe, went to different podiatrist she numbed it cut it out but this time she killed the root it is only one side the outer on left foot,I had the really bad smell it was horrid I could not stand taking my shoes off and I am a plumber so smells don’t normally bother me. So I go back after a week it is scabbed over I had been soaking in Epsom salts putting Benadyne on it and neosporin it looks and feels awesome, Dr. Even said it is healing great it is further than she thought it would be. Dr. On check up cuts out scab digs around in it with a tool then scrubs it, now two weeks after follow up appointment toe is sore and red and draining, Dr said she cuts out the scab for drainage so you don’t get an abscess and that after the acid procedure it is normal for it to drain up to four weeks, well I am four weeks plus it does not seem to be healing. And I am super pissed at the Dr. For cutting out the scab and I was going to skip that appointment because it was healing great now I wish I would have.
The abscess greatly increases the chance of infection and it can only heal from the inside out.
Takes longer, but it should solve your issue (I had pilonidal cyst form an abscess once, took nine weeks to heal).
Still mostly pain free, though?
Hi mate, I wonder whether You could help me as I have had some horrible and strange problems with toenails recently. I had partial removal on 3 toes using phenol done 4 months ago. Apparently there is a 95 % success rate but I am in the 5 % group of patients as I have regrowth and will have to repeat the procedure. However,the funny thing is I have never had typically ingrown toenails, actually they look fine. My problem is that next to a toenail there grows a SEPARATE, single , splinter-like toenail which grows deep in the skin. There are loads of small strange looking pieces of skin around this toenail which my podiatrist called hangnails (???) Have You ever had a problem like that or was it just a typical case where edge of a toenail grows into the skin ???? Should I repeat the phenol procedure or do a more serious surgery involving removing part of the toe/flesh (Vandenbosch procedure) ??? thanks for Your help in advance
This is what happened on BOTH of my big toes (my success rate was 93%, sounds like we’re in the 7% & 5% club) which led to this: https://tdhurst.com/ingrown-toenail-removal-surgery-infection/
And my toes never “looked” abnormal either, it’s like they just grew straight into my skin, right in the bottom left corner (that’s on my right toe, if I’m looking down at it).
I ended up having them completely removed. One sorta grew back in that same place, but it doesn’t hurt 11 months later.
Besides the way it looks, I can’t think of any reason not to remove the nails if they hurt. I’ve had a pain-free year and I’m loving it.
Hi, I have had an ingrown toenail for about 6 months now. I have one on each side of my big toe. I went to a pediatrician and had one of the sides taken out. Big mistake! It grew right back. The shot killed! I am going on Monday to a podiatrist now to get both removed. I don’t know if I should get them permanently removed??? I am terrified. And I am even a teenager! It is really infected? Will going to a podiatrist be better? And how bad will it hurt?
Here’s my story on having my big toenails permanently removed: https://tdhurst.com/ingrown-toenail-removal-surgery-infection/
Yes, I’d do it again in a second, even with everything that happened.
To answer your questions:
1. If this is your first, probably not a great idea to have them permanently removed. Try something less risky, like what you’re doing, first.
2. The infection will go away and you’ll feel awesome.
3. Go to a podiatrist if this first attempt doesn’t work.
4. Mine only hurt, besides the infection, when the local anesthetic wore off that first night. It’s sensitive, but mostly pain-free.
I WISH I had mine taken care of when I was a teenager.
I have one as well on my left foot I wouldn’t call it in grown there’s just one part of the nail that’s sharp and when I even barley bump it talk about pain and advise
See if getting it removed (trimmed) is an option. My toes were never infected while ingrown either, they just hurt all the time.
Even sometimes just because they were covered by a sheet or blanket. I’m betting it was my too-tight basketball shoes, but I never really understood how to fix that until recently.
Hey Tyler..
I had a ingrown toenail on my left big toe on outside removed for the first time 9 months ago..my toenail grew back but was ingrown again so I went back to see my dr and aw removed it again..she advised me that the roots needed to be burnt,I asked if she could burn them last time she removed the nail and she was afraid I had infection..she removed my toenail and put me on medication for infection..a month later I’m going back to have only my roots burnt..I’m use to the shots but does the acid they use to burn the roots hurt? I know she will give me the shot to my toe to numb but what should I expect? Will she just brush the acid on my toe or does she have to cut on my toe to burn the roots? I’m sure I’ll get to keep my toenail? Any help is appreciated
No, the acid used to burn my roots didn’t hurt. The shots took care of that part.
The acid is administered via a big, toothpick-looking stick. My doc just shoved it in where she could.
Once the initial pain meds were off, your toes are probably going to hurt in reaction to it. Mine did, but only the first night. Be extra careful to stay off your feet right after surgery and sleep with your feet elevated. Good idea to have ice bags ready.
Not everyone has an issue with it, though. But I did, but only for a few hours one night.
I had surgery on both sides of my right toe 7 days ago and I still have puss coming out. Is this normal?
Does it hurt? If it’s not red and painful, and the pus isn’t yellow, it’s a normal discharge.
Mine had what seemed like pus forever, but it was really just soft, very new skin.
Hi, I had my toe nail removed in April 2014, still not healed visiting nurse twice a week to have the dressing changed! No infection in the wound as I’ve had it swabbed three times!!! Nobody can explain what is happening and when it will heal.
I was told that some nails just don’t grow back.
What’s “healed” mean to you?
Hi I’ve had this surgery done today to both sides of my toe on both feet. Went fine but it’s 12hrs later and I can still feel numbness in both toes. Is this normal? I have poor circulation and it feels uncomfortable and haven’t been able to sleep yet!
That sounds like what happened to me 2 of the 3 times.
Went from using frozen peas on top of my toes with my feet on the ground to laying with my back on the ground and my feet up on the couch for hours.
The local anesthetic is completely wearing off. It’s going to hurt and it sucks, but it should go away in the morning. Take whatever painkiller (weed didn’t help me, though it did assist in me passing out after four hours of pain) you can find or just ice it.
It will go away soon. If it’s still hurting when you wake up, call your doc.
Had the surgery done yesterday. Both big toes on each side. The shots hurt but they weren’t too bad (there’s worse pain out there) though after surgery that night the pain got so bad I became nauseous. I think it was the bandages, they were too tight. I just did the soaking procedure twice with water/triadine mix and so far so good. I had a question about Epsom salt and if I should do it or not? I had the chemical treatment done as well as the nails cut out. So I am not sure if it’s safe to use. Let me know! Toes still hurt but not too bad hopefully that is normal. Last question.. When will I be able to walk fine again? Let me know thanks!
Dina. Dmazur3318@yahoo.com
I did Epsom salt once a day, always. It stings a bit, but I swear it feels better afterwards.
Usually I just wash in the shower or soak in the morning, then Epsom salt at night. After it stops oozing, you can discontinue the Epsom salt.
I did make sure to get one without any aromas.
Ok thanks still tingly and numb this morning rang the podiatrist and they said it’s most likely due to cold so have put socks on and trying to move about a bit more. The dressing is uncomfortable but can’t remove it or soak it till next week Tuesday when I have my redress appointment!
How long would you say it took before it felt like you could walk normally?
Yeah, make sure you stay off of it. I always tried to do too much and it got sore.
I felt normal in about 3-4 weeks, but I was moving around felt a non-limping person after two.
If you rest it early, it will heal much faster.
Thanks for sharing your post. I also had this problem 5 years ago when I ran the marathon. I thought having the surgery was the most horrifying experience but I guess not, it was post surgery especially when anesthesia wore off, there was pain for weeks later. Thanks again and I also enjoyed reading your other posts. Keep them coming!
Good to hear you’re better.
Yeah, even with all the pain and my infection after my final surgery (complete removal), it was totally worth it for my toes to not hurt any more.
Thanks for taking the time to reply back!
So its been 6 days since surgery on my two big toes (ingrowns removed from both sides of each toe)my right one does not hurt I can walk on it and all is good. It still doesn’t look like its healed really but it does not hurt. My left one still hurts. Every time I step on it the bottom pad of my toe feels swollen and really sensitive. And even my nail itself feels like something heavy fell on it. Is that normal? I just hope its not an infection.
Let me know Thanks
First, if it hurts, stop walking on it.
Two, that sensitivity was pretty normal for me. An infection will bring the pain into your foot, ankle, and start to creep up your leg and you’ll seriously consider amputation (you don’t seem to have this issue right now).
Your toe may very well be swollen because it’s super-sensitive to being used.
Will do thanks for the advice
Hi Tyler,
Glad you’ve got your feet sorted out. My son is 13 and has had surgery 3 times. Twice on the insides of both big toes and once (so far) on both sides of the next toe on both feet. Each time he has surgery it’s about 6 weeks before he can do sports again and each time he’s healed enough to do sports another toe starts hurting.
The first time he had his big toes done there wasn’t enough cut off, so 4 weeks later he had the same procedure again to remove more of the nail. This was June and July 2014. It messed him up for the last few weeks of school and he was all summer healing. He went back to school in September and started training with his football team again and it was only a couple of weeks when his little toes started hurting. He eventually had surgery on both toes, both sides, end of November. These are now growing back. It’s so frustrating because he has not played or trained with his football team for weeks. He went back to school after the Christmas break, did one PE lesson of football and now not only are the nails growing back but one of his big toes is really painful again but on both sides this time. It’s really getting him down as he loves football and is at an age where he enjoys his sports but since May of last year he hasn’t been able to do any and he is doing GCSE PE at school and is worried he is going to fail because he can’t do any sports because of the pain and is even talking about quitting his football team. I am constantly rolling up cotton wool to pack into the area between the toe and nail to lift the nail so it doesn’t go fully ingrown. We are off to see the podiatrist yet again on Thursday. Not sure where we go from here. He said he doesn’t want more surgery because the injections are so excruciatingly painful but then so are his nails. It’s so unfair as we see no end to this. Oh yes I forgot to say each time he has had surgery they also used acid to stop the nail regrowing (although unsuccessfully this last time!)
Oh man…that sucks. I also had three surgeries, on my big toes only, and then they decided to take them completely off.
Had you experimented with different shoes? My problems stemmed from narrow cleats and basketball shoes.
Hi Tyler, thanks for replying.
Yes we’ve tried different shoes. Yesterday I ordered some stuff off the internet for him…. Some gel toe caps and some nail softening gel. Not sure about these but we’ll try anything. I also saw something called a nail brace which is supposed to lift the nail edges to help stop the nails curling under. Have you heard of these? We’re off to the podiatrist later so I’ll run everything by her.
What kind of shoes does he usually wear?
Well for school they wear uniform so he used to wear black leather slip on shoes until the podiatrist said slip on shoes are not the best. Now he has leathet trainers/sneakers with three Velcro strips to fasten them. For PE at school he wears Nike Tiempo as they were the widest trainers we could find and his football boots are also Nike Tiempo because they were also the widest. Out of School he has leather puma trainers….probably a bit more info than you required haha I’ve just come back from the podiatrist with him. She wanted to book him in for more surgery but he said he doesn’t want to go through it anymore especially as it hasn’t really worked so far. I said about the nail braces she said they’re a waste of time. So I’m not sure what to do next. She has said he can be sedated before the surgery to help which is an option but at the moment he is adamant he doesn’t want surgery.
Hi, i had toenail surgery on both sides of each toe about 4 hours ago. At the moment my toes are feeling fine (the injections have worn off as well). I have had problems with my toes for around 6 months. Do you think this surgery will have ended my problems? By the way the roots have been killed.
Thanks:)
It does for something around 93% of the people, I was told.
Take good care of them!
Hi, Tyler. Thank you so much for pictures and so much infp. I just had partial nail removal and acid treatment on right outside big toe on Tuesdsy. Today us Saturday and there is still some bleeding on bandage this morning. I did some walking yesterday but am trying to stay off feet mostly. I cleaned the coagulated blood this morning with q-tip (first time since I saw you cleaned with toothbrush) while it was soaking in Epsom salt bath. I’ve been soaking once daily but think I will start 2X daily. Is it normal to still have some blood on bandage 4 days later? Thanks again for all information you share. I know it has helped many.
Very normal to still have blood. You want the wound to stay gooey (mine was about ten days before I started to leave bandages off at night to help it dry out).
Careful with the q-tip, just use it to clean the excess stuff, no need to dig in there.
Keep soaking, stay off of it, monitor pain and swelling. The bleeding/gooey part is part of the healing process and a good thing.
Oh, you’re welcome! I really could have used a forum like this before I had my surgery. Happy to solve that issue for others.
Hi again, Tyler. I keep coming back to your info and pics to compare with my toe. I was on my feet more yesterday since I had to get some things from the store due to the impending snow storm. Still some blood on bandage as well as this morning. Don’t really see much yellow/guey stuff. I am wearing a post op boot. Tomorrow will be 1 week since surgery. My directions were to soak in Epsom salt bath once daily 5-10 minutes (I’m doing it 2X daily 20-25 minutes) then clean with peroxide, dry and finally put antibiotic cream on and bandage. I stopped using q-tip . Just wanted to communicate the info with you since you have gone through same thing. It feels good to have someone to share with who knows what to expect. Thanks for any feedback
Blood is normal, as long as it’s not gushing or causing pain, I was told it was completely normal.
Surprised you were told to use peroxide, though. I was specifically told NOT to, because it killed skin that was part of the healing process. This likely explains why you don’t have any gooey, new skin yet.
Good luck!
Can you still wear shoes over top and socks
Yes, even without toenails. Even while I was recovering, I still wore shoes and socks most days.
The most painful part of wearing shoes and socks is the bandaging pressing on everything, so as long as you don’t get too crazy or wear super-tight-toed shoes, you’re fine.
Nothing bothers me now, even toe shoes.
so do they only remove the ingrown fragment or the entire toe nail
The first three times for me, was just the fragment.
Fourth time was the nail.
93% of people will be fine after removing a fragment the first time.
Nothing you can do except rest it, nothing to worry about from your end as long as you stay inactive while healing.
How long is recovery cause I play basketball and I’m worried about that the most and. Also on a scale of 1 to 10how bad was the Pain of the shot
2-4 weeks. I played tennis at 1.5 weeks, but my mobility wasn’t great.
The MORE you rest at the very beginning, the faster it will heal.
SO STAY OFF YOUR FEET.
1 being a soft punch to the arm and 10 being an open nerve in a sensitive spot on the body?
6-7, but it goes away really fast. Just anticipate it, accept it, keep breathing, and it’s no big deal.
Will I be able to go to school the next day
Possibly, depends on how much you keep off of it.
Should I use crutches
I’m having this surgery in a month and a half. My podiatrist said I would only need a day off of work (I have a desk job), but I told her I was sick of my job and asked if I could have four days off. She said that’s the first time anyone has ever point blank asked for extra time off because they hate work, so she agreed after she stopped laughing. I thought I would be chilling on my couch for four days, not in pain, but reading this, I am getting a different impression. I walk a half a mile to the subway to get to work; do you think if I have the surgery on a Tuesday that I will be able to make the walk to the subway the following Monday? Also, I was planning to drive myself to and from the appointment, but do you think I should ask someone to take me? The podiatrist and her staff are acting like this is the most minor procedure in the world, so I have zero sense of what I should be doing. Thanks for your candid post and thanks for Amy advice you have!!!
The only real pain I had getting them trimmed was that first night. The amount I rested the first few days made a huge difference in the overall time to heal, so stay off it those first few days.
You shouldn’t have any issue walking that far, provided you take care of yourself during those first few days and nothing gets infected (highly unlikely and trust me you’ll KNOW), to the subway, but pivoting hard or running trails/hills is a terrible idea.
If it’s your left foot, you can drive fine. Right foot isn’t a great idea, but it’s definitely possible.
Thanks so much! Great info!!!
Yes, that’s a good idea. Better to do that than have to walk super slowly.
I can easily see someone using crutches for 3-7 days, depending on pain.
I just had mine today
Reading over all the comments has made me more confused.
So I was mainly reading up on these things as stupid me didn’t really check with my Dr about post surgery care. He said keep the bandage on for the next day and keep it dry then re bandage it myself that was the entirety of the instructions for post care.
So far my experience… got just one toe one side removed it became ingrown from trauma to the toe. Have issues with the other side but it will fix itself when the nail fully grows out ( I lost the entire nail due to the trauma).
So needles pain, well the pain was minimal it was more like swelling sensation then pain (none of that cold spray or anything just straight in with local). Local wore off about 6 hours later with occasional throbs (no pain just felt weird to feel the toe).
So removed yesterday, no real pain at all today or yesterday… But supposedly mine is infected? As I’m on a new antibiotic which I have to take 4 times a day (6 days)… As the antibiotics that I was on prior to the surgery (2 times a day, 5 days x3) didn’t quite fend off the infection fully supposedly.
But you guys keep saying if it’s sore it might be infected… no pain… and no one really seemed to mention antibiotics in the amount that I’ve had to take..
Is my Dr just being over the top with antibiotics, or just being precautionary, or I just freakishly don’t feel pain of infections like I should.
Plus how long should I wait before I run? I have work not tomorrow but the next day that requires running and fitness for sport the day after (plus meant to be running about 40km per week to help with fitness…) Dr really told me nothing and ready up on these things has made me think I’m missing so much info… / reminding me that I have a freak of a pain threshold, thank you pain threshold for not lapsing during this awkward time.
The amount of antibiotics prescribed totally depends on when the infection started. In my case, during my last surgery to remove both nails completely, I developed an infection AFTER the surgery.
In your case, it sounds like you had issues going into it, which is why you need more (always take the full dose/bottle of antibiotics, or else you’ll just temporarily weaken the bug and it will come roaring back).
I have a decently high pain threshold myself, but if it’s REALLY infected, you won’t be able to walk without massive effort and the pain will radiate up into your foot and ankle.
As for the post-op care, 2x daily Epsom soaks for 10-15 minutes worked great for me.
I won’t run while I’m wearing any sort of bandage, so you’re on your own for that one, but the more you rest, the quicker it should heal.
Well the Dr said I was infected due to the redness and swelling around the nail where it was digging in but I never had any puss or anything come out…. I’m just getting sick of antibiotics. But I know to stay on them the full time.
But still no pain today so I’m hoping I’m all good.
Though biggest pain in the ass was removing the bandage for the first time today, where my skin has like peeled off near the tip of the toe the bandage had like stuck to it but luckily a soak was all it needed.
Hoping more people get similar removals like mine, I’ve had blisters cause more pain then what this has. Looking at it today minus the skin peeled off and the major wrinkles going on it looks more like a normal toe then it did before surgery.
Hi,
Just wanted to clear this thing up. I have an ingrown toenail op next week on Friday for my left big toe. This is a massive problem as I found out today why it is a problem. I have a maths test the same day which I can’t miss, this also happens to be a day when the bus strike is going on so that’s difficult. Also I work on Portobello Road market the next day, setting up and packing up a stall which requires heavy lifting and being on my feet most of the day. What can happen if I do these things.
Also, how do I keep the dressings dry.
Thanks.
You’re probably going to be really sore doing all that, obviously avoid it if you can, but be absolutely sure to soak 2x daily with Epsom salt to keep everything clean. It will sting a bit, but it works.
I used gauze wrapped in athletic tape (the stretchy, not the super heavy) kind and it was fine.
What a great site!
I suffered on both sides of my big toe nails over the years, more and more – to the point where I worried about travel and who I could see in an emergency.
I decided to go for deadening of the nail matrix (bed).
I expected the op to be painful (but hell I’ve given birth a few times), but weighed up the benefits.
Post-op, for 18 months I’ve suffered none of the ongoing pain I’d gotten so used to. I had a recurring ‘horn’ which is a little spike of nail which re-grew. When caught on bedclothes etc it was painful, but instead of continuing to clip it down, I decided to have this re-killed (is that a word?). The needle hurts like a hammer – but it’s for seconds! Relief is life-long. Don’t be afraid – my toe nails wouldn’t win a beauty competition, but no-one else notices that they’re a little slimmer, and best of all – I don’t think about them any more!
This is the most informative post I found – many, many thanks
Nice work! My nails are pretty tough, too. Hopefully I won’t sprout a “horn” down there any time.
Got mine today… I have had my nails on the big toe removed 3 times till now in both feet! I did the surgery at 7 o clock and had both ends of the nail removed also some swollen skin was cut off due to bad infection.. it was black and smelled bad the doc stitched my toe in both sides ..its nearly morning and i still haven’t got any sleep due to severe pain and throbbing ! Also every time I get up I feel dizzy and if I don’t sit down I feel like I’m gonna pass out! Have anyone had that experience? I feel scared! Excuse my bad English! Thanks in advance! 🙂
OUCH, MAN!
You need some better painkillers. Yes, I had that much pain when my left big toe was infected after my toenail was totally removed, but it wasn’t as bad as yours (not black, didn’t need stitches).
My advice? Stop moving around. Your body needs to heal, man!
I wrote before but i cannot see my post now!! Should I write my experience again?
It’s here. Had to approve it, but I was…napping.
No idea if this will get answered. I had the surgery about a week ago. My check up is Wednesday. I got the antibacterial pill and codeine for the pain. I did the soaking twice a day with betadine in it then drops on each side of the big toe and a band aid when soaking was done.
Thing is betadine is now crusting on sides of nails where he pulled out the ingrown. Soaking it to get off only gets some off. What else can I do?
Its still kind of sore and one toe (the whole toe) is still swollen but I think its from all numbing stuff he did.
Please help! Thanks!
You can try Epsom salt soaks, but I wouldn’t pull or scrape the betadine off.
Slight swelling and soreness is normal within the first 1-3 weeks. For me, it went from “kinda swollen and hurty” to “did it really hurt that much yesterday” really quick, like a switch.
Be patient, stay off of it, soak 2x daily.
Holey shit…
Woke up man
Intensive itching to the match…
I’m what a week nearly 2 weeks post partial nail removed and woke up in the middle of the night because it’s itching this badly :/. This is the worst annoyance my toe has given me with this entire thingo.
Now what have others done to deal with this itching?
I was scratching that didn’t help, ran under cold water, soaked in moisturizer. They give slight relief but not for long.
It’s right along the side where the nail was removed so like along the base then all the way up to the top. Worried I’m going to scratch off the last bit of scab I have left to heal and create a problem (such as infection).
Anyone with ideas? I really need sleep before work tomorrow.
Soak in Epsom salt. The itching means it’s starting to really heal, but it’s terribly annoying and it feels too deep to get at.
But Epsom and then a almost-too-tight wrap helped me.
Thanks Tyler. I’ll try that. I have been soaking them twice daily. I’m glad to know the fact its swollen is normal. I will try to remain patient.
I was on my feet for some hours for work and had trouble walking but now i’m walking normal.
Also for anyone who gets dry skin from the soaking try usuing cocunut cream. It has no perfume smell and works great. Just something that helped me.
Coconut cream (I use coconut oil, from the supermarket) works really well.
Good connection with being on your feet all day, that’s usually the cause behind swelling.
Btw I meant cocunut oil not cream. Sorry.
Also good to cook with!
Hi Tyler,
I had the procedure done 6 days ago and the nails feel great but I have some pretty severe pain in the toe where the shot was given. Is this normal? How long does it take for it to go away?
Thanks so much for your posts, these are great!
Oh, yeah, it’s starting to kinda heal now. This pain sucks. If it feels better when resting or iced and gets worse if you walk on it, then only a few days.
But if it hurts no matter what you do or starts to radiate somewhere other than your injection point (you’ll know), head back to the doc, as it’s probably infected.
But, more than likely, you’re just damn sore and will be okay in half a week.
So I recently got this same procedure done about 3 weeks ago. Everything about it seems fully healed but the skin around the nail is still red and I was wondering if this is normal around this time. Other than this it does not hurt at all and doesn’t have any other problems. Thanks for reading this and replying if you do.
Yep, the redness takes a while to go away. Eventually, you may see bubbles of dying skin as the layers that were killed during surgery (shots and/or acid) are pushed up and replaced by newer skin.
Looks weird, may itch a bit, but all part of the normal process provided you still have feeling in that part and no pain (tenderness is also normal).
Ok, good to know. This website was great and gave me a good idea of what I was getting into. At first I was worried about the whole thing but this helped a lot. And thanks for the reply, it means a lot.
I had both toenail on both sides of big toe removed 10 days ago and it’s still nearly as red around the nail, especially at the base, as the day I removed the bandages. There is some slight swelling, too. The only thing I was told to do was to use Polysporon and bandaids after the first day. Soaking wasn’t mentioned. It is still hurting a little bit, nothing like the first day or so. Anyway, was wondering if this much redness and swelling is normal after 10 days? TIA for your reply!
The redness is normal, it may turn a few other colors as the dead skin is replaced by new stuff growing from underneath. Swelling, as long as it doesn’t hurt, was normal for me whenever I didn’t stay off my feet.
By hurting, do you mean more sensitive to the touch? If that is so, you should be okay. But if it’s radiating, and it will hurt like a deeper pain of the first day, go back to the doc.
Sorry, I should have proofread before hitting Submit! I meant to say “ingrown” toenail removed. I didn’t have the whole nail removed.
Just wanted to post back as I had been on this site a bunch before the procedure yesterday. Everyone talking about how traumatic the shots were really worked me up. I fucking hate needles. They were almost painless for me with the numbing spray. I went right back to work after the procedure socks shoes and all. I wish I had gone a month ago as the piece cut out of my toe was the same size as the pictures above and really hurt. If you need to have It done go some place that uses the cold spray and don’t worry. There really is nothing to it. Also Tyler, great post bud super informative. Thanks for your time and effort.
Nice! Apparently not everyone gets the same numbing spray/needle treatment, so I’m careful to warn people.
Totally wish I had done this earlier too, no amount of surgery-related pain hurt as much as ingrown toenails do.
Best wishes for a quick recovery!
So glad I came across this! As I can’t go to bed (after 2AM) because of the horrible throbbing pain! Really! All people could talk about was how bad the shots are. Are they kidding me, that part was an breeze! It’s the post-op that no one gives a real description. I have had two c-sections; and was walking better 9 hours after those than I currently am.
I had an ingrown toenail (which was infected) and some skin scraped away about 12 hours ago. Someone please ease my mind that this throbbing pain will decrease, oh in the next 5 hours when I attempt to wake up from the sleep I can’t get!
I have taken two 600mg ibuprofen and that doesn’t seem to work that well for me. Maybe I need to find something stronger!
Your throbbing will decrease by morning (I alternated between icing my feet on the floor and laying on the floor with my feet up on the couch, while waiting for the aspiring and burned flowers to kick in, but they helped little) and, barring infection, it will never hurt this much again.
Yeah, for my last time I begged for real pain pills. They helped.
Hey I had my ingrown toenail cut about 2.5 weeks ago and he cut out a chunk of nail and put black stuff on and bandaged it I put neosporin on it and it’s still swollen . It don’t hurt it’s still swollen should it still be like that I’m in school all day and I wear boots that fit good so idk please let me know
Yes, swelling is normal while it heals. That black stuff burned the root, so your surgical wound is deeper than you can see.
It just gets sensitive because you’re using it.
Keep it clean and if it’s done seeping, try leaving the bandage off at night.
I think I have a ingrown toenail because I keep getting a lot of dead skin then there’s and indention in my big toe so I try to nip it with nippers and it does not help at all . I keep it oiled but then it get back dry. And when I’m playing my sports if I hit the toe on anything it has like a sharp pain
Yeah, you won’t be able to reach the part that’s actually causing the pain. I bet most of the people like us have and we just end up hurting ourselves.
Go see a doc. They need to numb your toe and get the nail out from the root.
Unfortunately, it’s not like pulling a tooth (well, maybe a broken or impacted tooth).
But yeah, go in. It’s 100% worth it.
If the toe in between nail and skin is already infected, can they still or wpuld they still do the surgery? or will they have to wait until the infection is gone? Cuz lOrd i am in soOo much unbearable pain.. the throbbing, i caNt sleep and im taking oral andtibiotics and putting the antibiotic mupirocin ointment. I cant waLk.. i went to work like this.. but i caNt miss school either!! thiS HURTS LIKE HELL THO.
. MAnn its like im getting contraction on my toe!!!! Yoooo idk will the infection go away with all these meds im taking, or will i have to go to the er for them to drain clean and cuT??? oMg THE PAIn
They numb it, the an infection shouldn’t matter.
If it’s going to hurt, you may as well have it hurt from both the infection and the surgery at the same time. Gets over quicker.
Hello:
I got my surgery done four weeks ago on my left toe. A week later, I went for my follow up and there was some blood clot since i was not soaking my foot regularly. My podiatrist poked around and drained the blood out. After that, I soaked twice a day religiously and went for a follow up a week later. I felt it was healing well and there was almost no pain, but I don’t know why she poked around again . I should have asked her, why she was poking around if it looked good and healing.
After that, there was pain for a couple of days and was minimal in a weeks time. I ran 3 miles on treadmill. The pain is back and there is swelling around the nail. It doesn’t look like it’s infected, but it hurts. There is a constant pain around the toe. Did anyone experience this?
Healing takes longer than we expect, though I bet pounding your feet on a treadmill didn’t do the sore toe any favors.
If you’re going to run when it feels better, try running a mile instead of three.
Great site! I am about to head back to the podiatrist on Tuesday. Long story short – about 18 months ago I had the ingrown part of my left toe removed and they used phenol to kill the root. Fast forward to about a year later – I went to a different podiatrist (I had moved cities) because I was getting some redness and pressure in the same spot.
She said that the nail itself didn’t grow back but that it was some sort of callus/scar tissue that was causing the pressure. She numbed up my toe and basically scraped it all out.
Fast forward six months to the present – the same thing is happening again! I made an appointment for Tuesday (5 days from now) to have this looked at and treated again. How annoying!
Has anyone else encountered a recurrence of the pain but it not be from the actual nail?
Yes, but only on my right toe. It was some weird combo of skin (which allowed it to grow quickly) and nail (which allowed it to grow into the skin), but the problem was solved (mostly) when my entire nail was removed.
I still have two small indents caused by what I think is what you described and thankfully, they don’t hurt any more.
Thanks for the quick note! The problem is down in the very corner of the side where the nail was removed. The nail looks kind of “wispy” I would call it – like many thin layers on top of each other that you could almost “peel” if you wanted to.
Until my appointment I’m hoping to head off any kind of infection or anything. Epsom soaks it is. I’m trying to refrain from “bathroom surgery” and poking around with a cuticle pusher, etc. I know that will just make things worse, but it’s hard not to.
Hi I had this procedure done to both sides of both my toes. I am 15 and I am currently a high school soccer player. I was 13 when the ingrown toenails started and it hurt.. I mean I have a pretty high pain tolerance being an athlete and all but they hurt like hell.
I have believe it or not had the ingrown toenail removal procedure 7 times. My mother wouldn’t take me to a podiatrist because she told me it was my fault my nails got that way and that she wasn’t taking me to the doctor. Well seeing she couldn’t even touch the infected area without hurting me she had to take me to the doctor. Finally in the last month she was convinced not by me but by the doctor who we had seen 7 times that I needed to go to a podiatrist.
I got the procedure done a week ago on one toe and 3 days ago on the other. The doctor put in 2 shots, one on the base of the top of my toe and underneath my toe, but he moved the needle all ways which was a bit painful. I have had so many shots in my toes that it didn’t even bother me anymore, I just told them to hurry up so I could go home. Everyone is saying that they are painful after the procedure and after mine I played a soccer game the next day. It was sore yes but I was so use to playing with more painful injuries so it didn’t bother me. So yeah get the procedure done it is about $200-300 for each toe. Ex least for me it was, but yeah that was my experience! Thanks for sharing yours get the surgery you will thank me and everyone that says so!
Nice! My bill was just under $300 per toe when I paid in cash, as that’s what the doc said she got paid from Medicare. Not cheap, but totally worth it.
Make sure you take extra care to soak your toes and rest when you can, and change that dressing often if you’re going to be playing on it.
Good luck.
First I would like to thank you for your post. I think more of this needs to get out there. I battled with my ingrown toenails for 3 1/2 years before getting this far and going for the surgery.
My family Doctor was the first to attempt to fix my issue. He did a quadrant removal, which, did not get at the whole area and the ingrown portion grew back as predicted. Then I went to a specialist. The specialist saw me for about a year (every few months). He would do a wedge in the area that required the procedure. Finally I said enough is enough and I gave up.
Time passed and the pain became unbearable. Putting on socks / shoes, pulling the covers over me all brought tears to my eyes. This truly is one of the worst pains you can imagine.
By the time I decided to see another specialist my condition worsened. He booked me for the O.R. at a local hospital as he needed a few hours. Essentially I had the wedges removed from both toes on both sides (yes four wedges) plus the removal of the toenails from both Index toes. My recovery was no treat and the infection was just as bad as yours.
Now it is March and everything is fine. My index nails have grown back completely fine, my right big toe nail is 90% grown back (normally) and my left big to is a little behind at about 80%.
I want everyone to be aware of a few things. I thought my show size was an 11 but I was wrong. I got fitted and I am a 13 wide. We are almost all guilty of wearing shoes too small. Genetics also played a part. My mother has them, and my brother and sister are both developing ingrown nails now too. I am pushing for them to go but unfortunately their employers would not have a sense of humour about it. I needed two and a half weeks off and got no trouble from my boss. She was even pushing for me to get it fixed. I could not bear to wear dress shoes to work so I was the only one wearing jeans and runners in our office.
Please, please, please give in and get this fixed if you are having any issues. All joking aside you could lose your toe / foot / leg if the infection gets that bad. “But how do I know if I have an infection? It looks normal.” Pour some peroxide on the toe, if it bubbles up you have an infection and need to see a Dr.
Don’t be a fool like me. If you feel at any time your family Doc is incapable of handling the situation, see a walk-in Dr and ask for a referral. Make sure you explain your situation as to why you are not seeing the family Dr and why you are not asking the family Dr for a referral. Mine wanted to fully kill the nail bed. This means removing the nail and applying Lye onto the nail bed and this would result in the nail never growing back. I am not the most vain person, however I want to keep my nails if possible.
Good luck to anyone with this problem.
Holy wow, I totally feel your pain.
Good call on the shoes, I didn’t realize until late in life I had a wide foot. Explains my big toe and pinkie issues I’m having now.
And yes, a specialist is ideal. I had a family practitioner rip a piece of nail out once (no shots, no nothing) and it immediately grew back.
Hi, both of my toes have now healed however on my left toe i have this weird kindov bump in the inside corner. I was tild by the podiatrist that it shoukd just go away and it wa caused by the acid used to kill the roots. However i have now had this for about 2 weeks. It doesn’t hurt or anything, but I’m a bit worried about it. Do you know anything i can do to get rid of it?
Thanks:)
Is it red or white?
I had multiple bumps, they went from red to white to yellow/green to white to gone, but it took almost six weeks.
They never hurt, just took the skin a long time to grow back from the inside out.
Thanks man.
Now the bump has sunk down to the nail bed but somehow the nail wasn’t underneath. So now I have a weirdly shaped nail. Also the nail bed doesn’t look like nail bed, it’s weird. But I haven’t experienced pain but my nail is quite loose and it just looks odd. And the bump has gone from red to yellow to white to just skin
Thanks
Ok…so my story has nothing to do with ingrown toenails, but I’ve been going through very similar things. A month ago I went to the podiatrist with a small bump on my big toe. It hurt a little. I never expected the doc to say that I needed to have my entire toenail removed right then due to an infection under my toenail. Um…huh?? You tough guys think the needles were no big deal, but that was literally the worst pain I’ve ever felt in my entire life. I missed four days of work and then had a 10 day break in which I sat on my couch with my foot up. It’s been an entire month and still my toe is not healed. I soak it every day in vinegar and water (doctor’s orders). I went back yesterday and the podiatrist said there’s no way this should be taking so long to get better. I still can’t wear a shoe and I limp around all day at my job. She wants me to see a hematologist to see if something is wrong with my blood. Any thoughts or experiences with longer healing processes? I am not a couch potato kind of person and this has just about pushed my winter depression through the roof!
Oh man, that’s terrible. When I had both my big toenails removed and one got infected, it was two months before I could do anything besides walking/shuffling.
Is your toe showing any kind of progress? Mine took forever, but I could definitely see it slowly getting better.
I had my partial nail removal 7 days ago. First few days the soaks hurt a lot then they got better. Then I started cleaning it with hydrogen peroxide and pain seemed to get worse when I soaked it in epsom salt. I have had some seeping clear light yellow and some redness around the nail bed. Still having pain on and off. I stopped soaking it because it seemed to make it hurt more. So mow just cleaning with soap and water and colloidal silver topically. Should it still be seeping fluid this long??
I was told never, ever to use hydrogen peroxide, but the Epsom salt did sting. Though it always felt better in the morning, I dreaded the soaking, too.
Soaking helps accelerate the healing process, so stopping it may be why you’re still seeping fluid (though it’s normal to seep for 2-3 weeks).
Any pain radiating from the toe?
I had this done 4 years ago to both sides of my big toe and now it is not growing anymore and most of the nail is missing. It looks awful and I wish I didn’t get it done on both sides of my toe. Did this happen to anyone? I would like my toenail to grow out but it doesn’t seem to want to grow at all. Any recommendations?
First, does it feel better?
Second, did you have them burn the roots with acid?
Tyler i just got this prosidure done yesterday at a clinic
My question is how long till the numbness goes away right now it hurts alot feels like a burn sensation
Also it would not stop bleeding so i went today to the clinic to get it wrapt with ant ointment but before that he stopt the bleeding by sticking to sticks in there im just scared i don’t feel my toe and its been a day already
First, welcome to the first step in a better life. The pain, while at times excruciating if you’re unlucky like I am, is worth it.
If those sticks were first dipped into some acid, it was used to cauterize the wound, which would make it numb and burn a little while longer.
You can move your toe and stuff, yes? Give it 2-3 days (a weekend-ish) before worrying. Do your Epsom salt soaks (even if it stings) and add whatever ointment/dressing the doc recommends.
But if it’s still hurting on Monday, make a doc appt.
Wusses!!! (Just Kidding!! – READ… BEFORE you get Upset!!)
I had this done .. three ?? weeks ago.. and it HURT!! … Podiatrist did BOTH big toes @ same time!! HURT like HELL! … I felt BOTH shots in BOTH toes! Wanted to watch, but NOT allowed to… he said,, “NO, I don’t want you passing out!”
And I was being silly when I said Wusses! It hurt, but .. I walked around afterwards … in their yucky, clunky, ugly “shoe” things!! Yuck!! Went to work and talked to bosses .. didn’t think/know procedure was going to be so intensive!! Was told to stay home, but scheduled to work that night.. until 11:00 PM!! Was told I could stay home, but I like my job (and need it!), so I went in… Wearing Tennis shoes!! 3 hours on my feet at the register.. and that was it! Co-worker said, “If it hurts, go home.” I turned around to help customers.. and LOST it… Not sobbing, but I teared up. 3 hrs… and I couldn’t take it anymore!! I bought some Epson salt, peroxide, gauze, Chocolate! called a taxi, and went HOME!… Worth it, but believe me.. P.A.I.N.!! will be with you the next two weeks or so!! Take your antibiotics, pain meds, Rest!! ((… and this is 3 weeks after having a cortisone shot in my right food! Believe me , there is NOTHING worse than that! and I’ve had 3 severely sprained ankles and two broken ankles (same one!), so I KNOW P.A.I.N.!!))
Hi Tyler,
Got a question for you. I had a toe nail surgery 5 weeks ago. It was partly removed. Today It is still red and a little bit swollen and it is sensitive . If someone steps on it it’s not fun at all. And I noticed there is a white stripe on the side of the nail where it was cut. It’s kind of weird and does not look healthy. It wasn’t there before. And the skin is kind of tough around the nail. Do you think it’s normal? Doc said I didn’t need to soak in Epsom salt. So I basically did nothing. May be that’s why it’s healing forever.
Yeah, the white part is just your skin adjusting to a new nail shape. It’s dead skin, but you can trim it if you want.
Yep, skin will be tough as it develops a callus.
I would think not soaking it certainly contributed to a longer healing time, but I’m not about to question your doc.
Got both sides of my big left toe done today. My doc sprayed cold on my toe before the shots and i did not feel a thing. About an hour after the procedure i felt pressure and some throbbing. I took an ibuprofen. My doc said to keep my foot elevated today and that i could switch from gauze and bandage to neosporin and bandaid tomorrow. Im not in much pain right now. The only thing that is bugging me is the pressure…im wondering if the bandage is too tight…i can still feel some throbbing. Any advice?
Throbbing is okay, but make sure you still have feeling in that part.
I just had this done a month and a half ago. I still can not bend my big toes all the way. Does this also happen to you? I also get like weird piercing pains once in a while when I flex my foot. I let mine go way too long and my doctor said I was close to loosing my toe. Yuck!!!! I just wanted to know how some people’s toes are doing months afterwards.
You’re likely breaking built-up scar tissue leftover from infections and nail indentations. I haven’t had that issue.
Thank you for sharing your story Tyler. My story is like so many others posted here. Makes my decision to remove entire nail a little easier. Will admit I am a little aprehensive. Going on vacation at the end of May and hope I am healed and ready to play in the sand!
Did anyone ask to keep the nail?
My doc said they never grow back pretty, so removing it seemed the best option.
Hi, are you still replying to people posting on here? I had surgery 6 weeks ago to permanently remove part of an ingrowing toenail. I’ve had the last 4 weeks off work due to getting a bad infection in the open wound. 2 courses of different antibiotics later and the infection is still there although not as bad as it first was. How long is the healing process as I was told by my podiatrist it would be 6-8 weeks to heal. Mine is till not healing and the new skin splits every time I walk on it. I’ve just started using an antiseptic cream on it and put a plaster over it. I’m due to return to work next week an my job role means I am constantly on my feet throughout my shift. Can you give me any advice please as how to help the toe heal properly. Many thanks.
I used wound dressing and a bandage during the day, soaked it morning and night in Epsom salt, and either replaced the bandage at night or let it go bare if the wound was no longer seeping.
Infections suck and really extend the healing time. I was out 7 weeks because of ONE round of antibiotics, so your diagnosis doesn’t seem odd. Good luck and stuff though, try to stay off your feet!
Just had mine done yesterday, but pulled the nail off completely. My first idiot doctor pulled off 2 thirds of my nail but didn’t realize he left any. After 3 days of pain I realized the ingrown bit was still there so I had to go through the procedure twice in a 5 day period. My second doctor was by far better. The shots are the worst part, my dear children. They were worth it
Ouch.
But yay!
I had the right side of my ingrown toenail cut away six days ago. I’m doing well, I think. Looks good. Seems to have no infection and it doesn’t throb, I’m not in pain, except when I soak in Epson Salt. My question is, how long do I keep up with the twice a day soaking? I can’t find the answer in any part of the instructions my dr gave me, and I don’t go back for another week for my post op. Thanks for your site!!!
Twice day soaking until it’s no longer seeping.
After that, leave bandage off at night and soak 1x day.
That’s what worked for me every time except once that wasn’t my fault.
Hi I had a removal surgery on my right big toe 8 days ago, and they permanently removed it by using acid. My surgeon told me to just make sure I keep it dry, but I’m going to have to get it wet sometime soon so when should that be? I can’t wear an enclosed shoe for another 2 weeks (because he said the moisture can infect it) so I would think the same applies to water but it’s looking pretty gross with lots of excess blood, (I got the bandages removed yesterday and I was actually pleasantly surprised that I still have most of my toenail) thanks!
I soaked my toe in epsom salt/water twice a day.
I believe the idea is that it shouldn’t stay in a wet, enclosed space (bandaged in a shoe), but cleaning it was okay for me.
Check with your doc first, though.
Thanks for the info.
I had the permanent procedure done on both sides of my left big toe 9 days ago. I had throbbing pain for 2 weeks prior to that, even when the podiatrist said there didn’t appear to be excess ingrown nail to be removed. Since the pain persisted, she did the permanent procedure last Monday, 4/6. I have had intense throbbing pain since. It throbs even when I’m sitting with it elevated. I went in a couple days ago to make sure there wasn’t a further issue, but she said it wasn’t infected. That’s great, but the throbbing has not subsided and I have severe pain when attempting to wear a shoe which is obviously required for work. I soak in Epsom salt daily and put adhesive bandage on. My doctor said not to use antibacterial gel as it clogs the pores. She now had me start iodine to dry out the area.
Any feedback or suggestions? Maybe I have an issue beyond the ingrown toenail procedure causing the throbbing, but my podiatrist basically had no feedback for me on that. Thank you!!
Infection and/or a piece of nail that didn’t make it out would by my guess, but sometimes people just don’t heal all that quickly. My healing time varied from less than two weeks to a little over six.
If you’re still hurting, there’s something (nail or infection) where it’s definitely not supposed to be.
I had a severely ingrown toenail, it hurt so bad, I was sure it had to be infected. On Friday I had partial toenail removed. Doctor said it was pretty bad and deep, but there was no infection. Once the numbness wore off, the pain was, (and still is) horrendous!! Nothing is helping the pain. Any idea when it will begin to ease?
Ask for painkillers.
Is the pain radiating up or just at the incision area?
It’s where the incision is, and where I got the shots to numb my toe. I’ve tried Advil…Percocet…Vicodin…nothing helped.
Are you moving around on it? One of mine hurt for almost a week, likely because I had extra shots and then moved around on it.
Ice helps a ton.
I had this surgery done 2 weeks ago. My doctor gave me Amerigel and stated to keep bandaged until morning and then after shower wrap back up. I still have some drainage and it looks all red and peely. I was wondering how long did you leave your bandage on for? Also how many times did you soak your feet? Im wondering if the post op instructions from my doctor were no good. Thanks =)
What I did:
Soaked 2x daily for 1-2 weeks or until wound stopped seeping.
Then soak 1x daily, leaving bandage off at night (about 1-3 more weeks).
Then I started to use smaller and smaller bandages.
Drainage is good. Red and peel-y is okay. Radiating pain is not.
Thanks for the reply!! I did not have any pain as the doctor shot “air” on the injection sites first to numb the skin, so when the injections went in I felt NO PAIN at all. Also, when I got home no pain and the first week no pain. Then on post op appt 1week I went in and this stupid tech got what looked like cuticle cutters and cut a piece at the bottom corner off. (THIS FREAKIN HURT) I can’t use band aids (allergic) so I have to use Coflex, my question is since she did this I have had pain/redness/seeping/and very sensitive on the nail to the touch. (I had the chemical so the nail wont grow back in the corner. When I leave it uncovered at night in the morning it feels much better but then when I wrap it and wear the bandage on the toe I can almost feel the nail moving. I have not soaked only done the amerigel 1x a day. I am thinking maybe I will the soak, from what I have read this seems to be the norm. Can I ask you one last question, How long did you leave covered during the day and two, did you have more soreness as the second week came about. Then toe looks like I have a bad sunburn on it with all the redness and peeling. in the mornings when I wake up from leaving it uncovered there is a little bit of a hard scab. This this happen to you? Thanks for all your help, Im just freaking out because I do not want it to look grody when it heals. I do not know anyone that has had this done but im getting impatient, its almost 3 weeks on Monday and toe looks the same. ok ok im really done this time….thanks again.
The sunburn look is normal, as your body is healing from the inside out (those shots and incisions went deeper than you’d think).
For soaking, I used Epsom salt. 1-2x daily, likely just once before bed in your case.
Yeah, the nail will feel weird when wrapped. Just protect it, not much you can do about that feeling.
Full recovery, meaning the wound is completely healed and has zero pain, takes longer than people think. It was two months for me, though after five I considered myself healed.
Also, don’t worry about anything being “grody.” Scabs, pus, some weird bubbling (dead skin, you’ll see) is all normal. Only if it smells or has increasing pain should you start to be concerned.
I just had both sides done on both big toes. And boy am I paying for it! The first time I had it done was in December and just one side of each big toe. My question is how do I ease the pain?! My left big toe is still bleeding is it supposed too?! I was given antibiotic drops 2x each wound 2x a day. And I’ve been following orders but do I dry them before putting bandages on them?! Am I doing something wrong? My toes are rock hard but hurt and burn badly. Woke me up out of a dead sleep this morning.
Rock hard doesn’t sound good at all. Were they infected to begin with? Are you soaking in anything?
Bleeding is okay, as long as it’s not gushing.
The rock hardness is going away I think it may have been from the shots? He had to use extra as my body absorbs the anesthesia extremely fast. But the blood isn’t gushing just covering the bandages. I’m soaking in lukewarm Epsom salt 2x daily 🙂
I would call that “seepage”, not bleeding. That’s normal and just part of the healing process.
The rock-hardness could definitely be from the shots, they go deeper and cause a bit more damage than you’d think.
I also had extra shots on one toe once, and it hurt for a few days.
I’m beginning to think it is. I’ve decided that it was finally OK to get them wet and shower also I was and still am in pain and can hardly walk 90% of the time as it hurts to walk. I was told I needed to wear house slippers everywhere so I’ve been wearing them Lol.
They loosen up as they heal. One day, you’ll notice the hardness is gone.
But yeah…stay off of them!
So today while doing my ritual I noticed my left big toe hurt worse than normal. I squeezed it a bit because it was hard and a lot of fluid came out. I’m not sure if it was infection or just seepage? It had some blood in it and was REALLY runny. Could it have been my toe started healing during the cleaning process and sealed some of the antibiotic drops in it and I just squeezed it out?!
Yep, blood and clear fluid was normal for me, part of the healing process and considered seepage.
If the liquid turns yellow or green or the toe starts to throb or hurt, then you can worry.
Sometimes cysts can develop in large, open wounds, the fluid/blood is trying to fill it up so it doesn’t get infected. Drain (squeeze, don’t poke or prick), soak, and bandage!
I think it may be starting an infection. Its got a green tint to the fluid and it hurts like no other. I keep squeezing out fluids and wiping clean with a clean tissue I’m only supposed to be doing drops 2x daily with 2 drops in each wound. The drops barely go into the wounds though :-\ am I doing something wrong? He layered all 4 corners this time so I’m not sure what to expect look out for or do Lol….
Does anything hurt besides the toe? Until you can feel the pain up your foot and into your leg, your body can still fight it off.
I’d guess that a cyst has formed and the meds aren’t reaching the infection, but I’m not a doctor so please don’t take that as real advice.
Make an appt, don’t wait and try to suck it up over the weekend like I did last time.
No just the toe and thankfully I have an appointment Wednesday they are only open Wednesday and Thursday. I’m going to keep soaking it and putting the drops in and bandaging it. And wearing my fuzzy light blue slippers Lol.
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It’s been 8 days. Can I go in my jacuzzi yet ?
Nooooooo! Chlorine is very bad for the healing tissue.
Tyler, I had the same procedure done 4 days ago. I’ve followed my doctor’s aftercare instructions which are to soak the nail in warm water with vinegar and epsom salt twice daily for 20 minutes and to rebandage it with neosporin. I noticed today that a good portion of the exposed area is covered in a thick yellow looking paste. I don’t know if its pus/drainage or leftover neosporin. I saw your blog post about the gunk coming off after the initial soak but mine won’t come off. I tried gently grabbing an edge of it hoping it would all pull off in one go but its pretty stuck on there. I plan on calling doc on Monday but was hoping you had some advice? Should I use hydrogen peroxide to see if it will loosen it up? Or do you think I should leave it until they can see me? No pain or redness. (After reading the comments I’m surprised I’m walking fine on it on day 4…doesn’t hurt at all!)…. TIA!
I know this is way too late, but do not use hydrogen peroxide for any reason.
Your skin is just weird looking because it’s dead underneath and it’s trying to heal.
Hope you’re well!
I am well, thank you 🙂 and thanks for getting back to me! I did end up calling them when they were open and was assured the gunk building up is normal and that it is the medicine the doctor used draining.
Hi, I had the surgery done at a walk-in clinic last year. Had no pain and healed great. I went to a specialist last week and had it done on my other toe. Im in more pain then before the surgery. Especially around the cuticle area. Its purplish and throbbing. Nothing comes out during cleaning. I am also diabetic and cannot use epsom salts. My question is, is this normal? Why did I have no problems after nail removal at the walk- in, but can barely walk after seeing a specialist?
The specialist may have burned your roots to keep it from happening again, which kills the skin and turns it all purplish. Nothing to worry about, from what I’ve seen.
Are you soaking with anything? Maybe baby shampoo?
Hi, i had ab infected ingrown removed on both sides of my right toe and the procedure was not as bad i was thinking, actually pretty easy! It’s the after pain that is killer..im on day #3 and it hurtd to drive / walk normal and i noticed my toe and part if my fooy lt is still swollen..is that normal for the foot part? Has that happened to anyone? They said its from the 3 shots..just wanted to see if anyone else has experienced this??
Yes, I had swelling for about a week. The shots got down pretty deep and if you doc used acid, it also killed some skin underneath our outside layer.
Swelling/redness is okay, intense pain anywhere but the toe is not.
Ok, good to know, no pain on foot really, other than when i touch down on it, but not warm to touch..i didn’t realize the shots would make half my foot swollen still 48 hrs after procedure. My doctor told me i could drive, walk, go back to normal routine the next day, it’s 48 hrs and I’m still not feeling I can do that! I was getting worried that mine was infected or something, But it seems like other people have had this same experience. I have to get the other toe done in two weeks, but i sure as heck don’t want to now. This is an awful experience, this far!
Yeah, it sucks.
It’s TOTALLY worth it if it works, though. I did varying procedures a total of our times and I’d do it all again today for the relief I feel now.
Good luck.
Hi Tyler, I wrote you other other day, but now tomm marks a week since my temp removal of the ingrowns on both corners of my right big toe and it still hurts to walk and my toe, foot are still swollen. I showed my dr a pic of my foot and she said now to cut back to soaking only once a day and put ice on the foot. She didnt seem like it was a big deal, but i also have some pain in my foot and toe..I kinda feel it’s infected, but Idk for sure..Was yours really painful when infected? I know i had an infection prior to the procedure. Also, she told me not to clean it yet, just soak, apply Neosporin and cover..I really didnt think I would still be having issues a week later!
Hiya I went for this surgery today (UK) but the podiatrist seemed to be putting me off the whole procedure, saying my toenails would be extremely thin afterwards and aftercare was painful, asking me how painful they were at that precise moment in time, then talking about doing just one side on one toe. I became that confused I walked out and think I may regret it. My toenails don’t look that bad to look at but the pain and throbbing I get can be horrendous. I also have bunions which can be painful but I’m very active on my feet alot. After reading all your comments I wish I had just had it done out of way. I’m going away in July though I don’t want to still be in any discomfort. Would 5 weeks be adequate time for healing process?
My healing time ranged from 3-6 weeks, and I was moving around, albeit carefully, pretty well after only 10 days.
Most doctors won’t rip the entire nail out the first time, because it definitely does take a while to heal and it will forever look weird. I had the nail roots acid burned so nothing would ever grow back, but that was only necessary because my nails grow down/curved, so no matter how thin the nail was, it always went ingrown again.
The relief is worth the pain of surgery. I’d do it all four times again (even the painful, infected final time) if it meant I’d feel this much better!
Hello, I actually work for a podiatrist and the procedure for an ingrown nail from start to finish is about 45mins. The injections to numb the toe is what hurts the most. If you have a high tolerance for pain you will feel a pinch and then pressure. For others due to nerves and anxiety when the doctor injects the area most patients hold their breath and focus on the pain. I tell the patients not to look and breathe in and out and if you need to cry, go ahead!
After that you will only feel pressure. I read patients asking about the gauze stuffed where the ingrown was removed. Its lodoform packing strip. You should not remove it, the strip is twisted in so it forms a tube which allows any fluid or seepage to drain( color may be clear, yellowish and may have blood). The strip will fall out on its own (approximately 2 weeks). The first 24 hours keep the bandage applied by the doctor clean, dry and intact. Day two after you shower soak your foot in epsom salt, white vinegar and warm water for 15 mins. Pat dry the surgical site , apply antibiotic ointment (neosporin or polysporin) and completely cover the area. Like any open wound it is important to keep the area covered until your doctor instructs you otherwise. Leaving it exposed will get the area infected. Whenever possible elevate the foot to heart level , never wear tight fitting shoes , socks or hose as this will apply pressure to the toe.
First post op visit is normally in 10 days and if the area looks clean and free of infection, After week 4 we recommend our patients to stop using the ointment and start using tincture iodine along with a band-aid . This will help the surgical site heal. Ask the doctor to permanently remove the root (why would you want to do this again). Always take your antibiotics as directed , never use hydrogen peroxide and you should feel soreness but no pain. If the area is dry /healed and you feel pain contact your doctor pain may be on going due to irritation or infection. Normal healing time 6 to eight weeks.
Yep, this sounds a lot like what I did, except I didn’t have the lodoform strip.
Thanks for sharing!
would you reccomend this surgery for a 12 year old? my daughter is a dancer and she is in so much pain because she does dance every day of the week and her dance shoes bother her. she constantly complains about her toenails… what do you think?
I wish I’d had it earlier. Seems I’d have fewer problems now if my body had adjusted earlier, but if she’s on her toes a lot, there’s going to be a long layoff for recovery.
I would DEFINITELY look into getting her shoes that don’t restrict her feet. I’m convinced my baseball cleats and basketball shoes only worsened my pain.
Hello. Hi Tyler , I just read most of your posts from the past few years. Thanks for all the info, I now feel like I know everything I need to about the healing process. I had the procedure done on both of my big toes today after having ingrown nails for a couple years and several infections. I’m scared to take the bandage off and look at my toes..if it was someone else’s I wouldn’t mind at all. I just hope my toes end up looking pretty normal in the end.
That’s great!
It’s…pretty gross to look at, not going to lie. But I’d go through it all again if it meant I’d enjoy the pain-free toes I have now.
I had my entire nail removed on Monday evening. I soak every morning and evening, but the last couple of evenings my toe has throbbed after the soak. I have taken ibuprophen so I can sleep! Nail bed feels raw . Is it normal?
Epsom salt soak?
Yeah, that was normal for me when I had the whole nail removed.
It gets better, though slowly.
I had both big toe nails removed. One big problem,I still have mangled toe nails. I called the Dr. and his nurse said its normal and everything is o.k. That’s been 2months ago! The nails don’t hurt but are gross. I have been soaking for all this time and some of the nails have come off. I had to remove the part that appeared dead.. They are uneven and bleed some when I remove the dead area. Thinking about going to another Dr. What do you think? Does the nail come off completely and when should this happen?
If the roots were burned with acid, it shouldn’t grow back, no.
But in 7% of cases (I’m a a 7%er), some kind of nail/skin combination will sorta grow in its place.
It shouldn’t hurt and I’m not sure a doctor will perform what is essentially plastic surgery.
But it’s worth asking, and they could refer you to someone willing to do that work.
Hii good to see such a long term post on ingrown toenail treatment.
I am living in India and had my toenail surgery 20 days back.That was a partial removal of toenail .
What the problem is that I still feel pain when i put pressure on my toe.I consulted the doctor about this just yesterday he said everything is fine and it will take time in healing and the pain will vanish after some time. He prescribed me with some pain killers and antibiotics and an ointment to be applied on after cleaning the toe in hot water.
Can u just suggest me y i have pain even after 20 days post surgery, does this take that much time ?
By pain do you mean radiating from the toe (does it hurt to move your leg) or do you mean that your toe is still extremely tender (it hurts to walk)?
If it’s the second, yeah, it can take a while. Especially if you’re not resting it.
Had both sides of great toes done on Tues afternoon. Was so stressed out about it due a previous experience with an ingrown toenail and the pain from the lidocaine shot. Was prescribed 10mg of Valium one hour before procedure. Brought my music and earbuds so I could listen to my music to relax. Valium really hadn’t taken effect by the time he started the procedure. Darn! Dr. Was very kind and knew I was scared. He gave me a pillow to,hold on to and a bottle of water. I did not watch as they set up a visual barrier.
He then used freezing liquid while doing the injections. I could feel it but it wasn’t as bad as I had experienced before. Everything progressed quickly from there. No pain at all while he did the surgery. 10 min later, all done and I was ready to go with red elastic bandages on my toes. Now the Valium kicked in and I slept once I got home after taking 2 ibuprofen. As per his instructions I took off the bandages at 10PM that night and did my 1st Epsom salt soak followed by a prescription cortisone cream. I lightly covered the wounds with band aids for the night.
The next morning I did another Epsom salt soak. I didn’t have any pain prior to that. That salt water hurts! My doc’s philosophy is to go uncovered starting the next day. Now, that being said, I’m retired and it is sandal season.
It is day 3 and things seem to be going well except for the discomfort during the soaks. Will be glad when that goes away. I do notice it where the needles went in. I have no pain when I walk. In fact, I put on sneakers this morning and walked 1.5 miles. Not a problem.
I’ve had toenail issues all my life and wanted to get this taken care once and for all. I had the roots burned so I hope it works.
High fives and good luck!
Sounds like you’re doing well.
Had my one week post-op visit 2 days ago. Doc was extremely pleased with the way my toes look. Don’t have to return for 9 weeks.
Still have to do soaks for another 5 days. Cortisone cream too. Weird. Sometimes the soaks go fine and tonight it was excruciating! This morning, no problem. I did just come back from a walk before tonight’s soak and the wounds were a little weepy so maybe that’s why it hurt so much tonight. As I am writing this the pain (and itching) is starting to subside. Thank goodness!
Yeah, the random soaking pain sucks, but it always seemed a little less worse every time for me.
Oh, the itching!
Thanks Tyler .
The case is for sure the second one as u mentioned. I do not have pain while moving the leg. Its only tenderness, it hurts only when i walk or put pressure on toe. Rest is fine. I shown doctor he said it will take little time and gave some pain killers with antibiotics. After that i have much relief in pain.
The rest is not that much,me being an office employee.
Hopefully will get rid of the pain completely.
Any more suggestions? I am putting my toe in hot water twice a day. quite relaxing
Thanks 🙂
Hi Tyler,
What a considerate guy you are that you are still answering questions after all this time. I had my nail removed on my left big toe about 5 days ago. The ingrown toenail was red, swollen and infected. I am really doing fine (no swelling and just a little sore), but I noticed that most people use antibiotic cream after soaking. I was told to soak twice a day with antibacterial soap and a few splashes of hydrogen peroxide, and then wrap in gauze for a couple weeks. The written instructions don’t mention using the antibiotic cream before wrapping in gauze. Is that part absolutely necessary? Thanks for taking the time to answer our questions! Sarah
Ah, sorry for the delay on this. No, the antibiotic isn’t necessary, my first doc didn’t recommend it. Totally depends on your chance of infection.
I had this done 4 days ago on my right big toe. Just reading everyone’s comments about the shots make me cringe… Worst pain ever. I don’t know how I got through 5 of those shots.
I soak my toe in warm water and Epsom salt 3x a day. And I was instructed to just use a regular bandaid to cover it. I elevate my foot every night while I sleep, but when I wake up, I’m in so much pain. Usually it went away, but today it just keeps throbbing! I woke up at 10am and it is now 4pm. The pain hasn’t stopped once! I’ve already taken Ibuprofen and I’m currently soaking it the second time today, still won’t relieve the pain. Any other tips?
Possible infection. Go in. Now.
Unless you’re walking a ton, it shouldn’t still be throbbing.
Hi Tyler,
I had bilateral ingrown toenail surgery done to both big toes on all four sides (with the acid) done four days ago. The worst for me were the injections. I felt fine a little while after the surgery. About an hour or two later after the procedure the anesthesia wore off and I began bleeding through the wraps and through my crocs. My Dr. told me to with 24hrs before i could undress/redress the toes, so I didn’t really touch them the first night. During that first night i was bleeding so much that my wife put zip lock bags around both my feet which prevented the blood from ruining the bed. The next day I called out from the office. The bags were semi filled with blood. My wife helped me unwrap them and I soaked them in Epsom salt for 5-10 mins. They were bleeding but not as much and some puss was came out. I then showered and while in the shower I was wearing a whole different pair of crocs to cover my toes from the pressure of the water. My Dr gave me Silver Sulfadiazine cream to apply to them to help fight off infection. He also gave me a script for cephalexin 500mg. I have been doing that process now for the last few days. By far what hurts now is that both my toes and part of my feet have gotten swollen. Although I am able to walk, like I’m walking on ice, I cannot wait to get pass this.
Yikes! Besides the bleeding, that’s a pretty normal reaction for having all four sides done.
Swelling is also normal, especially if you have to walk for any length of time.
Be sure to rest!
i had mine removed and after 10 days i had a follow up appointment its been about 9 days since my follow up appointment (which by the way he gave me the all clear) any way for the past could of days ive noticed some liquid coming out and today a small amount of puss im still using neosporn and cleaning it my question is .. is this all normal?
Yep. The shots and the acid (if you used it to burn the root) go deeper than you’d think. As long as the pus isn’t green-ish or smelly, just let it drain and keep it covered until it’s dry.
my doctor had to cut what seems like a pretty big strip of my toenail … I also did the permanent procedure… My question is… Will the nail grow back to look like a normal nail again or will I have that straight edge for a long long time, maybe even forever? If it doesn’t grow back, After a few months does it look like the piece is missing or will the skin conform?
The nail shouldn’t grow back, but your skin likely will adapt. My earlier trimmings grew back to the point where they looked “normal”, just skinnier.
Hi, my son had a piece of nail removed two days ago. He was in severe pain before it and you could see the relief when he got it out. He is still in pain a few days later. How long does it take to subside? Thanks.
3-5 days. I played tennis after having part of my nail removed after about week.
I couldn’t move that well, but the pain was okay.
I don’t recommend it, but I also am able to rest my foot almost all the time.
Staying off his feet can only help the healing process.
I had this done about a week ago. The podiatrist put this really cold spray on my toe to keep me from feeling the shots, and thank God it worked. But, yes the shots are the most painful part. For me, it was just a little sting that went away afyer a couple of seconds. The actual cutting I couldn’t feel. I took ibuprofen for the pain and cleaned it every night with new bandages. I’ve been doing this for about a week and a half and there is no more blood or anything…is it safe to not have bandages anymore or even put toe nail polish on?
I kept my bandages on day and night until it stopped seeping, then I left them off at night until the deeper skin killed by the shots is replaced (you might see what looks like bruising and some shedding skin right at the base of your nail if they burned the roots with acid) and then only wrapped when I was going to get sweaty.
I wouldn’t put nail polish on them, as I’m be a little worried about the polish and eventually the nail remover getting into the wound and hurting.
Hi,
I got my toe done 8 days ago. Only the outside edge of one nail. The doctor removed what looks like 1/3 of the nail. Is it normal to remove so much? I was expecting 2-3 mm but she took about 8 mm. It is still stinging and painful and keeping me awake at night and looks the same as when i had it done (i.e. very little healing). I am nowhere near wearing shoes yet. I have been soaking in salt bath (mainly because its the only way to get the bandages off due to sticking to the wound) and using vaseline. There is no way in the world i could go near it with a brush- would be absolute agony!! I am amazed and impressed you could do this. Do you think it is possible they took too much nail and that is why its not healing as there is too much surface area? Do you happen to know what is ‘normal’ for amount taken? Thanks for your post- it has been incredibly useful and I am impressed you are still repsonding to posts years later!
My doc said there is no “normal” amount, it depends on each person.
The stinging is pretty normal (especially during the Epsom salt soak) and the pain at night was pretty typical for me, too. But at eight days, that sounds more like an infection (is the pain radiating anywhere beyond the toe?), though I also had one recovery take what seemed like forever, too.
You’re not yet showing signs of healing because of the Vaseline, but that’s okay because the toe sorta heals from the inside out and you’re keeping the outside prepped so it will heal quicker and not scab.
It helped me, though only a little bit, to remember my toe was trying to heal from being cut into for months/years and then having a gash torn into it by a doctor. It’s traumatic!
Ice is your friend and don’t be afraid to ask for pain pills. They helped my sleep a ton.
Thanks Tyler. That’s very helpful. I rang and explained still bleeding and very painful to my doc and they are seeing me in the morning. Such a great spot to come to see the posts and questions. Thank you!!
Had this same procedure done yesterday 8/5/15. Im in NC and had it done at Carolina Foot and Ankle Dr. Williams. Let me just say that I was scared to death (because my husband had me so freaked out – “it’s probably worse pain than having a child” is what he told me!) um, yea, no- it was literally NOTHING!!! Dr. Williams first put a really cold spray on my toe (3 times) to numb it for the numbing shots- which was super cold- but I didn’t feel the anesthesia shots – so that was WONDERFUL. Then, nurse comes in and scrubs me up- waited a good 15-20 mins and then the doctor did the procedure –I didn’t feel a thing – nothing, nada! My husband sat there teary eyed (he hates needles) -while I laughed (literally-I have a nervous laugh -but it’s better than crying right). He bandaged me up, I went home kept my foot over my heart all night and I’m at work today with a bandaid on it (oh, and $22 amerigel cream on it). I have no pain at all, not even taking any OTC pain meds. Def recommend this if you have ingrown nails! Why I suffered all these years and tried to “fix” them myself – I don’t know.
Yay! Some people have your experience, I wish I had.
Keep it clean and good luck.
**also, I have very little bleeding , some discharge as expected. The doctor put a liquid on each side to kill the root so prevent regrowth. –and I have very thin nails, so it is possible that the liquid could have gotten under the middle of my nail and if so, it could come off completely. (he did prewarn me about this)- and I don’t want it to of course – but it is what it is- and I’ll paint a little square on there if I have to LOL!.
Hello, I’m 15 and I just had surgery for the second time on my right toe. The first time, I had 4 painful shots to my toe and the doctors removed my entire toenail. The most pain was during the procedure and while the anesthesia was still in effect. I had to change the dressing everyday and soak it in warm water mixed with epsom salt for about a week. The toenail eventually grew back as it should, but it immediately starting ingrowing again. I dealt with the pain for a few months and I finally went back in to get it permanently fixed just a day ago. The surgeon gave me 2 shots and I went COMPLETELY numb. I felt absolutely no pain. He took out the side of my toenail that was ingrowing and the nail root as well, along with the flesh around the affected area. The anesthesia lasted about 24 hours and now that it’s gone I am in terrible pain. I keep my foot elevated and I’ve taken 2 prescribed pills of hydrocodone/acetaminophen (which did nothing), about 4-5 ibuprofen and 2 tylenol over a course of about 12 hours, but the pain hasn’t faded at all. The bandage also feels very tight. I took a pair of scissors to the back of the bandage to relieve some of the pressure and it helped slightly, but my toe still throbs after I walk around and I feel constant shocks of pain and waves of absolute agony. I’m sobbing over the pain and my parents think I’m overreacting. I also cannot sleep. Everytime I begin to dose off, my toe wakes me up. Even if I fall asleep for a few minutes, I get woken up in pain. I want to take off my bandage but the doctor said to leave it on until three days after the procedure, where I’ll return to the hospital to have the bandage changed. Then, a week after that, I go back to have stitches removed. I really hope this pain goes away very soon. I only get my stitches removed two days before school starts. I’m very worried about infections as well and this pain is almost unbearable. Is any of this unusual? Any suggestions for pain relief would be delightful.
Man I hope you went to the doctor. Could be an infection.
Ice, pain killers (cannabis or ox-whatever) are your only friend.
Can someone please tell me the name of the acid that’s used to kill the root?
Thank you in advance, Kathy
Not a clue, sorry!
Ehhh, I had this procedure done this afternoon. my dr told me to leave the gauze on for 24 hours before removing it, but I bled threw all of it! Is it ok to change the gauze, or should I just wrap gauze over it?
Sorry this is late, but in the first 24 hours, I replaced it.
Tyler,
I just hac one cut out on my right big toe this morning and no pain nothing. The doc said to take the bandage off tomorrow morning and use neosporin and bandaids and i will be ok to wear my tennis shoes. I have to work tomorrow and sunday 8 hours eachday. Do you think it will be ok? I had the one done were the nail wont grow back. Will the skin accommodate where the nail was cut out to look normal once it has healed?
Yes it should accommodate, though it will look kinda different.
Hello,
Firstly thanks for the info. Very useful. I have had my toe nails fully removed three times but they have always come back and ingrow from all three sides i.e. left, right and top.
This time around I have had only the sides removed and phenol used to burn the root. However the swelling is not subsiding even after 17 days. And today I have developed a HUGE blister right below the nail.
My doc hasn’t advised soaking/scrubbing.. But whatever she is subscribing, it ain’t working.
My questions are:
1. How much water to shampoo to vinegar ratio to use?2
2. Which type of vinegar?
3. Any particular anti-bacterial cream/spray
4. Any way to reduce the dark red swelling all around the toe
Thanks in advance.
I used 2-1 with baby shampoo and white vinegar.
Are you also using Epsom salt 1x daily?
Amerigel wound dressing.
The blister is just the dead skin underneath being weird. They will go away.
Swelling after two weeks was about the same as me, even on the toe that didn’t get infected.
Pain? Throbbing?
Name of acid using to kill root is Phenol
Hi,
Thanks for the prompt reply. There is no real pain or throbbing. However these huge blisters with a lot of puss in them keep appearing on the same place. I have squeezed and cleaned it but it keeps coming back.
My doc has advised not to use any cream. I dont use any salt. Nothing. Just clean with pyodine and guaze. What do you advise I do to better take care of the wound?
Hi, My toe became infected (I only had inside edge removed and phenol) and i had to go on two courses of antibiotics. It is now week 4 and I have finally started the healing process in last few days after a fairly tough month of limping, pain and not wearing shoes. In the last 2 days I have also been able to wear shoes (hurray!). I’m on the up and up now! So do hang in there. You may not think things are improving (I was starting to lose hope as it seemed to look worse day by day) but things will improve eventually. The whole healing process and your response to the surgery really seems to depend on your natural pain tolerance, how complicated your toenails are, how good your circulation is etc. Everyone seems to have a different response. Mine was excrutiating the first night- got no sleep etc. and I was astonished to read some people had little pain and were playing sport within a week. There are a range of experiences and reading these ‘no pain’ stories can make you feel confused or worry something has gone wrong but everyone goes at their own pace. Other than dealing with the infection if it exists there seems to be not much you can do but be patient, soak in salty water, use an ointment if/as recommended by your specialist, try to keep it from being knocked/physically irritated and keep it clean! Good luck everyone!
Nice post. I had both big toes done about 8 months ago, four months afterwards I noticed I had a small piece of nail growing on the outer side of one of my toes. The doctor told me the liquid used to kill the root the first time did not kill the entire root on part of the nail so I had to go through the damn procedure again last week, 8/13/15, only this time the after surgery was twice as painful.
With this lovely procedure the doctor had to cut through my toe all the way down to the bone from above the back of the nail toward the outer side to remove the remaining root, scraping through the membrane of the bone to get the roots, which by the way has tons of incredibly sensitive nerves. This was a totally different procedure than the first one which is identical to the way you had yours done.
It has been 7 days and I still have throbbing sharp pain, I expected it to be similar to the first procedure but no no no, this is as tough one to get through.
The thing I don’t get is why my doctor does not give the shots similar to how a dentist does. Most dentists start off very slowly and allow a bit of time for the area to get numb, not this doc, he just plows right along injecting shot after shot as if he were practicing on a cadaver or a grapefruit. The worst shot was the one on the front of the toe, the top of the toe shot hurt badly but having one in the front of the toe, just a bit below the nail, is one of the most painful shots ever, during and after the procedure.
I have a few stitches to keep the incision closed but I have to say, the area which hurts the most now is not where the incision is, it is where he injected the front of the toe shot, he said he probably hit a nerve…ya think?
I went to a post op visit after 4 days, I wanted to look at the toe when he unwrapped the bandage but he immediately painted iodine all over the toe so I could not see what it looked like. I did get a little glimpse at the opposite side of the toe where he made the incision and it did not look pretty, probably why he painted the iodine on so quickly.
Anyone else have this wonderful surgery? I am looking forward to getting the stitches out and to be pain free, as for now I am stuck on the couch with an occasional walk when I need to walk around the market to get food but I pay for it dearly once I get back home.
I don’t mean to scare anyone away, I am glad I have it finally taken care of and everyone who has this condition should get it done, I feel my experience is an exception, most will not grow back as mine did so please don’t think your experience will be as painful as mine. I did the same thing most of us have done, month after month for years cutting and digging and infecting my toe to keep the pain down from toe growing into the skin, I finally gave in 8 months ago and glad, or will be, glad I did.
Thanks so much for posting your procedure.
Jesus. My right “toenail” is growing back in two small spots and it’s already dug in a bit, but no pain so far.
It’s been 18 months since I had my nails totally removed, but I assume I’ll need a surgery like yours eventually.
Good god, I’m really not looking forward to THAT.
Hi Tyler,
I did not mean to create such concern for you but I think it is important people know what they are going to go through, my doctor certainly was not thorough enough in his explanation of the post op issues. I would advise asking the doctor how necessary the procedure will be, in other words what issues you will encounter if you do not have it done, if any. I was skeptical about having another surgery especially after hearing the procedure would be quite different and more painful, however I knew it would be a bit more of a nuisance than the first, that is putting it mildly. We all have different experiences and will react differently, the doctor may have a lot to do with it.
Please keep me updated, I would like to hear if you move ahead, if so how the post op goes for you. I suppose I must be a bit of a sissy but anytime they scrape the bone membrane the pain will be hard to deal with, especially if you decide to go without a narcotic med as I did. I used 4 to 5 200 mg advil with may increase the bleeding a bit but reduces the inflammation, which helped quite a bit, then a couple of very small pieces of suboxne as I do not like narcotics. I do not advise using suboxone unless you are sure you will stop immediately after your pain subsides as it can be highly addictive, additionally your doctor will need to be certified to write a suboxone script.
I look forward to hearing how things go for you.
My best,
Jim
I definitely will, and I’m grateful you shared what it might be like.
I don’t deal with narcotics very well, instead using cannabis-related pain relievers for most stuff.
Tyler,
Interesting, I had no idea there are pain relievers derived from medical marijuana, hope that works.
I hate to say it is good to know someone else has the same issue I did after having the initial surgery in reference to having a little piece of nail growing back. Now I do not have to call my doctor incompetent, he blamed it on the solution not working to kill the root, appears that is correct. Sorry you may have to go through it, maybe your podiatrist has an easier way to remove the root than what I went through. I am sure you will Keep us updated on that.
Jim
Oregon is doing someone seriously advanced stuff with cannabis, it’s a great alternative and complement for pain.
Yeah, my doc said about 7% of people have continued problems with their nails after the initial surgery.
So, hello fellow 7%’er!
Hi!
I have an ingrown toe nail on the big toe of my right foot that was severely infected and bleeding. I went to a GP in Germany and he said I need to have surgery and prescribed an antibiotic cream and soaking. When I returned to the USA it looked like the infection has completely cleared up but the toe remained swollen and it looks like there is a part of the toe nail still growing into the skin. Next to it is a blister. I was dreading toe nail surgery as I had it about 10 years ago on the same foot. The shot hurt so bad from what I could remember. Finally I took up the courage to call a podiatrist and have an appointment for Monday to get the toe nail surgery. Any ideas how to lessen the pain for the shots in advance? Any pain medicine? I am so very scarred of shots…..
The numbing shots at first can be helped if the doctor sprays your toe with numbing/cooling spray. It will still be sore as hell later, but the spray reduced the highly painful shot to a more normal pin prick.
If I ever have to go again, I might buy a bunch of cannabis and go in stttttooooooonnnnnnned.
Hi Kerstin,
I agree with Tyler regarding using the spray to numb your toe. There are two ways I know of which the doctor uses to reduce the injection pain; a cold liquid poured over the toe and the spray Tyler mentioned. My doctor used the liquid method however I think the spray would be more effective.
You may want to have someone, maybe the doctors assistant, knock you over the head with a tire iron prior to the shot, other than that I do not think taking pain meds prior to the shot will be of any help, but I do not know that for sure. As for the marijuana, if I did not get so paranoid while on it I may consider doing it that way but definitely not for me.
Here is what I recommend you do; Talk to the doctor prior to your visit and have ask him to use the spray, then talk to him about numbing slowly with the injection instead of going as quickly as he can around the entire toe, just as a dentist would do, slowly is the key and allow it to numb a bit prior to proceeding with more shots.
Don’t be afraid, the pain is not pleasant but think of how many people have gone through far worse pain than just a few injection pricks. It really is not as bad as we all say it is, just relax, think of something else while he is injecting and it will be over in 30 seconds.
Best to you,
Jim
Thanks. I have survived a lot of shots from root canal to epidural to shots in my stomach and ten years ago in my toe for an ingrown toe nail. Somehow I remember the one in my toe the worst. I will do as you suggested and also pray for the best. Just for peace of mind I will take some prescription pain killers that I still have left from dental work.
Kerstin,
I had one worse shot, it was on the side of the thigh. I drank some sort of poison juice while visiting Israel down in the Sinai desert and went into muscle spasms and shock so my muscles were very tight, the pain from that shot lasted for months afterwards and may have been the worst pain of my life including the initial pain when I torn my hamstring.
Maybe taking some pain meds prior to the shot wouldn’t hurt, I suppose if you are feeling a bit euphoric it would reduce the anxiety and possibly the pain. Please let us know if that works for you.
I will. Thanks for all the encouragement.
Tyler,
I read Elena velazquez post, what a moron. This site has been great and I thank you for the attention you have paid to everyone’s post.
I sure hope you do not have to have the same procedure I did, it really sucked (s). I am doing much better today, still some pain when I have my toe down, sitting like a normal person using my computer but I think that is just about ready to go away.
Best,
Jim
Hi!
I just had my ingrown toe nail surgery this morning on my right toe. I took 4 Ibuprofen 200 mg 2 hours before and 30 minutes before surgery I took 2 Tylenol /Codein 300 mg prescription tablets’ probably shouldn’t have driven my car but I did. I had 3 cups of coffee throughout the morning and was a nervous wreck. I expected the worst as I had such bad memories from 10 years ago. Good news is it was not as it was 10 years ago. 10 years ago I went to the GP and he gave me the shot into the front of my toe where you can stub it. It hurt like hell and the ice spray did not help 10 years ago. Today it was painful but half as bad as expected. On a pain scale it was maybe a 4.
First thing was I told the doctor up front how terrified I was. He used a lot of cooling spray…. the shot was given on the top of the toe and by the time I got the second one on the side the toe was already numb so I could not feel the second one. To help with the shot I took a deep breath and squeezed the nurses hand and I think most importantly anticipated huge pain …..that did not come…the pain was not bad. just a prick and then a shooting pain throughout the toe that lasted for 10 seconds… I think anticipating the pain and dealing with it in your mind is half the battle. I breathed in slowly in and out and the doctor gave me the shot slowly and said that does make a difference too. He said there was no infection at all just the nail digging into the skin.
So your state of mind makes a big difference. Expect some pain in your mind and take lots of pain killers just make sure you don’t overdose. I think those pain killers worked a lot.
I hope this helps anybody out there that is as scarred as I was and am of shots and pain. Trust me if I can do it you can!!!!! It is half as bad as I thought. I went into the grocery store right afterwards and bought Epson salt and gauze and gauze pads for the after care and was told to take pain killers after 3 hours …one hours before anesthesia wears off.
My follow up appointment is in 2 weeks.
Thank you all of you that supported me in all this and I will try to do the same.
Kerstin
Hi Kerstin,
You are very fortunate you have a doctor who has the common sense to give the shot slowly, similar to how a dentist gives them, at least a good dentist. My doctor did not have that common sense so the worst part of my initial experience was with the shots. You are correct, a shot in the front of the toe is the most painful as I think most of the nerves are toward the front. Many people complain about the shots being the worst part of their entire experience, before and after, that was the case for me.
I have just recovered from my second surgery because the first did not remove the entire root, therefore the second surgery was a bit different. This time the doctor had to cut into the top of my toe making a V incision, creating a flap, so he could get down to the bone and scrape through the bone membrane to remove the remaining root. I will have to say this second surgery was the worst, almost as bad as my emergency appendectomy. The reason for that is the bone membrane is filled with sensitive nerves and scraping away those nerves creates intense post op pain making for a longer recovery.
Continue to follow the instructions the doctor gave you and you will be fine shortly.
Thanks for sharing your experience with us.
Best,
Jim
Jim,
It sounds awful that you had to go through that procedure to cut to your bone. I am so sorry. Update on my toe… I felt it for the first 24 hours…soaking it in Epson salt no stinging. It looks like an elephant stepped on it.
Hopefully it will heal.
To all of you out there…. go to a specialist not a GP and heads up!!!!
Thank you Kerstin, it was awful for almost two weeks but wonderful now that the stitches are out and the bone membrane has healed.
I think I mentioned I had both large toes done on each side of each toe about 8 months ago and never got to see them until the doctor removed the dressing about a week or so later. I soaked them in an antibiotic liquid a few times a day for a week with the dressing on.
I am hoping the other toe does not have the same issue as the one I just had operated on, that would be a real drag.
One more day and I can jump in the shower, can’t wait, I am getting tired of sponge baths.
Best of luck healing. It is so nice to finally get this over with….for good this time.
*I agree 100% with Kerstin, definitely have a Podiatrist do the procedure, a general practitioner will use you as a Ginnie Pig and you will be more than sorry if you did not use a Podiatrist. It is hard enough for a Podiatrist to perform the procedure, after going through this I would never put my feet in the hands of a regular MD.
Best,
Jim
I had my surgery on 8/11/2015 and today is the 26th. I am still applying medicine and wearing bandaids. I have black lines down the sides of my big toes. Is this normal? How long should I wear bandages?
I had ingrown toenail surgery on both big toes on 8/11/2015, Today is 8/26/2015, I had both big toes done and all went well. I am still wearing bandages and applying medicine. I have black lines down the side of both big toes. Is this normal. Also how long will I need to wear the bandages and when can I get a pedicure? Thank you!
Black lines is normal, that’s just the bruising/bleeding from the surgery and the shots. Should last a few weeks.
I wore bandages 24/7 until the wound stopped seeping, then stopped wearing them at night.
Stopped wearing bandages during the day when it didn’t hurt to wear my shoes without.
I’d wait to get a pedicure until it’s completely healed up, which for me was about two months.
By completely healed, I mean completely without pain or tenderness. If you go in early while your nail roots are still healing from the shots and/or acid, it’s going to hurt. A lot.
I have a marathon in 12 days from now and I just had my ingrown removed 3 days ago…. you think theres a risk with running if the wound is not fully healed? It would suck if i couldn’t run.
It’s likely going to hurt and force you to adjust your running form to compensate, which will lead to worse injuries later.
It’s definitely possible and I’d probably try, but I’d shut it down immediately if my form started to change to “protect” my toe.
I am now at the 5 week mark post surgery, both great toes on both sides. No pain or oozing anymore but still have scabs although they are not as deep. The nails look ugly to say the least. Have a follow-up appt mid September. Will be interested to see what he says.
So glad I had this done. I think it really is going to be a cure for me.
Had ingrown toe nail surgery 4 weeks ago. My toe is swollen, red, painfully sore, & bleeds. Shooting pains that are so painful that I almost want to cry. Went to the doctor for post op & he said it looked good. Within days following that appointment my toe turned red & the pains started. The top of my toe almost appears to be blistered. Went back to the doctor who gave me more antibiotics & prescribed some ointment. did not resolve anything. What can be causing this?
The blistering is usually dead skin from below pushing through. Looks terrible, shouldn’t be an issue.
Make sure you’re soaking. Bleeding after 2-3 weeks would mean (to me) that something is wrong or that you’re using your toe too much.
Hi Tyler.
Just got my whole toenail taken out yesterday the toe next to the big toe, well anyways is the Epsom salt water soaking suppose to burn on that toe…I’m concerned n worried.
Order in terms of pain experienced:
1. When the local anesthetic wore off later that night.
2. When the infection settled in my toe and I bumped it.
3. The ingrown toenail when I bump it.
4. The shots before all the anesthetic kicks in.
5. Stubbing your toe.
6. The burning pain of Epsom salt.
7. Getting my toe stepped on.
8. Getting my bandaged toe stepped on.
Hell yes it’s going to hurt, but it’s the only pain on that list (except for the first) that will go away AND feel better in a fairly short amount of time without you doing anything but resting.
I had this procedure done on Monday and the top of my nail is very sensitive. Any tips in how to make it feel more comfortable? And how to take care of it properly?
Don’t wear closed-toe shoes, don’t walk unless you have to, do soak and change bandages twice daily.
I have another question Tyler.
Is it normal for the left top of that toe to turn like a white bubble n clear leakage?
Yeah, those sorta blister things?
That’s the dead skin from the shots forcing its way out. They go away on their own and shouldn’t hurt.
I had them from every surgery, always freaked me out. Never a problem.
Ok thx. Thought it might be an infection.
You are so helpful ?.
An infection will hurt, a LOT. Your entire body will hate you for getting up.
And you’ll feel it from your toe, up your ankle and leg.
So, you’ll know if it’s infected, because it will start hurting away from the surgery.
Tyler, is it safe when the gauze is attached to the toe when trying to take off the wrap to soak? I feel like i peeled something off n it kinda hurt a bit. I just can’t seem to wrap it without it getting like glued to the skin.
Yeah, you’re ripping off the scab a bit. Not terrible, not great either.
I think you’re asking if it’s okay to soak with the gauze on, and take it off in the soak itself?
Yes, but be sure to change your bandages after.
Non-stick gauze pads helped a lot.
Hey Tyler, question. What does a black line at the bottom of where the nail goes mean. Its where the nail starts to grow from the toe part.
Dead skin from the shots being pushed out as new skin grows underneath. Like a combo bruise/blister, but without the pain. Totally normal.
Is it normal to feel tingling on the foot of that toe? Like when the foot falls asleep.
Is it better to rest the foot or to walk on it the more possible?
N feeling throbbing on that toe is normal right? I’m just freaking out with all these reactions i don’t know if normal or not.
It’s going to feel weird at times. If it’s throbbing, try loosening the bandage/gauze/wrap.
Resting helped me more than moving.
Honestly, anything short of your foot/ankle/leg hurting is pretty normal.
I got this procedure done and all was well for a few months… but now the ingrown toenail is back and just as infected as but way more painful than before. I’m really dreading talking to my doctor and getting it done again, since the shots were awful.
If aesthetics aren’t an issue, consider asking the doc to take your entire nail off. I’m 23 months away from my last (full) removal, and save one spot on my right toe that’s required a bit of trimming, it’s been 98% better.
Like way, way, way better. The removal surgery was my fifth trip concerning my big toes.
hi Tyler,
I had my whole nail of my left big toe removed on 18 Jan 2016. doc never said anything about soaking or cream. so after the first week I had a massive infection. Another doc gave me antibiotics and suprioban to put on. I then started soaking in luke warm water and salt. All went well till Friday. My husband stood on my toe with his safety boots well you can imagine how I felt. Well Saterday night I did the whole soaking thing again but this time the scabs on the sides came off. Now I have tow holes on my toe and it started draining clear again. I know you are not a dr. But is that normal to happen. Freaking out just a little.
Clear drainage, even if it’s mostly mucus, is totally good. Just means you’re healing.
Sorry the setback, any additional physical trauma just extends the recovery, but didn’t cause me any issues when I stubbed my toe pretty hard while just out of surgery.
Yikes about the safety boots. YIKES. Maybe no more dancing for a while?
I am getting surgery tomorrow.
My Dad had them when he was a kid. Imagine this., both of your toenails extremely infected. You go to the doctor who does not numb your toes, gives you a belt to bite down on and pulls out both of your toenails!!! He has the grossest toenails I have ever seen now lol He tells that story all the time and I cringe! Not only dos he go once but he went twice. Imagine going back knowing how bad it is going to hurt!
How old is your dad, 100?
Yikes!
LOL! He is 57.
Surgery methods have come a long way since then, thankfully.
It’s going to hurt, but nowhere near as bad as ripping out…good god, I’m tearing up just thinking about that.
LOL it has come a long way! I’ve had this done before and the shots were horrible. I have to keep reminded myself of what my Dad went thru and that I also passed and entire human being through my body…I got this! Hahaha
Had it done 2 days ago. Two toes all 4 sides. Shots where not nearly as painfull as the pain you struggle with everyday of your life. First night I could feel the chemicals burning, soaked and cleaned it yesterday (2 days after removed the gauze that was pressed into the sides and hope I wasnt supposed to leave them in). No pain slight pressure where he gave the shots though. Going back in two days so he can check them out.
I had the procedure done yesterday for only psrtial removal of the nail but my doctor has me coming in to change the bandages and advised me not to get my toe wet. I’m worried that he hasn’t told me to soak my toe – should I be doing it or should I just follow his orders?
This experience has been true for other surgeries I’ve had, and having you come in to change the bandage means it was a bit more complicated. Follow his orders, nothing he’s said is abnormal.
I’d be surprised if he doesn’t recommend soaking after the first few days of recovery, though.
Hello Tyler!
I just had a partial nail removal as well as a chemical removal of the nail growth today. I am experience what I’ve read most have….. The shots were no fun. Third the worst. But I’m soooo glad I finally did it! It occurred twice for me. 2 months after each of my daughters were born. My podiatrists said that this is very common. I wish I would have been more brave and taken care of this problem 18 month ago when it first disrupted my life!
I found this stream by googling post-op toenail removal. I just want to tell you, Tyler, how greatful I am for your dedication to this feed! I’m feeling very informed, but mostly your passion for humanity. I am thankful for you:)
Love , peace and health!
High fives and happy feet!
wait so did the area where they cut off the nail grow back? idk if you said it in this post i might’ve missed it bc i’m a lil queasy about blood and stuff and had to scroll past the images a bit lol i got mine done about four days ago and the whole process is stressing me out, especially bc i wasn’t expecting to get it removed when i went into the doctor and didnt know what was going on/didnt get a very good explanation. thank you in advance!
Mine did not, because I asked the doctor to burn the root.
Some people choose not to have it grow back.
Hi Tyler, I have my operation on Wednesday – starting to freak out a little bit!! I still need to find shoes to wear after the op and I was wondering what type of shoes and any specific shoes you can recommend? Thanks
If you’re careful putting them on, any non-tight shoe will do. I was tempted to wear flip-flops, but cold is often a problem.
Slippers are great if you don’t have to walk very far.
Hi Tyler.
I had this done about 20 years ago when I was 19. I have the same curved nails and they are a bear:( The supposedly killed the root back then but after several years. the whole nail grew back with a vengeance and now I’m looking at having the surgery this Friday 🙁 The crazy thing is I had not had any trouble for several years and my toenails finally looked normal for the first time in my life. my husband had foot surgery in January and was using a knee scooter and I hit my toe on that and my nail broke and I think it embedded the curved part into the skin really deep, bc it hurts like crazy. I use peroxide and keep it very clean, then it stops hurting. Seems like right after it stops hurting I hit it or somebody steps on it 🙁 wish me luck, I am having the surgery on Friday which is my son’s birthday, so Saturday were having a big barbecue with lots of people over .
Yikes, but good luck!
My big right toe’s nail is growing back in TWO spots, both bottom corners.
Doc will have to dig this time, hoping I can put it off until the fall.
I am getting this done tomorrow:(
I had it done when I was 18 but that was 20 years ago.
Tyler I have a infected toe nail I’m going in to get it removed in a week what Wil they do and how is the shots?
It took four shots per toe for me, which they stuck me with after numbing my toe with a spray.
They feel like a pinch and go away quickly.
Unfortunately, getting the shots isn’t the worst pain, the worst pain is when those shots wear off later that night.
Hi Tyler,
I had a partial nail removal done on 1/27/16 by a podiatrist and on 2/26/16 my primary care provider looked at and thought that it was still infected. She “drained” and “cleaned” the area. Currently the matrix looks good but my actual toe below the cuticle but above the joint seems to get really swollen at times. To the point that it concerns me and I’m worried that this is is a sign of infection. Right now I’m not experiencing any drainage nor any throbbing pain. But there is a feeling of discomfort and a tingling sensation. Did you experience this? Did it resolve itself and if so how long did it take? I had a podiatrist look at my toe last week he thought it looked okay but it wasn’t swollen at that time. I can’t tell if I’m being super paranoid or if there is cause for concern.
Yes, I did, and it turned into bubbly-blistery type things that I was told was the dead skin making its way up from where the shots or acid killed them.
Mine didn’t hurt and they eventually went away.
Thank you so much Tyler for posting this blog. I had my ingrown toenail procedure in Scottsdale (not with your DR) and your thorough review with pictures gave me a bit of peace. I was still nervous but I knew more what to expect because of your blog post. For others reading this: I am a complete pain wimp. My podiatrist and his nurse were very gentle and understanding with me. I received the Cold Shot to numb my big toe prior to the injections of anesthesia.
The Numbing Cold Shot stung just a bit and then I felt nothing. I received 3 injections of Local anesthesia, we waited 5 minutes and then the procedure began. I felt nothing during the procedure, just a bit of pressure No Pain at all. I opt’ed for the acid root burn option so hopefully I won’t have to go through this in the future. The total procedure took about 15 minutes from start to finish (including the 5 minute wait for the complete numbness)
Good luck to anyone dealing with an ingrown toenail. Don’t waste money on OTC remedies, don’t wait months out of fear of the procedure, just go to the podiatrist and get that mess out! Mine was about 1/2 an inch embedded in my skin. There was no way anything I could do would make it better or fix the problem. I needed a professional.
Call around ask what their procedure is, DEMAND the cold shot to numb your toe first before the injections!
Thank you again Tyler your blog really made the difference in me keeping my appointment and going through with the procedure!
High fives!
My procedure was similar, though I needed five shots each time because apparently my body is super sensitive.
Great advice on not wasting your time with home remedies.
Here’s to years of pain free toes!
I had gotten my left big toe done back in December and it didn’t look too bad.. but my toenail hasn’t grown back yet… about how long does it take? it’s freaking me out lol
Has it started to?
Your sure the doc didn’t burn the root?
I wonder if mine wasn’t as bad as I thought? I have been cutting mine out since I was 16 (I’m 26 now) and I had this procedure done yesterday. The shots hurt like hell, but once the numbing medicine wore off I felt nothing but the puncture wounds where they numbed me. I didn’t even need Tylenol or Ibuprofen. And that’s crazy about the soaking because I’m not supposed to scrub it with anything, just bathe as normal and only soak in Epsom salt baths every night. Apply Neosporin and a Band-Aid. Like that’s it… nothing extensive like they gave you.
I’m impressed you were able to cut it out on your own. My brother-in-law does the same, but I’ve never been able to compare our wounds to see if mine was deeper or whatever.
I run a lot, and I’m not small (5’11”, 200 lbs), so I’m betting I made mine much worse with all that use.
I’m glad you’re doing well!
I’m going to be getting mine next week and I’m supper scared does it hurt??
What would be your rating from 1-10
I’ve had a pilonidal cyst removed and spent nine weeks recovering while filling the cavity with yards (not a typo) of medicated gauze.
I got dry socket when I had my wisdom teeth removed.
My nose was broken — reset a week later — while I was hobbling around on a high ankle sprain.
I tore a muscle in my lower back and couldn’t walk upright for three weeks.
Have broken my wrist and my hand.
Have eaten pavement, chest/arms first, while rollerblading at full speed without pads.
I’ve been clobbered, playing football without pads, by a dude at full speed weighing 90 lbs more than me (in which I left with a near concussion and a high ankle sprain…from my brother)
This surgery hurt less than any of those, save for the two hours the first night when the local anesthetic wore off. I didn’t have any pain pills, so I spent the night keeping my foot up and then icing it. It sucked, but I was completely okay when I woke up. I had requested extra numbing shots, so I sorta expected it to hurt more when it wore off.
But really, unless it gets infected, it’s more of a nuisance than real pain. Ask for the ice spray, it helps.
I just had this done at 11:00 and im in throbbing pain. what can i do to relieve some. It hurts so much
Well, at least it won’t wake you up tonight (hopefully)!
I rotated between sitting upright with my feet on the floor with ice on them (use crushed ice or ice packs, the hard normal cubes will hurt and laying on my back on the floor with my feet raised (no ice) on the couch. Anything you normally take for pain or swelling should help.
I used cannabis, it worked way better than painkillers (except for the infection I had once).
You can do this.
Thank you for sharing your experience. I had surgery on both my big toes on both sides. The injections didn’t hurt. Maybe because my doctor sprayed a cool spray and quickly injected my toes. 2 shots on one toe and 3 shots on the other. I didn’t want to watch but my husband recorded the surgery. I think it hurts more to have the ingrown toe nail than removing them and going through the healing process. My doctor was surprised and said that I seem to have a high tolerance for pain. I do soak my feet with warm water once a day and put antibacterial cream on the gauze and cover it up, per her instructions. I have minimal discharge but she did warm me about that. Again, thank you for sharing your experience 🙂
Best wishes for a quick recovery.
Hi Tyler,
My name is Stephanie and I got my left big toe nail removed a few weeks ago and it is fine with the healing , but it does seem to have a “crust” that looks maybe like the fungus that was in the toenail before, I soaked it and got it to where I could clip it off with clippers… BUT just the other day I got my Right big toenail removed and these are NOT permanent…. so I do know they can grow back the way they were before… My question is …. what do I do now… I soaked it the 1st night and tried to help the gauze come off and pulled a little too hard and made it bleed and when it started it was gushing…. so all I could do was wrap it up again but now…. I can’t get the gauze off!!!! Just a little piece is stuck to the p[art that was open, where the nail goes…. I have soaked and soaked and soaked… I am scared that I will have to get the “needle” again… and have to have the doctor cut it off…. My BF tells me that it will just “grow out” … That makes me uneasy… what should I do??!!??
Trim the dead skin if you can. Bleeding isn’t bad.
Infection is bad. Soak with with warm water. Adding Epsom salt worked well for me.
I had this done Wednesday on both big toenails. I was shocked at how much it hurt. I can feel every heartbeat in both toes. My doctor wants the dressings left on until I go back to see her in two weeks. Weird that you were told to remove them and soak because she was adamant that they stay dry.
Whoa, really? She wants the same dressing to be left on for two weeks? Yikes.
I soaked my toe and re-wrapped it twice a day. You’re sure she meant to never change the dressing?
Yes. It’s in a printed post-surgery instructions sheet.
I am also surprised at just how much you use your big toes when you walk! O U C H !
Huh. Well, follow that. They may have done something different.
Yeah, the big toe joint in my foot was sore from tensing it so much.
STAY OFF YOUR FEET! 🙂
LOL – you don’t have to tell me! I am doing a lot of heel walking to the bathroom, the kitchen. The hardest thing is trying to keep my three dogs off of them because they can smell the blood or something.
They know you’re hurt and want to lick the wound.
Mine was pretty funny about it, but it wasn’t all that comfy for me.
Yeah – all three are big, two Pitbulls and an English Bull Terrier. My female pit (by the way, all rescue dogs and all neutered) has allergies and because of her meds is hyper, so she makes me the most nervous as she’s prancing about!
yep, our rescue australian shepherd/blue heeler mix stays within arm’s reach at all times — though she’s completely worthless to me during recovery.
Ha! That’s not fair…shes there for moral support!
Well, today I took another shower wrapping both feet in plastic bags as before. But, for some reason, this time my toes got wet. Not sure what happened. So, my doctor has me take off the dressings to dry before redressing them. Problem was, stitches were stuck in the gauze. So, taking several minutes on each toe and cutting ends of stitches finally worked. But, on the right foot, I started bleeding a good amount. I took pictures, but can’t see how to post them. I was surprised how much she cut toward the end of the toe. Both sides were cut from South of the quick to about 1/4 of an inch past the end of the toenail. Odd!
Yikes, stitches?
That changes things.
No stitches for me. In my toes, anyway.
Funny you should mention that. If you consider this a true surgery, and I suppose I should since it was done in an operating suite, this is 28. So I should have one of two things – stock in a company that makes stitching material or a zipper so I don’t need anymore!
Mine is not like an ingrown toenail on either side. It’s at the base of my toe nail. Almost like my nail is growing the opposite way. It’s sore and getting worse ever couple days. Could mine be something different?
That’s what the bottom left corner of my right toenail did. It’s growing curved, like the nail needs to hold on to the toe or something.
I have to go back in to get it out again, but it doesn’t even look like skin at this point, it’s clear!
Hi Tyler. I am getting this done on 05/23/2016 and I am going on a trip to Kashmir (India) on 06/05/2016. So eventually I need to walk and wear shoes. My doc said he will be removing partial nail and destroying the root. Is it advisable to do the procedure as planned considering the recovery period or to postpone it after the trip? .
I am worried because its a cold place and I will be walking in snow and rough path so shoes is a must. Hence with me having just 12 days what will be the ideal thing to do?
Wrapping a healing foot in a boot and walking around on it is the last thing I would do, especially considering you’re likely to need to change bandages a lot.
You’ll survive walking during the trip, but I bet you’d really hate doing it.
I had my right toe done may 5th and my left toe done may 11rh.. my doctor said it would be healed by the time I went to the beach in June 8 adult my toes are little infected the dr. Put me on antibiotic and I’m just soak my toes an Epson salt twice a day I hope I can still go to the beach and get in the sand next month a lot of people say the salt water will do good what do you all think
Salt water is probably the best option. I was told to avoid chlorinated pools, but beaches were fine.
Obviously, make sure you’re cleaning your feet when you’re done for the day.
Boy i hope so. .be cause i live for my vacay at the beach every year. .thanks. .
Good luck! My doc told me getting the area dirty or wet wasn’t a problem, it was leaving it that way without cleaning it for a long time (like overnight).
Hi Tyler,
I got my ingrown toenail surgery done last week. My ingrown toenail wasn’t on the left part of the nail of my big toe but on the right. My doctor’s orders were different: he said to soak it for 2 weeks and then scrub with a light dressing… And this week I noticed that skin has grown on top of where my nail is supposed to grow back. Is that bad? Should I scrub before I’m supposed to?
That’s normal, your skin is trying to protect that area.
And you’re sure it’s supposed to grow back? From what I’ve seen, trimming is often permanent.
Hi. My name is Melissa and I’m 12 about to be 13 in July 11th. I have an ingrown toenail and it hurst when I walk. Even when I put a sick on. I would usually cut it and it would get better. Last Sunday I think I cut it the next day it’s like really bad. The ingrown nail in in my left foot on the right side of the toe. If has pus and the little corner is kind if purple not a lot but it hurts soo much. I’ve seen videos but I’m scared of what I’m gonna feel when the numbness goes off. My parents don’t even know. What do I do. I’m sacred. I can’t even walk now?. I want to send a picture but I don’t know how.
You have an infected, ingrown toenail. You can keep cutting it on your own and let it get worse each time, or you can go the doctor and have them fix it.
There is nothing more painful in the process than an infected nailbed, save for maybe 1-3 hours when the initial shots for numbness wear off.
Go in, if you do the pain will go away. It will get a little worse for only a short time, but will feel better immediately after that.
Promise. Go!
I read your thread earlier this past week. I had a ingrown toenail on my right big toe that I’d been messing with for quite some time, foolishly thinking it would get better. Went to doctor on Tuesday and he did the partial nail removal. I was so worried over the shot pain that I almost walked out while waiting. After all the worry the shots were a walk in the park. I voiced my concern to my doctor and I honestly didn’t feel a thing. He used this cold numbing spray first, then started with the shots, stopping and massaging the toe and then continuing. Anytime I would get a pinch feeling (which was not horrible) he stopped and waited a second to let the area numb before proceeding. I really think the way he numbed my toe up was a godsend since my worst fear was the numbing after reading others comments. He started the procedure after waiting about 5 minutes and I didn’t feel any pain perhaps just some pressure. I’m to soak my foot twice a day for two weeks with Epsom salts. Then apply some Neosporin ointment and cover with a bandage. The worst part for me has been the soaking as it burns slightly. It’s Friday and the toe doesn’t look horrible but still seeping, hope it’s okay. I’m not having any pain walking. Wondering if the toenail will eventually grow back. My nerves at the doctor’s got the best of me and I hardly remember a word said. I would advise anyone that is having issues to go to the doctor and have the procedure it’s 100% better than what I had going on with doing my own self-treatment at home. I also took one pain pill after getting home event though the toe was still numb to stay ahead of any pain that I was anticipating after reading other’s experiences. It seemed to work as I never got the horrible pain after the numbness wore off. I recommend going to the doctor and getting this done. You’ll be feeling much better and the worry beforehand is much worse than the actual procedure. I really also feel that the doctor and his method of numbing, etc. is the key to not experiencing a lot of pain with the numbing shot.
That was my experience for the first three procedures. Almost identical. Great job!
High fives and stuff. No more self treatment for this, woohoo!
First, I must say I have had this procedure done 3 times. I don’t know where everybody else who commented is geographically located but here in the United States the podiatrist that I have used all numb the toe surface with a spray before injecting the anesthetic. I would suggest that anybody that is facing the removal of an ingrown toenail confirm with their podiatrist, that they use that method. Personally I’ve always had the edge of the nail removed and the podiatrist would kill the root. I had my right big toe, both sides, done in 1997 and I’ve never had a problem. I just had my left toe, the outside edge done a few days ago and it is healing just fine. No oozing, no bleeding…. knock on wood no problems. Best of luck to everyone!
I’m getting my right toe done this Thursday :,( nervous
Nah, it’s going to feel better and with the spray and shots, the surgery is nearly painless.
As long you’re able to keep it clean while it’s healing, the worst pain will be right after the local anesthetic wears off (sometime during the night) and then it won’t hurt after that. Seriously, it’s a pain to deal with but nowhere near as painful as it is now.
hello. i just had surgery for both of my nails. i got it done really early in the morning and now it is late and i still feel that it is numb and have no pain. is that normal? my right toenail was removed completely and my left toenail was removed partially. my doctor did not say anything about soaking my feet. i was just told to remove the bandages in the morning. and apply wound dressing to my toes and to cover my toes with a band aid.
Yes. It can take until you fall asleep for a while and wake back up for the numbness to go away. Be careful not to walk on them too much while they’re numb.
I’d ask again about the soaking, but the wound dressing and bandage thing (I used Amerigel and non-stick pads with non-stick wrap because I couldn’t find big enough band aids) is the same.
When it says on the Amerigel to not apply on the good skin, how do you know where not to apply?
I put a very small bit directly on the wound, spread it with my clean finger, and then put the bandage on.
My doc said the easiest way to do it was to put it on the wound and not the bandage.
I had surgery on monday and they removed my nail completely. My nail does not hurt at all but it seems like the blood is stuck on it and it cannot be removed. Should i be worried?
Oh, it will all come off. Are you soaking?
Yes, I’ve been soaking twice a day
Cool. Mine eventually fell off, some of it was re-absorbed.
Unless it hurts, there’s not much to worry about while it’s healing.
You’ll also see what look like blisters, usually around the cuticle. Those are normal and will go away.
It’s been a week since my surgery do i still need to wear a bandage?
Once the wound stopped seeping, I left off my bandages at night.
Hi Tyler, I just had this done last week. During my follow up this past thursday the doctor noticed it wasn’t healing the way it should have been, so he took more of the nail and cauterized the skin. I’m on some painkillers and antibiotics so it shouldn’t be infected. This was Thursday and now its Saturday and my toe is a little red and swollen is that normal after it being cauterized? or should I try calling my doctor to get some help.
Totally normal. Your toe has been through a lot!
Ice worked REALLY well for me.
If it starts hurting in your foot, ankle, or up your leg, definitely go in.
But I’m betting this will subside by Monday.
Thank you so much, I have been really worried because maybe 20 minutes after the procedure I was in excruciating pain because the anesthesia wore off so I could feel the silver nitrate he used to cauterize it. So my doc had to prescribe me vicodin because I couldn’t even more my foot without crying. Its so much better than that now but I was still worried because I’ve been off my feet nearly 100% of the past day and a half, only getting up to go to the bathroom, soak my foot or go to bed (I’m sleeping on the couch to avoid my fiancee bumping my foot).
My main worry was infection because it is swollen and tender but only on the side where I had the procedure done.
You are an amazing person for providing this thread and keeping up with it for nervous people like myself. You my good sir are awesome and deserve an award!
Yikes! My local anesthetic didn’t wear off that quickly, but it did later that first night and left me in agony for about two hours.
Next morning, that pain was gone and it just ached a bunch.
Yep, my infection (during my last surgery 18 months ago) started with massive yellowing on the surgical area, and then the pain went up my foot and leg. You’ll KNOW when it’s infected because you won’t be able to move your leg without pain.
My reward is seeing people in the pain I was in get help. I can learn from them, too!
I’m sorry to hear that it got infected for you, luckily my doctor was able to nip it in the bud before the infection got too bad from the first surgery.
Once again thank you, your time and knowledge have been so helpful!
I just had the proceedure done on my right big toe, both sides cut. The right side is looking okay, the left looks awfu . My doc told me Epsom salt soaks and ointment. Didn’t tell me how many times per day … It’s still really swollen and hurts, I’m starting to get worried. I’m diabetic so it takes longer for things to heal and I’m more prone to infection. She didn’t even tell me how long I should rest it for besides the first day… I’ve bumped it a few times too, which really sucks. Also have cats and I’m fending them off when I go to bed ….
My right toe has always healed worse and more slowly than my left, so I’m not surprised to hear someone with the same.
2x a day for the soaking, morning and night.
You’re going to want to rest as often as possible, but when you’re walking, try your best to relax your toe/foot.
Being relaxed will help with bumping things and fighting off animals.
Thank you. I noticed that my toe tenses when I walk, I’ll try to relax it. I appreciate the info.
Hi, it’s me again, I had this procedure several weeks back and didn’t have pain, etc. I removed about 1/2 of my right big toenail. I have been keeping a bandaid on it as well as antibiotic ointment during the day. My question is that my toe hurts worse now that before, like the skin that used to be covered by the nail. Is this normal? When I leave it uncovered during the night the spot (scab) dries to a strange yellow color. It is still seeping clear from the cuticle area. I’m just not understanding why the top tip of my toe on top is so sensitive and painful now. Its not red or swollen, just having a lot of pain. Any thoughts?
Yes, it’s going to take some time for that area to de-sensitize.
I left the bandage off at night to help with it drying out.
Are you soaking?
Yes I’ve been soaking, nurse said to just keep clean with peroxide ( I heard this wasn’t good idea), Also applying antibiotic ointment. I guess I just am worried about how it looks. Like an small oval hole that goes down to cuticle. I’ve been keeping it clean and they put me on antibiotics and said to call if didn’t look better by end of week. I can live with the sensitivity; but the open wound taking so long to heal is my issue. I’ve also left it without bandage at night, but it still looks same in morning and I have yellow discharge that is drying all around so it’s still seeping some. Thank you for all your help. You’ve been the most help I’ve gotten which also includes the doctors!
You bet!
Yeah, I’m thinking the peroxide is contributing to that open wound, as it’s drying out the pus/new skin around the are.
One of mine took six weeks to heal, and it’s been PERFECT since. Pain in the ass those six weeks, though.
I got this surgery 3 time. First time was on my left foot. Doctor cut in each side removing my ingrown nail I got 6 suture point (It healed perfectly) Second time was on my right foot (new doctor/The same guy who circumcised me. Dunno why He was the one to take care of my toe -_-) He did the same thing as the first one except he didn’t put suture point. The third time was with the first doctor. The second docter didn’t do his job properly so my ingrown nail came back. The third time was the most painful of all. He had to inject me the medicine 8 time… I felt each one of them. I got two suture point. (this happened yesterday) I can’t walk on it and it hurt like crazy especially the first night (it took 10 hours to unfreeze). He told me to keep the bandages at all time. I go to an hospital and they clean it themself and they put a bandage back on. On a ladder 1/10 For the first and second time the pain was a 2. for the third time it was a 9. (probably because they burned my skin with a chemical on the second time). It’s still hurting like crazy and medicine ain’t working. I’m using Naproxen 220mg.
Yeah, that’s the acid burning and the shots into the root you’re feeling right now.
Have you tried ice?
I am in the worst pain I have ever been in my life. Can’t sleep or anything. I got the procedure done Monday and called Wednesday about how much pain I was in they just said follow the post op instructions. Yea I did that and it feels like someone is stabbing my toes with a knife and throbbing especially when I keep them elevated. I got surgery done on both big toes both sides and I am type one diabetic. I’m just wondering what I should do ??? I took the pain meds they gave I took alive nothing is working……. Help!
Oh, man. Ouch.
That pain is what I felt when the local anesthetic wore off, but it went away in hours, not days.
Ice really helped mine, as well as eating foods that were anti-inflammatory.
If the pain is anywhere BUT the toe (foot, ankle, etc.) go in.
Ask yourself: does it feel like I stubbed it bad or is my leg starting to hurt, too?
Unfortunately for you, your diabetes is going to complicate this. Did you get any instructions regarding that?
I need your help. Please tell me where you got this surgery done and maybe some contact information. My daughter is 14 and has already had this done three times. The last one was done about 3 months ago and it has not healed. Her toe is actually swollen and discolored. I live in the Caribbean and I’m willing to make a trip to the USA if this would work. I just really need to get this sorted out asap. Thank you.
I had mine done in Scottsdale, AZ and Portland, OR.
Valley Foot Surgeons and Sellwood Podiatry.
I had the sides of my big, left toenail cut and the nail bed killed so it won’t grow back.
I had the operation done early yesterday morning and my post op care instructions never said anything about cleaning the toe. Just soaking, applying the antibiotic drops, and re-bandaging. It looks as though there is still blood on my toe even having soaked it about 8 times since yesterday.
Could that be because the toe exposed where the nail used to be? Also my for starts hurting badly after five minutes of the warm water & Epsom salt soak…?
Also, did you have your nail bed killed? Did it still grow back even after that?
Yes, on toe exposed where the nail used to be. That will close up eventually, and your toe should look the same except for a skinnier toenail.
Yeah, the Epsom salt hurts. It hurts less each time. If it’s bad, use some Johnson and Johnson baby shampoo in there with the warm water.
Yes, I’ve always had the nail bed killed. It partially grew back, but my case was rare.
My toe is still numb 11 hours after the shots, is that normal?! I’m super scared they caused permanent nerve damage or applied too much and this will be permanent. Podiatrist office has no emergency line …
If you haven’t slept, do so and then see how you feel. I had varied recovery times.
Thanks for your quick reply. You’re quickly becoming one of the top search results for ingrown toenail issues for a reason. Haven’t gone to sleep yet, had mine about 13 hours ago and its now midnight … I’ll give it a go and see what happens. Oddly, I Hope I wake up in pain. Ha…
My dad didn’t wake up in the middle of the night or in the morning with as much pain as I have, so good luck!
While recovering a bit and able to feel more of my toe, the right side of my toe is still numb and unable to feel. I’m really concerned about permanent nerve damage, but the podiatrist says it can take days for the feeling to return.
Well, on the bright side, at least it doesn’t hurt!
“Enjoy” the few days, there’s nothing that can be done surgically right now anyway.
Be very careful not to bash or wrap your toe too tightly!
Hello,
I just had this surgery for the first time on 7/29… I have pincer nail deformity.. (which I didn’t know existed until I finally caved and went to the doc).
Anyways. My toes look jacked up. I had both sides of both big toenails removed. I only have like half of each toenail left, if not less. They hurt really bad. It’s almost 4am and I’m reading your blog instead of sleeping kinda pain.
My doctor did not tell me to soak or wipe or do anything to my toes. Just told me to put a bandaid on and change after showering.
They don’t look infected but I was wondering if theyou hurt because I have so much nail bed exposed and they are “drying out” now? And should I soak them? They have never been infected before or after surgery.
Also, I wish my doctor used the freeze spray before the shots.. worst pain I’ve ever felt. And the numbing wearing off pre acid treatment felt great too.
Thanks for anything you can tell me 🙂
Mine were never infected until after my last, full toenail removal surgery.
I can’t say it wasn’t my fault, as I definitely moved around more during that surgery recovery than any other.
Yes, part of the pain is the exposed nail bed not being used to anything besides nail touching it. That goes away.
Hi Tyler,
I had the procedure done on both sides of my right big toe three weeks ago. My mistake was not resting more during the first few days. As a result of this recovery is slow but i’m getting there and looking forward to wearing shoes again instead of open toe sandals!
Sincere thanks for all the help and support i gained from your expert advice. With best wishes from Ireland.
Hi Tyler, I just discovered a couple of days ago that my swollen toe is caused by a ingrown nail. I went to the doc today and she gave me a numbing shot before telling me that they were to permanantly remove part of my toe nail? I read online about a cotton method where I could correct the nail from growing into the soft tissue. My coworker has done this with possitive results, but my toe nail has just been cut and is way too short to try this technique. Anyways I’m just wondering if you’ve ever heard of the cotton method and if I really need to lose my big toe nail forever? Anyway I can keep it?
The cotton method did not work for me, as my nail grew into the nail bed, and was likely too far “gone” to respond to cotton-ball options.
It doesn’t hurt anything to try, but it’s a pain in the ass.
Hi just had two feet done
But they feel lot better it
Been seven days they still
Thorb a little but I need to
Rest them and keep them clean
Two feet at once is the worst.
It takes longer to heal.
Seven days…you’ve got a ways to go.
Make sure you’re not wrapping them too tight,
be sure to elevate them, too.
Good luck.
I put up with my ingrown toe nail for a long time and suffered… in part because of my fear of needles and the thought of having someone drive a needle deep into the base of my toe and then start slicing off the sides of my nail and ripping the dam thing from it’s bloody roots! Then, to add insult to the injury, they jam trichloroacetic acid in there so the dam thing wont ever grow back again. Sign me up right?
Well, I gotta tell ya all, I barley felt the shot at all…..and I was expecting it!… I felt no pain during the whole 3 minutes it took for this Doctor to cure my nail.. The recovery consisted of a little soreness the day after where the needles were used but I had my foot back in a shoe in three days. Why on earth did I wait so long?
Hell yeah!
Barring infection, most people seem to have your experience.
My father just did, he said the same thing as you.
I had this procedure done about 4 months ago on both toes both sides. But till this day I cannot wear closed shoes from how much the two outsides of my big toe hurts. It doesn’t look infected just a little dry & when I do wear shoes when toe gets purple from the side. Any ideas What it could be? Is this even normal?
Can you not wear ANY closed-toe shoe or just certain ones?
I know my too-narrow shoes were part of the problem when I put them back on and they hurt, so I grabbed wider models.
Some experimentation will be in order.
I am just over 13 months post-op of both big toes. Had the roots killed too. Right toe finally looks nearly normal. Left one was cut rather strangely plus the nail itself had a callous on it (not fungus) that gave me some problems. That seems to be clearing up now too. It is so wonderful not to have to deal with ingrown nails anymore and I waited 64 years! I was very fortunate not to have any issues after surgery. Pain was minimal. No infections. In fact, my doctor was a firm believer in not covering the wound after one day and starting with salt water soaks that evening which was the worst part. I only covered them with plastic bandages to keep them from oozing on the sheets at night and if I was going to be where dirt might get into it. That’s all. All my worrying about the numbing needles were unfounded. I never even took any pain killers. I really think letting air get to them helped a lot. Plus, from what I have heard from others on this site, the bandages frequently stuck to the wound. That certainly wouldn’t help anything. Good luck all.
Over 500 replies – clearly people want to talk about their toes! I have ingrown toenails on both side – always a bit painful, especially when hiking, but it didn’t really become a huge issue until last year when my left toe got infected. I got the surgery with phenol, was walking normally with sandals by the third day, and thought it was gone. It wasn’t! It started growing back again a few months later and 6 months later had grown back into my toe and became infected again. This time the doctor gave me the option between another small surgery (with phenol) or to have the big surgery (partial surgical removal of the nail matrix). As I had an infant to look after at the time, we decided to do the small surgery and see if it worked and plan to potentially do the big on in future. Well, had the surgery, went well – the needles were the worst part. Recovery took about 5-6 days before I felt comfortable walking normally in normal shoes. Six months later – grew back – and became infected again.
Today I had the “big” surgery. Again the needles were the worst part. When the freezing wore off, I thought I was going to die. I couldn’t even speak and had to bite my pillow to get through. It felt like my toe was being branded but just didn’t stop. Apparently that’s from them filing down my bone… I finally got to take off the pressure bandage and instantly bled through all of my bandages. Something seemed not right. I had to go back and get rebandaged and got some different pain medication and now feel much better. I was given another pressure bandage that I have to wear until tomorrow. For this one I’m on strict bedrest for five days and the doctor said to expect it to take about a month before everything is back to normal. Fingers crossed it goes well!
OUCH. I have a piece of toenail growing back in two different places on my right toenail bed, so I’m assuming I’ll have to go back for a surgery like yours.
Keep it clean and dry!
is it normal to feel your toe after like 2 days of removal just like you had done?
By “hot” I’m assuming it’s swollen too, yes?
Two days is totally normal for it to feel or look swollen.
Ice helped me keep that down, and nightly epsom salt soaks helped make it go away quicker.
The heat you’re feeling, if not combined with pain, was a normal happening for me.
i meant to feel HOT sorry
Hi Tyler,
I had my ingrown toenail surgery earlier this year in March by a podiatrist and the pain wasn’t bad at all after a day. I didn’t need stitches or anything. I just had another operation 2 days ago by a doctor and the pain is really bad. It’s getting to the point where I can’t sleep at night the throbbing is bad. Also he put stitches in which I didn’t have done the first time. I’m also scared to look at it because it looks like half of my toenail is missing . I’ve been taking pain killers but they’re not really helping.
Yikes, stitches? I’ve never had anything that deep.
If you can’t sleep, go back in!
Just had my left big toe done (both sides) a couple of hours ago. The nurse who gave me the shots was a real pro! Sprayed numbing spray then injected lidocaine & another numbing agent on both sides. The lidocaine works immediately, the other one is slower acting. Felt like a minor pin prick, no big deal. After a few minutes the entire toe was number and the doc took off the two bits of nail (which looked similar to your first photo) and did the acid treatment. Totally painless.
He told me take a couple of Advil, elevate it and ice it 30 min. on 30 off for a couple of hours (which I’m doing as I type). 48 hours later take the bandage off, resume normal bathing with soap and water. Blot dry, clean with a mix of peroxide & distilled water and re-bandage.
I asked the nurse what would be the fastest method to help it heal. She said soak in epsom salts as it will draw out the oozing more quickly. The doc told me he did the procedure to his 17 year daughter and she was out playing a soccer match the next day. I anticipate a quick and pretty painless recovery.
Just wanted to pass on this information – the more the merrier. Really informative blog, thank you for it and especially for the photos. I would have watched it myself, but I tried watching another small operation done on my leg and got a bit woozy. So am grateful to see exactly how the procedure is done. Thanks so much! Here’s to pain-free walking!
Wow, she was playing the next day?
Thanks for sharing!
So he said! Still icing, still no pain. Doing what the doctor ordered. Figure they know better than I. (Well SOME anyway!) Thanks for accepting my comment! Onward and ever learning! If things change radically I’ll jump back in here to tell of that too. Thanks for YOU, Tyler.
Reporting in. Two days after surgery – no problem. Took one Ibuprofen as directed when I got home and another one before bed. No pain, no throbbing, piece of cake. Bandage kept coming off and I kept putting on a new one. Today – bathed for the first time. No pain, oozing much less, looking good. Cheers!
Hi, Tyler. After having the surgery done, how long do you think one would need before the could go back to work?
If you’re on your feet, 2-4 days (long weekend?) should be a requirement, but 5-7 would be ideal.
After that, pay attention to pain and make sure to change the bandages often.
So im am 14 i had the surgery today and during it i noticed my docture was very frustrade with all the blood and when i got home i fell asleep for like 45 min when i woke up the blood had soaked though the entire wraping and onto my blanket so i knew i had to change it after i put my new one one like 10 min later the blood was alredy all over it . see im young and i dont know what i should do can someone give. Me some sugestions i tried to call my doctor but the office is closed now.
If you can’t stop the bleeding, go to an urgent care. Yikes!
Can’t believe the comment thread here is still active…how does it feel to be the unofficial ingrown toenail king of the internet?
Like everyone else I just had the surgery and did a google search. I went to the doctor because for several weeks, the nails on my big toes hurt whenever I wore closed-toed shoes. It felt like the whole nail, not just the edge. But it turns out I had ingrown toenails. I got the outside half of my left big toenail removed. I still don’t completely understand how my toenail being ingrown on one side could make my whole toe hurt! I guess in a few weeks when it’s recovered I’ll see if I can wear shoes again. I’m wondering if you were able to go back to wearing your old shoes or did you have to buy extra wide-toe shoes?
I was also wondering why she didn’t just do the right toe at the same time…I am not looking forward to probably having that done at my follow-up. Is it normal to just do one at a time?
I replaced some of my shoes, yes. Especially ones I wore a lot that I noticed were tight. It was expensive, but TOTALLY worth it.
Having both toes done at once is fine…as long as you work from home or can set your own schedule. It’s no more hassle recovery wise, just that it really limits what you can do if you want a healthy, short recovery time.
Thanks for keeping this alive. I plan to do both big toes this Friday and go back to work on Monday but have an office job. Is this going to be a problem if I go back so soon? I typically wear open toe shoes so squeezing into shoes isn’t a concern.
Also, this is going to sound ridiculously vain but will it look normal after recovery? I typically get pedicures and with our dress code, i like to maintain my nails (toes I lucked!). Even if it does, I’ll still do it but need to understand fully what I’m getting into.
Thank you for being so generous with your time to help us fellow ingrown toe folks!
No, going back to an office job should be no problem — that’s what I do, though my office is at home.
By god though, and I’m serious about this, STAY OFF YOUR FEET as much as possible. Cut down on long trips from your desk and make sure your elevate your feet every so often.
If you had your nails trimmed on the sides, then yes, they should grow back pretty close to what they were — just skinnier. All my trims grew back perfectly (too perfectly, as they went ingrown again) narrower, but unless you’d seen them before, you’d likely never have noticed.
That being said, I don’t have big toenails anymore for complicated reasons, but I sure did enjoy my trimmed nails for a few years!
Meant (toes included!). Hate auto complete!
Just got about 1/3 of my left toe nail taken out yesterday 9/12. Very minimal pail. Throbbing here and there, most pain was the two shots they gave me to numb my toe. When is the earliest you think I can wear my Vans shoes again? Thanks!
I waited a week before I put any closed-toe shoes on.
Be sure to watch out for pain and keep that bandage clean.
Here I am 2 1/2 weeks post op from both big toes. Had an infection develop within 24 hours. On 2 antibiotics still not better. I was meticulous in following care as directed. Still oozing both toes and intense pain still in them, left more than right. He went through or nicked a tendon with his needle the second numbing shot. I cannot curl my toe under anymore. Biggest mistake I made. Should have just kept cutting them out myself. At least I didn’t hurt the tendons and I never got an infection till I let a doc cut on them. He was just sloppy in his prep, dropped something on the floor, picked it up with his gloved hand, did not change gloves and continued the procedure. Seemed in a hurry. I sense things in people and it was not positive here. I should have followed my gut which said wait.
He dropped something on the floor? Yikes, do you have other options?
Hi, i just had this operation done on Friday and the doctor told me to keep my bandage on until a checkup on Monday. I had the right side of my right toenail removed and it shouldn’t grow back. So far the only pain i’ve had is when the anaesthetic wore off on the first day and occasionally when i move my toe too much. Apparently i had a large amount of nail and tissue removed compared to what they usually do because mine was so bad, and i’m worried it will be painful when they change my dressing on Monday. I’m not sure how long it will take to recover from as I had more than usual removed?
Unless it’s infected, and you’d already have some aching, it shouldn’t hurt more than it already has.
You’ll get some pulling if the bandage is dry (I changed mine in the shower for this reason), but again, nothing worse than you’ve already had.
If you had more than usual removed, be extra careful in keeping the bandage clean and dry. I’ve noticed the healing is about a week longer, so expect 3-4 instead of 2-3, but it will look weird for months.
Wanted to give back to this community with my update…
I actually had to move it to last Tuesday vs. Friday so it’s been less than a week. The doctor wouldn’t do both toes (big ones) which is a blessing because I doubt that I could have hobbled to work! The shots were a little painful, especially the 2nd and 3rd ones between the toe and outside of the big one.
He only prescribed Amerigel after cleaning. I forgot to do it 2x a day so have been just doing it once a day. For the most part, the root is where I am still experiencing minor bleeding but it’s there when I take off the gauze/bandage. I don’t know if this is normal. The other thing is that this gel seems to make my toe throb every time I put it on, but it subsides within the hour.
I haven’t had the courage to scrub for any dead skin around the area. He took out a very thin strip on both sides.
One other thing – I happened to be on Naproxen 500mg for my back when I did this which was awesome for the byproduct of helping the inflammation on the toe. I suppose that taking 3 Advils (NSAID) amounts to the same thing.
When do you think that small spot will stop bleeding? It’s not a constant bleed – just a few spots on the gauze when I remove it.
Yeah, both toes at once sucks. Good call.
Bits of blood on the gauze may mean it’s sticking a bit, but I’ve had that for up to two weeks.
Just make sure to note if there’s any change in it.
Me again.
Good news: It’s been 3 weeks and my toe healed pretty easily. It took a while before it stopped feeling sore when anything touched it, but it’s okay now. Still getting a little bit of drainage but the doctor said that’s normal. (So don’t be worried if your toe doesn’t heal in 2 days like some people. Everyone is different.)
Bad news: I wore sneakers all day for the first time since surgery yesterday. It was fine at first, but by the end of the day, my toes hurt everywhere BUT the spot where the nail had been removed. Ugh. Should I just ask to have both toenails removed completely at my next appointment? I guess it could also be my crappy old shoes.
My main concern with having more surgery is I have a big trip coming up next month. I want to be completely recovered before that.
Yay!
If your toes didn’t hurt prior to putting your shoes on, but they do now, I think that’s a sign.
The ingrown part probably doesn’t hurt yet because the nail isn’t there to push into the skin anymore.
Maybe try some new shoes? (I had to)
Good luck!
Thanks Tyler for sharing your experience and the comments helped me feel a bit more normal. I was a big runner and spent many years digging into the side of my toes to cut out the nail because they grow down on the sides. Thought it was just a part of life and if I couldn’t sleep, I’d turn on the light and start my home surgery. I finally had the surgery last year on one toe and it was heaven (aside from when the numbing agent wore off…ouch). After a month I noticed that nail growing back with a vengeance. After another month, the entire nail was back and it was thicker and went further down the side into my skin. Self-surgery no longer worked because relief was for at most a few days. The nail began raising (lifting up leaving a gap) and it looked a mess. Just went and had both big toes re-done. If this doesn’t work, do you know of a way to kill the nail bed? If I start seeing the nail growing back once again, is there something you know of I can do to kill it off? If not, I’m getting both nails taken off so I can be active and wear pretty shoes again. Thanks!
I ended up having both my big nails completely removed and the nail bed killed.
Now I can’t stub my toe (it’s the nail pushing into the cuticle causing the real pain) and I never have to worry about the self surgery again.
7% of people have it grow back, at least once. Welcome to the club!
How was the healing process for complete nail removal and did you do them both at the same time? Yep, the unlucky 7. At first I thought it was skin but sure enough, it was like the nail was mad and said, you try to kill me and I’ll show you! I’ll come back with twice the thickness and and dig deeper. I think a lot of this has to do with always cutting my toenails too short in addition to running. Should have stuck to swimming:)
My left toe nail removal went fine.
My right toenail was removed and then infected, and then it started growing back super small in two places. They don’t hurt, though I’ll probably need to go back in for a “real” surgery with stitches if they start to.
Fingers crossed!
That is just crazy. What is it with the persistence of these nail beds? I know runners who just naturally lost their big toe nail and it never grew back but you have to get all these surgeries? I am a scientist so I have been researching on-line on how to kill the nail bed because I’ve already started looking for the nail that will probably grow back on my right toe. Sounds disgusting but desperation kicks in.
I hope those small nail pieces don’t start bothering you. The “real” surgery sounds so painful. I would have never, in a million years, have thought so many people have such toe nail trouble. They ought to remove them at birth to spare us all this ridiculous pain and surgery!
Our shoes are too tight, we talk too quickly and run too slowly.
That’s why we have problems.
Anyway, the nail bed can be killed with acid by a doc. They rub it on a big toothpick and then shove it into the cuticle. Looks gross, doesn’t hurt at the time.
It killed MOST of my nail. My left toe looks nice!
Hi there,
I had this surgery done today by a Pediatrist and everything went smoothly, couldn’t feel a thing and he applied quite a lot of this orangey ointment (Betadine I think) to the nail and then wrapped it up quite thickly with gauze and tape and gave me some bandages and gauze to dress it at home if I need to, he told me that if the blood starts coming through or you need to take it off for some reason then redress it with the stuff he gave me. He made another appointment for Monday, today’s Friday, so he could have a look at the healing and redress it again. I already am taking medication for the toe before I had it cut out to stop the infection so he told me to keep taking those 4 times a day, but I’ve been reading that everybody here has taken their bandage off the next day and washing it, I was told to cover the bandaged toe up when I have a shower and I was never told to wash it, not yet anyway. So i’m wondering if I should abide by what he says or if I should call him just to make sure, I’m going on a holiday in a bit less than a month and he told me it will be fine to be walking strenuously by then. And it’s not like he has no experience either, he has a Masters Degree in some paediatric field and a Bachelor of Health and Science, so you’d think he’d know what he was talking about. Hence the $390 price tag.
Thanks
I’m betting your complications prior to surgery are why you’re not supposed to change your bandage yet. I had another surgery where this was the case, and it was the infection that spurred the doc’s reco. Go with your doc on this one.
Yeah, I think mine was $275 for just nail trimming, not the full extraction. Doc charged me in cash their lowest insurance reimbursement.
Hi guys – I had a full nail avulsion on both big tootsies (2 shots in each side of toe) only felt a quick pin prick less than if you prick yourself with a safety pin. I had to go back to clinic two days later to change dressing yuk and again 2 days after that then on my own and then weekly. I was told to go home and keep feet up (had one done at a time) and rest (dont go for long walks or stand around in the pub on your feet) – then it was essential to keep the area dry (no wrinkly wet skin in the area) this is what can cause infection.
No pain, no gain – but honestly didnt suffer at all, the worst was having to walk around for some time with a big white bandaged toe for protection and hygiene as I couldnt get into shoes ( Oct to Jan ) ha ha x
Woohoo!
How long does it take for the pain to go away tyler? First week maybe
And it is necessary to have the injections
Sans infection? 3-7 days.
The shots numb the area where the toenail is removed. Not having them would be a lot worse.
My dad, who HATES pain, said I exaggerated the pain of the shots and they were over quickly and hurt less than he expected. He was pain free five days after a partial removal.
I had this done almost 2 weeks ago, however I got infected I’m on my second doze of antibiotics. I feel like it will never go away. I had the Ablation, Mattassectomy with Phenol done and I’m DYING with pain. When will it end. again it has been 12 days and I’m still getting the sharp shooting pains. it hurts so bad. the Dr. says that I finally look like I’m healing but I don’t feel like it. Am I just being a baby???? Any words to share with me on if this has happened to you and it will get better would be great.
Well, in good news, this kind of pain rivals childbirth, passing kidney stones, and exposed nerves as the most painful you can experience…so high fives for fully living life, right!?
But seriously, ice, antibiotics, a few days of painkillers, and lots of cannabis (anti-inflammatories, really) are what got me through (I fortunately live in a legal state). Keeping my foot elevated helped a ton, which meant I couldn’t move much. Watching stuff that made me laugh (Robot Chicken at the time) was also helpful. Even if the laughing hurt at first, eventually the toe would numb and then you’d feel better for a bit while it stayed that way.
Good luck.
My podiatrist removed mine but he didn’t really give instructions for what to do afterwards and he didn’t provide me with bandages/gauze. Do I really need to leave it dry for 24-48 hours? The local anesthetic has worn off and I’m in pain. Advice on the web seems to be contradictory re: ice (some sites suggest it, others warn against it).
I used ice and lots of cannabis for pain.
I didn’t leave mine dry until it stopped seeping after the first week.
I soaked twice daily and re-applied bandages day and night.
Not sure why ice would be an issue, as long as you’re not holding it directly on.
Thanks.
Is the Epsom salt soaking an absolute requirement? Sifting through all the comments here, it seems like everyone has done it. My plan was simply to shower, remove the bandage, apply Neosporin, and put on a new bandage.
No, it’s not, I think it helps heal a little quicker (and it helps with pain overnight).
If you do decide to try it, using it at night was more helpful than morning.
So when that part of the toe was permanently removed, the skin around it just fills in? Wouldn’t you get it ingrown again because it’s still against skin?
Yep.
Sometimes the nails will grow back into the toe again, 93% of surgeries do not, I’ve been told.
I just got both big toes done today- both sides removed. The needles sucks and i cried like a big baby, the procedure didn’t hurt really. But now, 9 hours later, my freezing wore off! And I could punch a hole in my wall! The throbbing is Awful!! The doctor didn’t give any pain meds. Nor did he tell me anything on how to take care of the areas after, how long to leave bandages on, how to clean it or what to clean it with. Nothing!! I don’t know what to do! It’s super painful!
Yeah, I also discovered how painful it is when the local anesthetic wears off, not expecting it either.
I alternated between sitting on a couch with ice on my toes and laying on the floor with my ice on the couch, chasing ibuprofen with bong hits, that first night. When I woke up, the throbbing was gone and never came back (save for once infection, but it was a different feeling than that first night pain).
My directions:
Soak 2x daily in baby shampoo and Epsom salt.
Apply Amerigel.
Use gauze and bandage or bandaid to cover.
Once seeping stops, leave bandages off at night (about a week).
You may get weird blisters and bruising in the cuticle area, it’s likely from the shots and/or the acid used to burn the root. They shouldn’t hurt, but look weird. Keep them clean and dry, like the rest. They go away quick.
I recommend you dip your foot in in Iodine (2 or 3 Drops) and a cup of Epsom Salt. Thats what my doctor had me do! Also put Neosporin on after you soak and its dry.
I just had this done, and I was told not get the dressing wet, and return in two to three days. Does this sound like a good idea? Once before, I did the soaking treatment as you described, beginning on day two.
Yup. My wait times were dependent on the size of the surgical wound.
1-3 days.
Thanks, for the reply, and great blog. If this occurs again for me, I have some questions to ask the Dr.
Had this done almost two months ago to just one side and skin is starting to fill in over where part of my nail was and is starting to puff up a little bit again. What should I do?
This first part is normal.
By puff up, do you mean the nail is growing into the skin, again?
Yes, it’s starting to grow back into the skin. The skin is starting to turn a light purple.
Sounds like it might be growing back, which means the problem could be with your shoes/gait or it could just be super sensitive right now.
Pay attention to the color change (darker would likely mean infection, lighter likely means healing) and head back to doc if there’s pain.
Best of luck.
Thank all of you for your information.
Had the outside of both big toes done today. Wish my Dr would have known about freezing before the shots…….but made it through without too much pain.
But then after the shots wore off….We’ll it’s 2am and still in tears. Have some Tylenol 3s for a different issue and have been taking 1 every 4 hours, plus 2 aspirin, and it’s still not touching the pain! Ice packs and elevation not much help either.
Dr. prescribed antibiotics to cover any infection before it starts, I’m glad he did.
Most people seem to be better the next day or two……..I’m really looking forward to that.
Again, thank you all for the wonderful information.
Janis
Yeah that first night is tough. Really tough.
It never hurt that much again for me, save for the infection once.
Cannabis helped me sleep, nothing else touched the pain.
I’m a 15 yr old girl and is afraid that I have to get surgery too bc I’ve always knew I had a ingrown toenail but now my nail won’t come out of the side of my skin like It always did since I could remember it’s stuck and hurts if I try to pull it out I play soccer like everyday and it doesn’t normally bother me but I told my mom and she said that I might have to get it surgeryicly removed and I’m just scared about the hole ordeal and the pain
Does it hurt sometimes when you hit it against a blanket while laying down? Mine always did, after basketball and soccer practices.
The surgery hurts bad, but only once when the pain killers wear off and only for a few hours, and then it will never hurt more than it does now (most people don’t get infected, so it’s not something to worry about happening before having the surgery).
Can you get the surgery after the season? I wish I had gotten mine done between seasons when I was a kid. They’ve hurt for that long and feel 1000x better now. I stubbed my toe and it barely hurt (my nail is totally removed) today!
Yeah it hurts when I touch the blanket sometimes and do soccer. Also one time I got stepped on and it was all swallen and puss came out when I cut my toe nails so I just scwesed the rest out but now I can’t get the rest or the toenail out and I pulled it as hard as I could and it hurted like hell when I did that then I soaked it in water to see if that would work but a peace is still in my skin so mom said she’s gonna call the doctor tomorrow so I can get a check up so it doesn’t sound good from where I’m at.
You just need a doc to cut a small piece of the nail off and let it heal.
Some people are back playing in a few days (seriously).
I was able to get around a tennis court at four days, though not all that well because I was too scared to push it.
I relised I wasn’t clear what I said. Ok so after I got the puss out everything was fine it just obviously hurted then the next time I had to cut my toenails the nail wouldn’t come out but my toe looks fine but I did have puss previously so I’m worried bc I’m a baby when it comes to pain let alone shots and it the most sensitive part of your body it’s gonna suck so I hope they just numb the toe take out the nail and not have to do surgery. It’s the inside right big toe for me and I can go to bed now just thinking of it and it’s 12:34 for me and I have school in the morning bc of how worried I am bc like I said I’m a baby when it comes to pain. Also I have soccer all the time the only time I can think of is I have a month off I think in the summer but that’s when I have to be running for varsity try outs and that’s too long so like I said I hope they just say they have to numb it to get it out and I’m good.
Yes, there is numbing spray before the shots. The shots don’t hurt after the spray, though the first one pinched.
I used to try and dig mine out, too. Never totally worked.
Yours sounds like it’s getting infected, so I’d go in really soon. The surgery hurts less when the doctor does it!
Hello!!! Thanks so much for this site… the most chockful of information on ingrown toenail surgery I have found so far. I got the left side of my right toe removed with phenol last tuesday (about a week ago) and it doesn’t really look bad or infected, but it’s definitely swollen compared to my left toe, with some throbbing if I’m standing too long (feels like pressure in my toe) and I have a hard time walking on the toe, or putting any pressure on certain parts of it (the back joint/bone, and the area below it to the bottom of the toe). If I press even gently on those areas it’s really sensitive and feels a little like nerve damage. I can feel some tingling shooting to the top of my toe, for example. I am also a tennis player and speed/agility is my strength, and I am REALLY worried I won’t ever be able to run around on a court ever again. I have a followup on thursday, but don’t know if I should really wait that long. Please tell me this is temporary and others have felt this same feeling? Does it sound infected?
It took me a month before my mobility came back. Much longer than I expected.
If you’re having pains in anything besides your toe, I’d go in to check for infection.
In my “successful” surgeries, I had no tingling or lingering pain outside of my toes/toe joint, save for the one time it was infected. Yours sounds more like your toe is sore because you’re walking on it instead of resting it.
Also, at a week out, you should still be resting your toe. Part of your pain could be using a toe that’s still too hurt to keep up with you.
And yeah, the pain is temporary. You wouldn’t feel nerve damage, and you’re definitely feeling the pain.
How long did it take for your nail to grow back/switch back to regular shoes?
As few as 10 days, up to four weeks.
I did change my regular shoes though, as they were part of the problem.
I just had the surgery where they cut out the excess skin so you won’t get ingrown toenails ever again on both my big toes and the doctor prescribed me hydrocodone to ease the pain but it’s not helping very much and the pain is excruciating. I have 14 stitches in and it hurts like hell. What helps?
When things got really bad, I alternated between icing my feet while they were on the floor and raising them when I was on the couch.
Anything you can do to get inflammation down will help, including specific foods, cannabis, and ibuprofen.
I had this surgery done last week and my post-op care is different to yours, mine is just using Warm salty water to draw out puss and help keep infection out and use sterile pads and a bandage, but that is the British way, So it may vary from country to country.
That sounds like a variation of what I did, for sure.
The salty water (do you have Epsom salt?) was key for me.
Hi
I have this done 3 months back and still hurts. Especially there is top of the foot hurts after walking. 🙁 wound seems healed as it looks dry . But after walking toe gets red . Also there is a gap between nail and side skin? I was wondering when does it get filled? Mine has still skin there which I can see ? It’s dry and recovered.
If phenol has used the remaining part of the nail grows normally? Thanks
Top of foot…you mean between your toes and ankle top of foot?
Are you wearing the same shoes as previous?
Yes . Between my toes and ankle.
I have changed my shoes to 8 from 7 still I feel pressure.
If there is a nerve damage or something what r the signs ? I m just so afraid not able to believe in Dr anymore. 🙁
Usually nerve damage means you can’t feel anything at all, so pain isn’t terrible in this scenario.
Have you tried ballet stretches? (Curl toes and roll foot forward, on carpet)
My foot was super sore from inactivity and always flexing my toe up (that’s why my top of foot was sore), and stretching slowly made that better.
That and massaging/stretching my feet like runners do was really helpful.
Thanks for the reply. Yes I started a lot of stretching and the pain has started. May be that is why I m in pain as I started trying to walk more and more. And started curling my toes a lot. ? When it stopped for u ? Did u keep pushing still?
Sorry for so many questions but due to holidays I m feeling too depressed about this whole thing..
The pain, for me, was similar to when I switched from normal running shoes to minimalist options. I did the same exercises, and they both went away about a week after I healed completely.
Take care to note where you’re walking differently, and see if you can’t relax or stretch those areas daily to help figure out how to walk again.
I totally get you on feeling sad and helpless, I sprained my ankle the first day I moved to a new town and thought I was going to be paralyzed and stuck for life…even though I know it’s not true, I just couldn’t handle the emotions big event like that and being hurt during.
It helped me a lot to think of this as re-training the body, and accept that change is going to be sore, just like muscles need to be sore to grow.
Im having it done tomorrow. So nervous now! They said I could drive myself home the next day, wear closed toed shoes, and go back yo work. Im constantly on my feet for work and go back in 2 days! After seeing the pictures I don’t know why they would tell me that. Any thoughts?
Yeah, they told me that too, but everyone is different.
Get as much rest as you can the first days afterwards, take note if your shoes are tight on your feet and adjust however necessary, and don’t hesitate to tell work about it. I’ve found that light duty with frequent rests works well, though the idea is to stay off your feet for as much as possible.
But maybe you’ll heal quickly! Fingers crossed.
I just had my right big toenail removed yesterday, and i asked the doctor to burn the root. He did as i asked but when he put the medication it burned like crazy keep in mind my toe had been injected with lidocaine about 9 times. Im not sure if it was because it was infected but i have been in excruciating pain. My toe continues to throb with like sharp pain. I have had this done on my left toe about 15yrs ago,and i do not recall being in this much pain. Could something have gone wrong?
Yikes. I only had that burning and sharp sensation when it was infected.
Is they pain localized to the toe or is it spreading?
The former can be treated with ice and anti-inflammatories, but if it persists or spreads, it may be an infection and it’s time for a doc to check you out again.
It is infected he gave me antibiotics to take the pain was unbearable last night and a little today. Its a little bit better today but i still have the wrapping on it. I have taken ibuprofen since last night and today. The doctor only gave me 2 days off of work, so i dont know how im going to do it.
So the pain is getting less bad?
I’d ask the doc for an extension, because of the pain.
Walking on it while it’s still hurting will make other things hurt and then you’ll have to deal with that, too.
Hi Tyler,
Pls help me buddy. I m really afraid. It has been a month and half since I got my Toe Nail Excision Surgery done. Just yesterday I noticed that the same area is again swelling up. And also pains if pressed and when I walk. Are these symptoms of redevelopment of the inner nail? Will I have to undergo for the surgery again? What happens if I do nothing about it and wait for some months?
I know i m asking too much but I m really afraid.
Meanwhile, u are doing a great job man. May nature bless u.
In my case, my nails grew into my skin (likely because of too-narrow shoes most of my life), and it started hurting again after a few months.
But before that, the area was tender, possibly like yours.
In my case, it was because my shoes were too narrow, and I did end up getting the surgery again after a few months.
For me, the worst that happens when putting off the surgery is it just hurts more.
Thank u for replying. After reading about so many cases in ur blog where people have to undergo for the surgery multiple times, I decided not to go for allopathic treatment.
I have just come after visiting a Homeopathic doctor and he has advised me not to go for surgery. He said there was no need even for the first one.
He has given me some medicines for next 15 days.
Let’s just hope this works and I don’t have to go through that surgery again.
Again, thank u so much for helping and building such community where people can get their questions answered.
Will definitely post if this Homeopathic treatment works, and I m quite sure that it will.
Please do share, I tried a few things before getting the surgeries, but none worked.
Would love to find a method to recommend that didn’t require a knife.
Hi! I just had the partial nail surgery on the left and right side of my nail 7 days ago. They also burned the root on each side at the cuticle. My toe from a half inch under my cuticle to the tip of my toe is a dark reddish purple. My cuticle is super sore but the rest of the toe is not. I’m not sure if it’s normal healing or infection. It’s a bit swollen but no pus…
Thanks for your opinion!
That happened to me too, it’s likely your toe healing from the trauma of surgery.
It’s the lightish-red spreading that signaled my infection, not the deep coloring.
That will lighten up like a black eye does, and might shed a bit of extra skin.
It’s your skin growing back from inside out, I was told.
I had this done for the second time yesterday and am in excruciating pain, which did not happen the first time. Was there anything in particular that you did or took to help with the pain because I am struggling right now
Cannabis and ice and ibuprofen.
Hi Tyler,
I am reading your entire site (beginning to end) today after having surgery yesterday on my right big toe and right middle toe that curls almost a full circle 98% into my flesh. The surgery was to remove the sides of each toe and to kill so it does not grow back. I was having second thoughts and asked the Podiatrist if I was to experience pain following the procedure. She assured me that the procedure should not result in pain after the shot wore off. She said it is not necessary to go on pain medication for this procedure. So, I said, “go ahead”.
A cool spray was first applied and the shots in both toes were little pricks . . . not a big deal. I never felt anything while she worked on the 2 toes. I left with toes wrapped and wearing a surgical shoe and went directly to my office job. Life was good. I have had some recent very painful and sleepless nights with other procedures and injuries, so I was not in the mood for more pain !!.
It was not until 8 p.m. about 12 hours after the surgery that the pain began. It was intense and felt like it was coming from the middle toe. I took 2 aspirin and waited in bed. Extreme pain continued. Two hours later I took an Alleve and waited . . still no relief and 15 minutes later took a 2nd Alleve and waited. No relief. About 8 hours later around 6 a.m. finally got some sleep in spite of the pain and got up around 10 a.m. Pain has subsided . . just some minor soreness.
Was not looking forward to removing the dressing and all that. Finally did. Had to soak my foot in warm water to remove the dressing. All seems OK now. My nails do not look like yours with the missing nails on the sides. I want to thing my DR. knows her stuff and that the extreme pain I had was due to the unusual middle toe. The bit toe feels and looks almost normal. Everyone on your blog seems to be talking about the big toe. I think my problem was the middle toe with the full frown curve.
With regard to the post op pain lasting 10 hours that started 12 hours after the procedure it was a 10 on the pain
scale. I have given birth twice, had an anal ulcer that had to be surgically removed with rectum stuffed with cotton, wrist broken in 3 places, broken toe, cornea injury due to cataract surgery, 2 stents inserted through my groin to my kidneys and a slip and fall accident with contusions to my hip and pelvis. The pain from these incidents did not arise to the pain of this procedure.
Thank you for your advise. I am so reassured to think that I am far better off than a lot of other people suffering from those nasty ingrown toenails.
Oh wow, that sounds extremely painful.
I assume your middle toe is longer than you big toe?
Glad you’re doing better, and thank you for the pain comparison.
Tyler, thanks for your reply. No, the middle toe is not longer than the big toe. It just has a mind of its own and curls almost full circle.
My follow up is a week from tomorrow and I may have the left big toe done on both sides. Won’t decide until I talk to the doctor about the pain I experienced following the right toes.
Hope you are doing well and not needing further surgery. Who knew this procedure would be habit forming?
Sandy
IF IT GROWS BACK ONCE AFTER CUT AND KILL NAIL BED-IT WILL HAPPEN AGAIN. I had the procedure twice on the right toe, once on the left toe. Left toe healed really nicely. The right toe is a mess because the nail bed will not die. The doctor used extra chemical the second time to burn the bed after a partial removal on my right toe. The chemical ran underneath the nail as it was raised and thickened after re-growing after the first surgery. Now, on the very edge there is just skin (whew) but a NEW partial nail is growing OVER a portion of my toe nail near the edge that had the surgery. The toe nail near this edge is brown and thick and the new nail is white in color which is nice but I think I may have to go back in to get the brown edge removed. I’m worried the new nail is going to press down on the old nail and it will embed in the skin. Oddly, if I try to cut the old nail away to let the new nail come in, it hurts. It’s as though the nail has nerve cells now. I just don’t understand why the left toe was a breeze and the right toe nail bed won’t DIE. My insurance has changed so now I’m looking for a new doctor for a 3rd surgery!
My right toe is coming back in two places, one divot where it’s always hurt and then on the bottom right corner, all brown/white, thick and ugly.
Mine is because my right hip twists out, so my right toe doesn’t land or push off correctly when moving. When I get it removed next time, I’ll need to be extremely careful to keep it out of shoes until it’s totally healed.
Hello!!! I’m wondering, now that I’m on day three of having a ingrown nail removed , when do I keep the bandage off , and when should I stop using the cream ? Thank you !!!
I was told to leave mine on until it stopped seeping, about 7-10 days.
Then, only at night to protect it.
I used the cream every time I used the bandage.
I’m so sorry yours is growing back as well. I sure hope your next surgery is your last surgery.
Interesting about pushing off. My right hip rotates out also so my foot lands and pushes off differently than my left. Maybe this makes for a heartier nail bed from all the stress on the toe.
I am wishing I had stuck to home surgery as the right toe nail is so bizarre looking-dark brown, curved with white nail over-growing it while the left toe nail looks nearly perfect.
Thanks for you blog. Honestly, would have never imagined people’s hardships over toe nails.
I have a red, very painful flap of skin that covers a majority of the left edge of my nail. I have had it for months and have just kept a bandage over it. Skin has grown over the top of where the left side of my nail reaches the top of my toe, so I am sure the nail has grown into my skin. I’m going to get it checked this week. Do you think that they could remove the flap of skin while they are doing the normal ingrown nail surgery? It is very sensitive to the touch or when bumped by something, but almost never hurts while walking.
Probably. I wonder if it’s a cyst or something now.
Does the gap between side of the nail and nail gets up filled? Or does it remain just like open skin? Thanks
It mostly grows back in, most of the time it’s hard to tell the difference unless you look at a picture of your (older) wider nail.
So I had this surgery done on 2/1/17. My post-op instructions were very different. As of today, while I can walk without pain, it’s still slightly tender to pressure. My instructions were to soak those first couple days too, but after that i was instructed to clean foot twice a day and clean wound with betadine and wrap in Betadine soaked gauze twice a day. There’s no ointment or vinegar soak or removal of bandage at night in the second week. I wasn’t told to scrub with a toothbrush either. I was worried because I read your post the first night after surgery and not having the same healing time nor does it look like the toe I had before. So, last night I decided to let it breathe and today I’m going to try the vinegar soak. Hopefully it helps
Keep us updated, thanks for sharing your instructions.
Lots of different healing options out there, it seems.
So my experience is a lot different. I had an ingrown removed off each big toe on the inside of each. I am two weeks post op and have suffered what I think are chemical burns from whatever the stuff is they use to kill the root. I go for my first follow up visit in about an hour. My instructions were to use regular band-aids and Neosporin. Change them twice a day. I have been doing that. The chemical burn on my left toe makes an L shape surrounding the toe nail area. It puffed up so bad I had to steralize a needle and pop it. The one on my right toe looks like my toe cried a giant tear drop toward my foot and that is the shape of the chemical burn on that side My skin is starting to look dead in some spots around the toe where the burns are. I don’t know if that is good or bad. Two days after these we were removed I found out I have an ovarian cyst on my right ovary the size of a tennis ball (little smaller) and a mass on my liver the size of a tennis ball called an adenoma. I was having a lot of pain in my abdomen while I had the ingrowns removed and after. It got to the point I couldn’t tell what pain was what. In the last 3 days I developed bronchitis. The foot pain has become the dominant pain the last two days. I think because my skin is tearing when I walk so it burns. I cannot find a pair of shoes/socks that help. Should be interesting what the doc says. When I called to tell them about it last week, they said not to worry about it. They even had me send a picture and still said they are ok. Your pictures above look like you had nothing done compared to what mine look like. Hopefully they do something or provide some instruction so I can get some relief soon since I am at day 14. Wish me luck.
Wow, I feel for you. Those dead-looking spots are usually from the dead skin from the shots and/or the acid used to burn the toenail root, so hopefully those will heal up nicely.
As for the rest, wow, you have a helluva time ahead of you. Please keep us updated.
I had a reaction to the Phenol so I have chemical burns. My toe nails themselves are doing fine. She did dig around in there a bit but it really didn’t hurt. She gave me an ointment for the chemical burns and that has already helped to start to sooth it. I am one of those people who are sensitive to Phenol. Bummer. The pain I have is from the burns and where the dead skin is starting peel away, the new skin is still forming underneath it. Fingers crossed the in-growns never come back. Reading through the comments the shoe problem is really a pain when going through this. I feel for those that HAVE to put on shoes quickly after having this done. We had 70 degrees the last several days so I haven gotten away with mostly nothing on my feet and now we are dropping again into the 30’s with snow and sleet.
So I had the surgery just 7 days ago on my right big toe nail. I have been suffering for years and am so looking forward to be pain free. The injections were painful (2) as adrenalin is. I had a little swelling and throbbing after the anaesthetic wore off but 7 days later pain free, no regrets and I have my dressing changed tomorrow. I can’t wait to wear proper shoes of my choice, walk and drive for miles and have no pain. If you are thinking about it and they hurt do it!!! 🙂
So im getting 3 toenails removed completely (permanently). How long after the procedure until i can start running again? Please respond!!
Anywhere from 2-6 weeks, depending on what kind of running you’re doing.
Straight paths at a jogging pace? Pretty quickly.
Trails where you’re going up and downhill? That will depend on pain tolerance and healing ability.
My biggest issue was having my toes feel comfy in shoes again, so I ended up learning how to run in luna sandals.
Remember to clean and dry the area right after you run, every time.
Let’s try again.
Mistyped email address likely caused post to get dumped.
Anyway, I had this procedure on Thursday, 3/9/2017 and it was painless in every way. That is until the next day the toe joint (middle on left foot) where the toe connects to the foot is swollen. I’m guessing this is due to the needles that went in to it to deliver the numbing chemical.
Any advice?
Thanx
Doug
For me, it was a combo of the needles and me accidentally tensing my foot a lot because I was worried about possible pain.
That’s a lot of action for a toe joint that probably doesn’t get bothered all that much.
Ice helped with the pain, and it eventually faded in pain like a sprain and in color like a bruise.
I had the inside of my left toe done yesterday: it was very infected, but I had barely any pain from needles. However, at 2 am this morning I was woken up to a load of pain, and normal Tylenol just wasn’t helping, so I found some Tylenol with codeine.. What a difference! Didn’t completely take the pain away: my toe still has this deep stinging feeling all around and I can’t walk, but it’s definitely better. Approximately when can I expect to be back on my feet?
Few days to a week.
The first night pain is a bitch, but it’s not likely to hurt that much again.
Thank you: for your article, and for your reply! Both were very helpful 🙂
My toe nail looks fine but the toe continues to be red after 3 weeks. One doctor said it was a phenol reaction another said it was bacteria & put me on an antibacteria pill. Will the redness eventually go away? I have no pain
Mine did, yes. I figured it was just red from so much trauma.
I had this done yesterday on my left big toe. It was the most excruciating pain in those shots I’ve ever felt. They told me it would be numb for several hours, which it wasn’t, and that it wouldn’t hurt, which it did. A lot.
The doctor was good, but acted like I was abnormal when it hurt so much. His “bedside” manner could use some improvement.
Yeesh. I remember being told it wouldn’t hurt after the anesthetic wore off, too.
Boy, did it ever hurt.
Hope it subsided.
Hi there
No sure if your still reply to comments but worth a try.
I just had this surgery done two days ago it’s my 4th time having this surgery. 4rd time same toe same side. But it’s the first time I have my toe black from that chemical you are talking about. I don’t believe it was ever used on me before. I’m wondering about the cleaning /scrubbing with a toothbrush. I wasn’t given any instructions for after care other then soak and cover with a Bandaid. I’m wondering if I should be treating it as you discribed your recovery.
Yikes, fourth time, same side? I’m betting they didn’t burn the root before, which is why you have the black now.
The soaking really helped each time, and I’ve never heard anyone say it hurt their recovery. It will sting a bit.
Do you know if your ingrown issue is caused by your shoe or gait?
Hi! I have a few questions about the ingrown toenail surgery. I’m going to get it done within the next week or two, and I am terrified. Do the shots on the toes burn? Or is it a quick pain? I also wanted to know if i could wear loose fitting flats after the surgery, maybe 2 or 3 days after? Last question, are there any numbing gels they can rub on the toes before the shots? I have very ticklish and sensitive feet so I am afraid I will flinch and mess up the shot.
The toes don’t burn when you get the shots, no.
Yes, quick like a pinch, but definitely there.
Depends on your toe, but anything tight or curved will likely bug.
Yeah, there’s a numbing spray that I’ve always had used that makes the shots way easier.
I had both sides of both big toes cut out today because of ingrown toenails and damage caused by psoriasis. The injections (just like everyone says) were horrible. It has been about 10 hours since I had the procedure done and I’m in SO much pain. I’ve been taking ibuprofen (200mg) and that helps very little. It feels like I can feel right where the shots went in and while my left toe is sort of painful, my right toe is excruciatingly painful. I have been in tears a few times today and honestly it’s not getting much better yet. I have both feet propped up higher than my heart. They are both wrapped, just like in the picture. I have come so close, several times tonight, to unwrapping the right toe so that I can soak it in warm epsom salt water (because at this point, that sounds heavenly to me). I don’t know how i’m going to sleep tonight and wearing shoes tomorrow, if this doesn’t get better, is going to be a real challenge. Is there ANYTHING you can suggest for tonight (if anyone even reads this tonight)…I’m feeling desperate. I promise I’m not just being a drama queen. I’m 53 years old and have given birth three times without meds. Makes me feel kind of silly to be complaining about toes, but this is SO painful. Any helpful advice will be appreciated. Thank you.
I’m so sorry I haven’t replied yet!
Yeah, that first night was terribly painful and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.
I used painkillers and cannabis, with ice.
How are you doing now?
I have a ingrown nail and nail was removed completely a week ago. After Surgery on every alternate day iam doing dressing with Betadine gauze. Can i stop dressing it now. Can you also please let me know what precautions i need to take. Can i soak in warm water etc
I stopped wrapping my toes at night after they stopped seeping, which took about a week.
I also soaked at least once a day in warm water with Epsom salt, usually at night with just a normal shower in the morning.
That helped a lot, and it sped up the drying part.
Thank you so much for writing this article. I’ve read most of the comments and have learned a lot and a lot of my fears/concerns were addressed by others..I feel so much better.
I had a partial toenail removal this past Wednesday (no acid was applied…I refused that part) and it got infected, so I’m on 10 days of antibiotics.
I do have a question though, when walking or standing for awhile it feels stiff and feels like something is pulling on the surgery site. Anybody else experience this? I’m not sure it it’s part of the infection or it’s just getting so dried out and stiff from the epsom salt soaks.
Yeah, at times. It was a combination of both the inflammation and the forming scab, for me.
Sometimes if I twist my toe JUST the right way, I can barely still feel the twinge.
Ahhh…this post is super old but I see you’re still responding!! That’s great! Sooo…my left big toe is super infected, I had a hangnail last week and I just ripped it out as I always do if it happens..so could it be from that? Or do you think it’s from an ingrown nail? It looks gross and I’m afraid to go to the doctor reading about these shots. Will they remove the ingrown nail if this is the first time I’ve had it? Im a mail carrier so I’m on my feet all day and my feet definitely don’t stay dry it clean in this profession. What should I do? ?
Is the nail pushing into your footbed at all, causing the hangnail?
That’s what mine did for years, I dug it out all the time, too.
I had my nail partially trimmed the first time, yes. The shots hurt little after the spray is used, and it’s less pain than stubbing a sore toe.
I can’t tell what’s going on as far as what the nail is doing-it’s too swollen. But last night, I guess from moving my feet around while sleeping, the blister/infection/whatever it is, busted and now it’s just really red,swollen and sore. Definitely doesn’t look as bad without the big white/greenish bubble going down my nail but still hurts like Crazy
I had one of those on my ring finger once, from digging out a hangnail with my teeth. Same white/greenish bubble, same pop.
Mine healed just fine, but you may want to look into antibiotics.
Will do! I’m actually at the doctor now (unrelated) but maybe I’ll whip my toe out haha..
I had unrelated stitches removed while I had a cyst taken out. Saved on copays!
Hi Tyler,
I had about 1/4 of my big toe nail cut out and removed by my GO on 3/1/17, no chemicals or permanent removal done. Took antibiotics for a week since it had been infected when I went to have it removed. Was only told to remove bandage after first few days and keep it clean, no soaking or ointment needed. I have a scab where the nail previously was. It has not started to grow back yet but I’m having intermittent pain, almost like the digging feeling you get when you have an ingrown toenail, though there’s no pain or soreness when I walk or put pressure on the toe, only when I flex my toe.
I have a family history of ingrown toenail and this is the 2nd time I’ve had the nail partially removed (first was probably 20 years ago with later ingrowns being worked on by myself).
My question is did you have any pain or discomfort when the nail began to grow back? It feels almost as if I have an ingrown, yet there’s no nail there to cut into the side of my toe skin where the pain is. It’s very strange and I don’t want to prolong the matter if it is getting infected, yet I don’t even see a nail growing back yet to cause the problem. The pain seems to originate from the top right corner or middle section of the inner corner of my toe skin area. Any help or info you can give would be great, thanks!
Yes. The nail, at the edge, would grown down and/or be pushed into the nail bed. It happened enough times that I just had both big nails completely removed before I could figure out what it was.
Turns out, it was my shoes that were too tight around my toes, which squeezed them causing the nails to go down. My right toe was much worse, and now has almost a permanent divot at the worst part…though it doesn’t hurt anymore.
Soo I whipped my toe out at the doctor the other day while I was there and she gave me antibiotics..but I’m Still in pain and my toe is turning black?! Is it going to fall off or what?! Haha (not the nail, the skin around the nail)
My toe turned a dark shade right where the shots were and were it got infected, I’m assuming because the skin died and new skin had to grow from the inside out.
But it didn’t really hurt a ton and wasn’t swollen or anything. More like a super deep bruise.
Eww, I didn’t have my toenail removed or cut yet though..it’s just turning black..and looks like it’s spreading…quick ?
Yikes. Black spots like that seem like a bad thing.
I just had both of my big toes done. Both sides on each one. My Dr. gave me an antibiotic and told me to start soaking my feet in epsom salt water tomorrow but that was it. My toes are still numb, but are they going to start hurting and if they do, what do I take?
Mine hurt immediately after the local anesthetic wore off.
Anti inflammatories (ibuprofen, some cannabis strains) and rotating ice/elevation helped a ton.
But after that, barring infection which you are likely protected from with the antibiotics, they were just tender but not painful.
I’m having both of my big toenails done on the 31st, any pointers you might have before I go in for my procedure, like any prep I can do to make the procedure and recovery easier. As well as about how long will it take?
If it’s complete removal, 6-8 weeks.
If partial, more like 3-5 for a complete recovery.
The first 3-5 days are the most important. Keep off your feet and out of shoes as much as possible soak in Epsom at least once daily. Keep the bandages dry. Pretend your feet are broken for as often as you can to help stay off of them.
Understand your toe joints will be hella sore and using them will only make them worse, as well as increase the chance of infection (this usually happens within those 3-5 days or not at all, is what I’ve read or experienced).
Change your bandages at least twice a day, after showering and/or soaking.
I had this procedure done in the er 2 days ago. Never having in infected or ingrown toe before, I didn’t know where else to go. I initially received one extremely painful shot into the joint area of my toe. The doctor waited roughly 15 minutes then came back into the room asked if I was numb. I told her no as I yelped a little touching my toe. She grabbed the tweezers/pliars looking thing and ripped my nail up. I jumped up (I was in a chair and she was on the ground) it hurt so bad, but I was so embarrassed by my reaction. I kept apologizing and telling her I can’t go through this because I could feel it all. She left and came back with another shot infected it a few times into the tip of my toe. Me still recovering from the first rip wrapped my head in my jacket, because I still felt it all and she said there was nothing she could do about it. I cried the entire time. Had to call my husband to talk me through breathing, because I was light headed in pain. I’ve had 3 kids per c-section and never felt pain like this. I kept repeating that I could feel everything and they told me if I moved it would be more painful. There’s so much more to my story, but I’m still really upset by the way I was treated, it’s hard for me to even process. After the procedure I was sent out the door with 3 scripts and no where to fill them, because it was almost 11 pm. Worst ever. 1 day later my toe that had no swelling, is almost 2 times it’s size, redish/purple and bruised. I feel like I was mistreated and don’t know why a medical professional would do this. She kept saying my toenail would grow back, but when I removed the gauze it was still there (remember head was wrapped in jacket). Everything i felt was the toe nail being taken off. I’m wondering if she just layed my nail back on top. I have to wait to schedule an appointment with my primary doctor til the week day tomorrow.
That sounds like a terrible doctor. The swelling is “normal” for such trauma, be sure to rotate ice and anything anti-inflammatory to keep it stable.
Mine NEVER hurt like that during the surgery, sorry you had to go through all of that. It sounds horrific.
Hi Tyler, I had ingrown toenail surgery done in January on 2 toes on my right foot. I wrote you about the horrible pain that set in the night for 12 hours after the early morn procedure.
I have had 2 podiatrists tell me “there should not have been any pain afterward”. That does not jive with all the reports in your thread. I found out I have neuropathy and the latest podiatrist said that would account for such pain. She said that if one has poor circulation and/or neuropathy, your risks (including pain) are a lot greater when having this procedure done.
Sandy
No pain, my butt!
I do have poor circulation, and always have, so that may explain my issues.
Thank you for sharing.
I had to have the procedure done again. This time I opted for both toes and both sides of each toe. I also asked the doctor to use the chemical to kill the root so I wouldn’t have to go through this again.
I finally took the bandage/gauze off that they wrapped it with at the Dr’s office. I noticed the gauze was bloody, as expected but also black. I know the black is from the chemical so I wasn’t too worried or concerned.
My concern is that all the bleeding washed out the chemical. Is that even possible?
I’ve read other people’s posts on here saying that they had the chemical and their toe was black because of it. Both of my toes have no black marks at all. I’m just worried that all the bleeding “washed” it out. I really don’t want to go through this again.
I had two versions of “black” substances.
First was the chemical itself, which is either absorbed by the toe or into the gauze.
The second “black” stuff is the dead skin itself, which will grow from the inside out, and takes a few days to a week or so.
You should see what looks like bruising in a few day, right around the part where the toenail used to be attached.
It will fade from black to green to yellow.
I had an ingrown toenail removed last Friday. Besides the shot, I had no pain when the medicine wore off. I went to my follow up appointment and he said that everything looks great. He told me to start soaking it in epsom salt and that a week from this day start to put neosporin on the wound instead of the amerigel. 6 days after that, it started to get infected so I went ahead and put on the neosporin. 2 hours later, the neosporin had gummed up on the wound like the stuff on the back of gift cards. Is this normal? It doesn’t hurt or anything. However it is infected and very red. It is not oozing or anything besides the normal drainage.
An infection usually involves pain and swelling, are you sure you’re not overlooking either of those?
I did see that some people had issues with the neosporin.
So I just had my entire left big toenail removed about 4 hours ago (with the chemical used on the cuticle matrix). It actually feels like my toe has a blow torch on it and it is being sent through a meat grinder at the same time. I actually feel like I have reached enlightenment and now understand the meaning of life. The problem is, it hurts so badly, that I can’t put into words this meaning of life that I have realized.
How in the freaking world could anybody not feel pain after this? They used this as a form of torture in many wars.(the removing of nails and such).
I have to go to work tomorrow and I don’t really know what I should do. If it keeps hurting like this, I surely won’t be able to sleep ):
Ice, elevation, and anything that reduces inflammation worked for me.
If it’s any consolation, it’s not likely to hurt like that in the morning.
Hi, thanks for this article.
I had PNA done on Tuesday and now it’s Thursday and it hurts so bad right now. I saw my doctor a few hours ago and he says it’s not infected or anything… so not sure why I’m in so much pain. He did two injections and accidentally spilled the acid over my toe as well which I guess doesn’t help. I’m just so grumpy in pain and uncomfortable with this.
How long until the pain is supposed to settle?! I look so silly using crutches but I also have EDS/Ehlers Danlos Syndrome so walking on the other part of the foot is putting my ankle out.
Ahhhh the pain though 🙁
The acid can be painful.
Have you tried Epsom salt?
My initial surgery pain didn’t last that long, save for the infection.
If you’re moving a lot, that can contribute to soreness. Your toe has been through a lot!
Mine has dark blood like yours did. best way to get that off? should i leave it? also, my upper part of my toe is red, puffy, and still numb.. i think that is a little strange. do you know anything about that?
I brushed mine off the first time, and let it rinse after that.
Regarding the puffy numbness: how long since surgery? What kind of shoes are you wearing? Are you resting?
Thanks for this blog. I just had a piece of toe nail removed from my right big toe. By far the numbing shots were worst. I’m sure I had an out of body experience when they hit me with the second shot…the procedure of removal of the nail was quick and painless- felt some pressure but nothing to jump at .
I don’t feel any pain yet, but I’ll be popping some pain pills the moment I get home. I was told to stay away from neosporain cream- using it on your toes could lead to an infection
Good plan.
I was also told to stay away from neosporin.
Be sure to rest, your toe has been through a lot.
Best of luck to you when the anesthetic wears completely off!
So you got each sides of your toenails removed not the who thing right?
The first three times, yes.
The last time, I had the whole nail removed.
I had my sides removed I was scared to go to the nail salon they cut my nails and pulled back my skin a few weeks later it started crusting I accidentally jumped on it and it burst and it starting bleeding it’s like the skin flapped up any advice?? Do you think I should let it heal or should I be taking antibiotics I’ve been using antibiotic cream will it help?
Ouch.
Did they cut into the side?
I’d definitely soak/wash it again to make sure nothing gets in there.
If it gets red and swollen or painful, you should def have a doc look at it.
Hello! I just got the side of my toenail removed due to 3 years of having ingrown toenails!! is it normal to have some bleeding after the surgery? and there seems to be a clear liquid coming out of the wound, is that ok as well? the freezing hasn’t worn off yet (and it’s been 6 hours!!) and I’m scared for the pain to come ??. do you know how long it will be to be able to get back into sports? becuase I have dance season coming up, and I have to do pointe work for ballet (if you don’t know pointe is the shoe where you go all the way up on the tips of your toes- yes it’s as painful as it sounds!!). But how long would you say until I can go back to all of that madness? thank you so much for your help!!
Yikes.
It’s going to be a few weeks.
For what it’s worth, removing both my big toenails has been tremendous for sports. The pain wasn’t from the toe being hurt, it was painful from the toenail smashing into the cuticle.
That clear liquid is totally fine, hope you’re dealing okay.
I’ve had ingrown toenails on both sides for about 3 years, but thought it would just go away (the left toe nail started last year). The right toe began to become infected and I always bumped it on something causing injury. I’d previously gone to the podiatrist and got the offending parts of the nail removed twice but it just grew back again 2 days later. I just dealt with all the pain for a few months.
I would always put a dressing on it before school or going out/wearing shoes to come home and take it off and it would be all yuck then soak it in salt water. Finally, the other day I got surgery. I got both sides of both big toes done. They put me to sleep through a drip so they only painful part was the drip needle going into my hand, but that wasn’t too bad. Toes wrapped up in bandages and I have no idea what they look like, but I do know they have stitches.
It’s very hard to walk as I’m trying to prevent bleeding, pain and the possibility of ruining the stitches. I keep my feet raised a lot and I find it prevents throbbing pain. I’ve been taking pain killers during the day every 4 hours and stronger ones during the night as well as the prescribed antibiotics to prevent any infection.
Tomorrow, I am to remove the bandages by soaking them until they basically just come off themselves. but I think I may wait an extra day. I’m really scared to see how my toes look, hopefully my nails aren’t just a thin piece and it is substantial. Also I heard the stitches go through your toe nail so I bet that will feel really weird when I get the stitches out. When you said you got a swollen joint from flexing, what did you mean? There is sometimes a throbbing but painless feeling and a tingling sensation. I have felt pain a few times and boy does it sting but it goes away very fast. I also woke up to a pain yesterday morning because I somehow had crossed my legs during my sleep and the toe fell onto the wall.
I haven’t been able to run or walk long distances for this whole year and I have forgotten what it’s like to have normal toes after 3 years of having an ingrown toenail. I really hope my toes turn out like yours as yours look normal. I feel like they won’t. 🙁
Glad you finally got a bunch taken off. I ended up having to get my big toenails totally removed (turns out, i’ve been wearing too narrow shoes most of my life, especially for sports).
Sucks not to be able to run for a year. I’d go nuts, and almost did!
The joint pain presented itself to me after the bandage was taken off. Because it’s hurt, I was always flexing it trying to keep it out of the way, and the bandage actually helped me not to have to do that as much. It will be sore, but goes away in a few days.
Before I had my nails totally removed, they did look great.
I just had the removal and acid done earlier today. I’m in pain but they said that was to be expected. My question is, I have tickets to a concert this weekend, should I be alright to go with minimal walking? If ibuprofen doesn’t help… What do suggest? I’m in so much pain right now… I can’t even sleep..
I’d do everything I could to get a wheelchair if you’re going to walk TOO far. I’d be more concerned with swelling from sitting down a while, but not too much that I wouldn’t go.
The only thing that helped me sleep was good weed. Ibuprofen helps slightly.
Alright thank you! I wish weed was an option but my work does random drug tests. Lol I’ll keep taking the ibuprofen hopefully that helps. I woke up feeling confident that the pain would be gone… Lol guess I’m not that lucky ?
Yeah, I had to ask for painkillers during one recovery period.
Don’t be afraid to ask for a few.
Is daily discharge normal? like when you change the gauze? ive been doing the soaking and applying of the drops.
Yes, totally normal.
I wrapped my toes until that discharge stopped.
I don’t remember it taking longer than 2-3 weeks, but it was definitely at least 10-14 days.
The discharge is getting stuck on my wound. anything besides gauze i can use? they said definitely not bandaids…Or is there something i can put inside the gauze? or is this just what i have to deal with?
Have you tried non-stick gauze? It was slightly better.
I also tried not wrapping it super tight.
Well im using the “tube gauze” they gave me. What do you suggest?
I used amerigel wound dressing. worked great.
My boyfriend just had a partial nail removal to help with an ingrow toenail yesterday. He potentially will need two to three more. The night after he seemed to be in a large amount of pain. Today when he showered he said it hurt some but wasn’t to bad. The doctor who did it though said nothing about actually washing or scrubbing it. All she said was to keep it covered and to soak it in lukewarm water with epsom salt one to two times a day and dab to dry. Should he be washing it more or with soaking it and dabbing it be enough? And I’m really unsure on how to wrap it well enough to keep it covered but also make sure that he can’t some how accidentally kick the dressing off in his sleep. Any recommendations for that as well? They also didn’t give him any pain medications. Is that normal?
All of that sounds correct.
I used paper tape at night, which helped keep it on.
I was only given pain meds after a toe got infected.
I use the tube gauze and wrap it once, twist and put the remainder on. Put tape around the bottom to hold it in place. It’s stayed put every night. I go on Thursday for my post op appointment, it still throbs at times, is this normal? The part around my nail is still kinda red and swollen, no infection smell and limited discharge. The gauze is still getting stuck when I change it, I have to soak it in order to peel it off.
Throbbing might be from too-tight tape or just being on it a lot.
Toes are used to that kind of trauma either, so a lot of it is just oversensitivity.
Yeah, I switched to non-stick gauze and it helped.
Yeah, that area will be red and swollen for a while, then fade to a bruise, then get yellow, with maybe some bubbling. All normal.
How did you know your toe got infected? My 16 year old daughter had the sides of her toenail removed from her left toe on Monday. The next day she felt much better, but her sister accidentally stepped on her toe that day and it has been bothering her. It is red and swollen and hurts. There is still drainage going on and it is clear. I don’t see any pus or red streaks of any kind. But not sure if it is normal for her to still be in pain and for it to be red and swollen. I am sure her sister stepping on her didn’t help the situation either.
If the pain is creeping into the ankle and the leg starts to hurt when moved, that’s infection.
It’s pretty normal for swelling to take a few days, especially if the toe is re-traumatized.
Getting both sides of a toe done is pretty traumatic.
Ice and anti-inflammatories, along with monitoring pain levels, is how I figured it out.
Shouldn’t hurt to move the leg.
Did they gave you local Anastasia?
Yes, there was a spray and then 3-6 shots per toe.
Thanks.. I have to get it done this week
It was surprisingly not painful, with the shots.
I thought my camera would shake while filming the surgery, but it never did.
Hey Tyler- quick question ..What type of shoes/slippers (open toed or closed) … do you recommend to wear home from the procedure & for normal day use, after? My 14 yo daughter is having this procedure done on Friday & I want to make sure she is comfortable after & when she goes back to school! I don’t think she will go to school sporting some bedroom slippers lol THANK YOU so much for posting this thread.. you are so helpful & responsive! 🙂
I liked having my toes as free as possible, so huaraches or flip flops.
Slipper aren’t a terrible idea, though.
The only real requirement is that there is as little pressure on the toes as possible, so no athletic shoes unless they’re wide like a lot of skater (I wore Skechers) shoes typically are.
I just had this done yesterday. I woke up and my bandage was stuck to my skin (very painful). It took my about 4 hours to get the gauze off, but it came down to the point where I couldn’t tell if I was trying to remove gauze or skin. I had to call the nurse at my doctors office and she told me what to do (my doctor didn’t warn me about this, and specifically told me not to soak my foot), but she also said it shouldn’t be bleeding at this point, and now it is! I’m not sure if it’s bad that it’s bleeding (it’s not a huge amount, but enough to be slightly visible through the bandaid), or I pulled to hard trying to get the gauze off, but she didn’t go into depth about it so I’m not sure and I don’t want another infection or anything.
Ouch. I know I was told to soak after first leaving the bandage on for 24 hours.
It definitely hurt a lot more to pull it off dry, which happened to me a few times when I got curious.
How’s the pain?
The pain is okay, but is made worse by walking. It seems that it is still bleeding this morning and the side of my toe is white (probably from all the hydrogen peroxide and soaking). Super weird.
yeah, walking always made mine worse, too.
Wow, hydrogen peroxide? I was specifically told to use epsom salt in water instead of that because it killed too much of the healthy bacteria.
Hey there people who have had this done im a 16 year old boy and ive just realized that i believe that i have an ingrown toenail i have some questions hopefully someone could answer. First question i have is how much does this cost because we do not have health insurance or a lot of money to spend and im scared to tell my dad about this but i know i need based on all of these stories i was reading about. Second question is how long is the recovery because i have school and its 2 floors and im not sure if i can walk up the stairs or if i can even get to school because i normally walk to and from school. Third question is how bad is the pain at each “phase” of this whole thing because im not good with pain and my toe has been bothering me for a few months now and i have cut the nail from the skin probably 3 times now and that pain of moving the skin to cut it was pretty bad but im not sure if it gets a lot worse or not also im not sure if its bad that i cut it a few times and it grew back. Also one last thing is i have a vacation coming up on the week of thanksgiving and im not sure if i should tell my dad before or after. Thanks to anyone who can answer any of my questions and also sorry for my post being a mess im not very good at writing.
1. It cost me something like $170 per toe. I paid cash, at the lowest medicare reimbursement.
2. Recovery is 2-6 weeks, but I could shuffle around slowly just fine right away.
3. The surgery hurts less than doing it yourself, both thanks to the shots and the doctor being better at it.
4. Best bet would be to get the surgery before thanksgiving, so you can rest during break and be better healed for school.
THANK YOU for this article! I was not given instructions on how to keep the wound clean except to rinse with distilled water and I’ve been trying to figure out how to get the dried blood and pus out of the wound. Dumping water on it or sticking it under a running faucet has not worked.
Thanks for the quick reply i really appreciate it but im gonna have to wait on the surgery because some other stuff came up do you think it will be bad if i wait a few more weeks on it?
Would you advise getting a pedicure before or after? I need one so bad and don’t want to wait another 4-6 weeks. Will it completely mess my toes up/will they need to see the nail? Getting both toes done Friday.
I would avoid the painful toe during a pedicure, as the more you dig down there, the longer it’s going to take to heal.
Hi Tyler,
Thanks for the article. This is my 3rd procedure and it was a snap. I had a great doctor; however, now I am 3 months post healing and having issues with the skin that is forming. I’m back into hard shoes and I noticed seeping starting again. I think from reading your article my hard shoes are too narrow so a good excuse for shopping. How did you control the re-growth of the skin and was the toothbrush your idea or the doctor, and was that to help control the regrowth of the skin?
Thank you!
Brush was doc’s idea, it worked really well.
I also used nail clippers to trim skin.
If your shoes are pressing on it, definitely get new ones, it helped a lot for me.
Hello Tyler,
I’ve to get my ingrown toenail done soon. I hear the shots are unbearable… Does Coldspray really help? For how long does the pain maintain? Is it as long as the shots go or will the pain reduce during the shots?
Thanks a lot
Cold spray helped a ton.
For me, sans the one time I got it infected, it hurt until I got it numbed at the doc office, for about three hours when that wore off about 12 hours later, and after that it was pretty pain free.
I’ve found the shots hurt less than the “regular” nail pain.
Hey Tyler (and everyone)!
I’ve followed and read this post and a lot of the comments for a while, before getting my surgery this morning. I’ve had ingrown toenails for 6 years, and decided to finally get the surgery deed done because it’s about time. To give some information on the procedure, the needles were pretty painful (for background, I absolutely hate needles and have a really low pain tolerance). Couldn’t make one injection without cursing every second. Good thing is that there were only 3-5 for each toe. I got each side of both big toes done. It was over really quick, and I am so glad I finally got this done. No regrets.
Oddly enough, I haven’t really felt this intense searing pain everyone is referring to. It feels like my anesthesia has worn off, and I had some mild pain 2 hours after the surgery this morning, but it’s night time and my toes feel fine. I’m wondering if it’s all about to hit me? I guess we will find out.
Anyway, thanks so much for this helpful post and comment replies Tyler! They really helped my process.
Great to hear!
Hope your recovery goes just as well.
I had this done 3 months ago, they cut off the side but not at the base (cuticle). It heeled up nicely and I had no more pain.
3 months later, now the base of the nail they didn’t cut is digging into my skin again causing bleeding and some puss. I have an appointment now on Tuesday.
I’m not looking forward going through the pain again… but it will probably be worth it in the long term.
My surgeries hurt, but I’d do them all again to feel like I do now.
Best wishes that you’ll get similar relief.
I get this procedure done tomorrow anything I should prep with? Also, can I wear shoes the following day? I have to attend school.
Prep is mostly to keep the area uninjured.
Maybe you can wear shoes, depending on how tight they are.
I just had this done on the inside of my left big toe. Your site and words helped alleviate a lot of my fears. My doc gave some type of air shot prior to the numbing shot. The air shot felt like the pop of a rubber band, but it lessened the pain of the numbing shots. The numbing shots only hurt toward the bottom of the toe, and the doc warned me when it was coming. It felt like walking on needles for a very short time. Otherwise, the toe only hurt the next morning and it was a strong ache. Half a pain pill and it’s been great ever since.
Thank you for publishing your experience!
Was the air shot like a concentrated spray? We ma have had similar.
Great to hear you’re doing well.
Thanks for thanking me!
I need to have the procedure done soon. How long until I can wear shoes again? I work in the construction industry and my downtime needs to be minimal. Thanks in advance.
The first 3-5 days are super crucial to ward off infection.
Any excessive moisture or rubbing will drastically increase those chances.
But after that, as long as you’re careful about keeping it clean and dry and it’s wrapped well, you should be able to move around just fine.
Be mindful of your footwear though, it could be making the problem worse.
I had an ingrown toenail cut out first part of December 2017. My toe is healing now but the toenail that is left (narrow center part) is still jagged on edges. I’m concerned that my whole nail will die off.
I filed mine on that side.
I was worried about it falling off too, but after I saw what it takes to rip out a whole toenail, I’m fairly confident that trimmed toenails will stay put.
By die off, do you mean from the base? Is it still purple and/or black and/or yellow down there?
Hey Tyler – Glad you are OK. Had both big toes done, both sides and the doc used the acid to prevent regrowth on 2-26-18. I had them done many years ago and it did not take – do not remember her using the acid the first time. Only really bad pain first night or two but I did not take anything and it passed. Just some light intermittent pain. My doc said to soak in Epsom salt and warm water and keep it wrapped. I’ve done that and am past the 2 week mark and my Doc is not seeing me for another 12 days. Should I still keep it covered and apply the antibiotic. He gave me antibiotic ear drops – he likes them better and I just ran out so I was going to use neosporin. Don’t tell me to call the Doc – he is totally overworked and you cannot even get through to office so I will never get a call back. He wanted to see me in 2 weeks and his office said he had zero opening.
So no infection – thank God. Should I still keep it covered. I’ve been wearing open shoes. What do you think?
I uncovered them once they stopped seeping, especially at night.
About 10 days to three weeks, depending.
They seem to heal quicker once you do that.
Thanks. I am going to leave uncovered. Hope it takes this time!
Hi Tyler,
I haven’t had the surgery personally, but my 13 year old stepdaughter has. She has had her ingrown toenails removed 2 or 3 times on both of her big toes (I honestly can’t remember). They looked so awful, it hurt me to even look at them, I called them her “Angry Toes”
Then last year she had them permanently surgically removed on both big toes. (She is a tough cookie)
But they have grown back!!
I have booked her an appointment to have the surgery again! But I don’t know what has made them grow back.
She is a swimmer, she swims everyday at school and has competition meets quite a bit, and she wears converse high top sneakers everyday. She is a pretty active kiddo. But I want to help her as much as I can to keep them coming back a third time, she is just a kid (ok a teenager) but still too young to have to go through this so much, and I don’t want to see her have to. So any help, or advice you can give me, I would more than greatly appreciate it. I’m just at the point, I don’t know what to do or what could be causing it. Thank you so much in advance.
I wish I’d have a parent as aware of what she’s going through right now as much as you are.
Okay, to get the nails not to grow back, the cuticle needs to be burned with acid on what looks like big toothpicks. They dip it and shove it in there (it doesn’t hurt any more than the surgery). That prevented my left toenail and most of my right toenail from growing back (I have a quarter by eight inch little piece that grew back that I trim for now that I should probably get cleaned up, but it’s so small it’s not a bother.
Now, to be honest, my FEET still hurt all the time. My toes are fine, but my feet hurt. I finally figured out what it was, after outlining my feet trying to figure out why they didn’t look like “normal” feet should (my big toes lean far inward, like a bunion, and my pinky toes almost always stay under my ring toes.
It was my shoes. I wore running or basketball shoes all the time until about two years ago, and I’m 100% certain wearing them when I was a kid was what caused the issues. The shape of the shoes is completely off, and wearing too-narrow, too-fitted shoes is what caused it. I think I would have been fine had I worn wider shoes most days and saved athletic shoes for sports only.
I loved high tops as a kid because I loved basketball, but now I know it was wearing them as casual shoes is what did it. The very first pair of shoes that did not hurt my feet were Skechers skate shoes, as the wider base and no correction allowed my feet to sorta move like they wanted.
See if you can convince her to not wear athletic shoes casually, even if only as an experiment. right now, the only time my feet don’t hurt is when I wear super-flexible huarache sandals, and that’s made for some awkward convos with work and whatnot.
Anyway, get her out of high top or athletic shoes as daily options. I really, really believe that’s why I suffered so much, too, as I suppose I never really knew how shoes were “supposed” to fit. I figured they’d break in eventually, but it turns out all they did was reshape my foot and mess up the entire chain from instep to shoulder.
I’m really curious as to why shoes aren’t shaped like feet.
Had the surgery five days ago. Minimal discharge, not much pain, but ITCHING at night! I haven’t seen anyone with that response. Prickly, needles and pins generally on big toe, not specifically at nail site. Ice helps, had to:take sleeping pill too.
Anyone else w the itching?
Itching right at the cuticle?
I had that once that area started to get bubbly.
But cream helped.
Okay, so I’m 15 and had the temporary fix for ingrown toe nail for both sides of my big toes. The pain wasn’t really an issue with me as I’ve been told I have a high pain tolerance. I just got another ingrown toe nail so I’m going to see the podiatrist in a few days to most likely get the edges burned. The reason I’m here is cause my mom had this done and it looks like they took off 50% of here toenails. I’m just wondering if my toenails will look normal and not super small and thin when this is all over with.
This skin grows in around the nail.
It looks different, absolutely, but I’m not sure if I could tell had I not known what it looked like before.
Like a new normal, I guess?
I had mine done about 4 weeks ago now. Doc used acid and the area around the nail is completely discolored. Has anyone else experienced the discoloration? Is this a chemical burn? How long does it last?
Yes. Mine went from red to purple to green to yellow to normal, like a really deep bruise (which I suppose it is, sorta).
It faded over the a few weeks.
Did you get any bubbling at your cuticle where the colors are?
I don’t think I would call it bubbling, but definitely a discharge that is observable on the bandage. And omg, so much peeling skin around the area.
Yeah, that creeped me out until I realized it was just new skin deep down pushing out the old stuff up top.
But ugh.
Hi I just had this done last night and it feels slightly better this morning but I’m not sure what to do for showering?? Do you have any recommendations for what to do in the shower or how to shower (leave the bandages on?) to help because it still does hurt a little bit but I have to go back to school tomorrow. Thanks!!
I left the bandages on for 24 hours, then changed twice a day, usually after showering.
Hey Tyler, you seem to know a lot! I got both big toes done today. The right one doesn’t hurt at all, but the left one had an infection on it and now it is absolutely throbbing hasn’t stopped since I got it done. It hasn’t been a day, hopefully it’ll feel better in the morning.. but my toe looks absolutely horrifying. I’m guessing it’s infection, does it go away? Also I was told not to soak it…. but I got it done on an Air Force bade (as I’m in the Air Force) so what are ur suggestions??
So sorry about the infection! That sucks, but it does heal (at least mine did) after a few weeks (pain after a few days).
I really got a lot of help soaking in epsom salt water 1-2x per day, not sure why you’d be told not to.
You’ll need painkillers to stop that throbbing part of the infection, antibiotics too.
How are you feeling today?
Thanks for replying, I feel a lot better today. The right feels awesome, left has a little bit of pain still but not nearly as bad as yesterday. I’m taking naproxen (strong dose of ibuprofen) which made it feel way better. I also have been taking antibiotics for about 9 days and still have to finish them off. I also asked my mom about the soaking, she said she doesn’t know why they would tell me that because the podoiatrist told her to soak for a week twice a day in Epsom salt. So I will definitely be doing that! Seemed to work for you too, thanks so much!
Glad to know you have the meds you need, good call by your mom!
Seems like you’re healing, which is a very good sign.
Enjoy a life with less pain (ya know, eventually)!
I had an ingrown toe nails on and off at least for the past year! I would always dig at them and try to cut them out myself, and for a while my toes wouldn’t hurt so bad. I would always find that when I wore flats that my toes were scrunched up in was when I had the most pain at the end of the day. Most recently, I was getting a pedicure and the lady who was doing it was getting the dirt out from underneath the nail when she came across an ingrown. she picked at it for under 5 minutes and then all of the sudden she pulled it out the ingrown. My only concern is the day after, it was in more pain than it was the day I got the pedicure… I have no idea what to do. I put neosporin and a band aid on it, but that really doesn’t seem to be doing anything!
If she dug out an ingrown toenail, then there’s a chunk of skin missing from your toe that needs to regrow.
Be sure to soak it and keep it clean, if it starts to throb at all, head to the doc to check for infection.
Yeah, it’s totally our shoes. I will never understand why all shoes aren’t shaped like actual feet.
Hi Tyler, I got so much out of your blog before undergoing the toenail removal surgeries. What I wasn’t prepared for was how difficult recovery can be. The surgery itself was nothing compared to the recovery. But then, we all have different experiences people have because, well, we are unique individuals so our nail recovery experiences will be unique mostly.
First, I got both sides of my big toenail removed and one side of my second toe removed, on left foot, permanently. It seemed like a piece of cake. No pain afterwards, just some pinching and soreness here and there. Very little drainage. Then after the scabs started getting hard, toes began feeling pinching so doctor debrided and removed most of the scabs. I did the rest myself, removing a long hard thin piece of dead skin/dried fluid whatever it was. It was under the side of my nail and digging against the skin. It’s been two months and I found a hard piece of what I thought was nail right underneath the skin, like a continuation of the nail that never got cut. Doctor said it wasn’t nail but dried drainage because he had cut all the way down to the root. I was worried and angry because I had taken a lot of time off for this surgery and didn’t want to do this again. Plus toes on my right foot had surgery too and got infected.
So anyway, a week passed and after poking around, I notice the there was a bottom to that nail, so I was able to bring it out from under the skin. It was completely adhered to the main nail as if it was an extension! I couldn’t peel it off without tearing the main nail, so I used cuticle scissors and cut it off, matching the edge of the main nail it was a part of. I have no idea if I cut off a nail or a hardened piece of drainage. I examined it and it looked and felt thinner than my nail. What’s frustrating is I won’t know until my nail grows out, to find out if there is more nail that didn’t get removed.
Now, regarding my right foot. I did that three weeks after my left foot because everything was going swimmingly so hey, let’s go for it, right? Well, I was not ready for complications. I had both sides of big toe and second toe removed. After the numbing went away, my foot felt like it was on fire. Burning sensation in the whole foot. It felt like an inflammatory reaction to phenol burn. The first time I put my foot in water to soak it hurt like hell. Like my bone was on fire. Then it swelled up and got really red, and Doctor put me on antibiotics for a week. Keflex gave me asthma and so I had to go on prednisone. Then after I was done I had to wean myself off the prednisone to avoid adrenal shock. Meanwhile my toes on my right foot were not draining, and still red. Doctor kept opening it up to allow more drainage but nothing was coming out except a bit of blood where the wound was. The burning, warm sensation lasted for six weeks. This week isn’t seventh week and the burning is almost gone, with just warmth.
Meanwhile, because I have pincer toenails, which are shaped like a half moon. Most people’s ingrowns are curved at the sides so once they are removed, the rest of the nail is flat. Not mine, the whole nail is curved and what is left of it continues to dig into the sides…and I had begged the doctor to cut more off but he wanted it to look good. I just wanted to avoid pain and avoid repeating this surgery. Who cares how it looks just because I’m a woman. So I’m back to sticking a piece of cotton under the corners again. I thought this surgery would save me from having to do that but I guess not. I’m testing at night to see if I can leave the cotton out when I sleep so it can form a hard groove for the edge of the nail to be in. If it still hurts when I walk, I’m stuck doing the cotton thing again! Albeit a much smaller piece of cotton than before the surgery….but still.
What I discovered is that recovery can be easy or difficult, a few weeks to years, and everywhere in between. The doctor has no idea why my right foot responded so differently. And I really don’t believe that the success rate is 93%. I think it’s much lower. One foot doctor told me his was 90%. Those are the ones whose offending nails don’t grow back, and they may have had complications and difficulty and taken a long time to recover. So success rate doesn’t mean recovery was painless, easy, or without infection.
It’s unpredictable, is what I want to say. And even if you heal perfectly, you’re still waiting to see if the ingrown portion will grow back. Meanwhile, the nail is growing into a new nailbed and it can be painful and you have to adjust to nerves growing in new places.
I just want to let everyone know that nobody should have to live with ingrown nails, but once you get the surgery, you may need a lot of luck because you could be dealing with recovery and healing and regrowth for the rest of your life. I did the surgery after a lot of research, but just didn’t have the whole picture. I was hurting my back bending over to cut my nail down at the edge and I couldn’t do a proper job anymore due to the angle of it and the increasing severity of the curving.
If your ingrown nails are really bad, it might be worth it. But if they aren’t, people should be very cautious. It may create more problems for you if you’re unlucky. I was extremely careful handling the bandaging and soaking and yet it got infected. I actually think it was an inflammation reaction to the chemical, but I was put on antibiotics as a precaution. And I’ve been limited in my walking for at least two months, causing muscle atrophy in my foot and leg. Today I felt like I was training myself how to walk.
Sorry to make this so realistic, but I hope everyone who is concerned about how painful the injections are know that those are nothing compared to everything else that will hit you later if you’re one of the unlucky ones!
Great share.
I eventually had my big toenails removed because they were pincer nails.
It was months-long recovery with a lot of pain.
So are you totally done with the whole thing or do you think a piece of nail grow back? I just think toenail surgery is not for people with regular jobs because they’d have to quit work to recover, as it’s never ending for some. I’m self-employed but I know no employer would hav let me take two or three months off.
I am self employed as well, I have no idea how they expected me to wear shoes after a few days or even a couple of weeks.
I just took a look at your photos of your toenails. My pincers curved way worse than yours! Also, maybe your doctor didn’t remove enough nail. I really hope I don’t have to end up doing phenolization again because of my reaction to it. I read about the Suppan procedure and saw it on YouTube. Doctor cuts out the nail matrix and this supposedly heals faster with no regrowth. Anyway, good luck to us all and thanks for your blog.
Not sure if this is still monitored… Anyway, I’m Toni and I have an upcoming appointment for ingrown toenail removal from both sides of both big toes. My right toe is far worse than the left. The slightest tap on my toe shoots pain throughout my entire foot. To the point where walking extended periods can be extremely painful. Also I managed to obtain a wart on the bottom of my big right toe. Which makes everything worse. The problem is that earliest appointment available is in August. I will be gone most of July on small trips, where I will be doing a lot of walking. There’s no way my doctor can see me before I leave. So what should I do while on vacation? Any remedies to help with the pain? Aside from medication. Remember all of this is pre-op.
Wear shoes as seldom as possible, especially closed toe.
Eat anti-inflammatory foods.
Man I just had this done and they cut so much skin off, because my nail is so far in my toe. I am dieing, I just got a pressured wrap and ibeproufen. Any tips on how to alleviate pain? Every time I try to elevate it it just feels like a sharp pain and when I don’t it is a throbbing pain, I dunno what to do.
Ice and elevation helped, and anything anti-inflammatory (foods, too).
But throbbing makes me think it might be wrapped too tight or you have an infection.
How’s the pain now?
I legit had the outpatient surgery on both inner big toes. One was worse then the other and I had no infection prior. The shots didn’t hurt, but they gave me codeine to sort of numb the pain. Anyway I’m a server and they didn’t really give me any after care info. I need to be back on my feet serving by Sunday. I already have lose sneakers, but it’s my socks that aren’t really lose. Is it safe to serve that day. Also they put the stuff on your toes that prevents it from growing back thicker. Obviously I bled Day one and when I went to clean my toes there was still some of the dried black stuff mixed with blood. My toes are incredibly sore, how would you recommend washing them? TIA
Yes, I would definitely soak them in epsom salt and clean the wound if you can.
Wrapping your toe with gauze and stretchy tape will protect it from your sock, good call on the loose shoes.
But yeah, soaking in Epsom salt really sped up my initial healing process.
Also, try to take as many breaks just to raise your foot up as you can or ice it if you can.
Anything to relieve the pressure (just from walking) will be helpful to you as you heal.
Hope you feel better soon!
I have had this done around 6 times. Doctor said there was a 50/50 chance of it growing back and it did every time. I will be going in to the hospital for surgery. They will give me general anesthesia, cut out, scrap the nail bed and stitch me up. I hope this works for me. I can’t stand wearing shoes or sneakers anymore.
Hope you get the acid to burn the root, too.
Removing both my big toenails has brought me massive relief, though I don’t wear closed toe or non-wide shoes at all anymore.
Thanks for sharing. I had this done 4 months ago and in 1 spot I still have oozing and some bleeding. My toddler has stepped on my toes MANY times, so this might be contributing, but I am increasingly flummoxed by the surgeon’s laissez-faire attitude. I am back to nightly Epsom salt soaks and OTC topical antibiotic. I have been doing this a week now and to no avail. I am half-tempted to call and demand an oral antibiotic. Sigh.
Ugh, that sucks!
Any pain up the leg or does your toe just refuse to heal?
It just refuses to heal. I have been back every week the last few weeks and they have no answers other than to keep trimming the remaining nail back. Definitely not something explained as a possible outcome! It sucks! Back to nightly foot soaks.
@Jennifer – had mine done at the end of Feb and wrote to Tyler for advice as well. I had mine done years ago and it did not take. This time —not sure. I have healed as far as no more scabs and it took over 2 months for that but have the same issue with the skin –Doc said it looks fine but from my experience last time I do not think mine took but I am waiting to see. Hopefully yours is successful. I hear about 5% or so fail which is a small percentage but no fun if you are in that group.
Hi Tyler. I had my ingrown toenail removed yesterday but the pain is so bad. I had not infection. However, Im taking Ibuprofen 800 mg. Im from Florida by the way. I hope I feel better tomorrow. I didn’t think I was going to have so much pain. I also carry a baby that weight 30 pounds the whole day. I tried to keep it elevated the times the baby played. However, I didn’t have the chance to have my feet elevated all day. The doc had to inject the anestestic 3 times. I wasn’t getting it. I could feel the thing diggin in. It was a little traumatic. The Doc also burned the matrix with the phenol. I only had the stripped removed
I also asked for more anesthetic during my second through fourth surgeries. It helped.
Pain should subside by the second or third day if there’s no infection!
Hi Tyler! First i just wanted to say thank you so much for keeping this up to date, its been extremely informative. I had this done about 6 weeks ago and the healing was totally fine, no pain whatsoever. My left toe tho still has some discharge and I’m wondering if that is normal at this point – it doesn’t hurt and isnt red or swollen so I’m assuming its not infected.
You’re welcome!
I had discharge at eight weeks once. As long as it’s not infected, it’s likely part of the healing process.
It was for me, nothing came of it, but it was annoying.
I had both mine surgically removed almost 3 years ago. I’m starting to have discomfort again. Idk if it’s the skin that hardened or actual nails growing back but I just made an appointment. This pain is no joke and doesn’t help that I wear military boots at my job.
It’s probably rubbing on the boots. 🙁
Good luck!
Ugh probably smh I definitely don’t want to go through the surgery again. Oh did I mention I didn’t know I was allergic to the numbing spray till after my first in office procedure smh. I have to take the injections cold turkey?
Oh, that SUCKS. I once had a shot in between my upper lip and nose (for help in resetting my broken nose) and it still hurts when I think about it.
I’d imagine your experience with your toe might have been similar.
See what you can do to widen your shoes, that really helped me.
Hello I am 5 days out of having a ingrown toenail removal. The problem I am having it I’m the opposite side where he removed it and put the shots where the shots were to put it is kind of still numb and it kind it itches anybody else have anything like this
For me, that was my skin healing from the shots, which killed some of the deeper skin layers.
Just had this done on my left big toe. The shots sucked. Got a huge bandage around it now and currently laying here with it elevated on the couch. Numbness hasn’t completely wore off yet…I’m dreading when it does. Already took 2 pain killers though so I’m hoping it won’t be too bad. And I go in for gallbladder surgery in a few days…so great lol. I’m only a 28 yr old gal..too young for this lol. I also dread the soaking and dressing it. Right now it feels tingly and as though the tourniquet is still wrapped around it..maybe that’s the numbness wearing off. Bummerrrrr.
In all my procedures, the absolute worst part (not counting infection) was right as the initial numbness wore off and the bandage felt like a tourniquet…just like what you’re doing through.
Good news, it won’t last. Rotating between elevating and icing my toe helped a lot, as well as taking any kind of anti inflammatory including foods.
Smart to plan surgeries so close to each other…I think!
Just spent the last couple hours reading ALL the posts.
Yesterday at 2:00 I had a partial removal on the inside of my right big toe AND the outside of my left big toe. I don’t know how many shots she put in each toe, but they hurt like a bitch. They were extremely numb.
It’s now Friday night and 31 hours later and they are still numb. I called the doctors line at 24 hours because I was concerned I had some type of permanent damage or something. The oncall doctor called me back and basically said to be thankful it hasn’t wore off yet that I must be a slow metabolizer. To call back tomorrow at 48 hours if it hasn’t wore off.
Have you experienced this or heard of this?
Heard of it, yes.
But haven’t experienced it.
I did have some trouble when my bandages were too tight.
I can see why you’re concerned, though the more shots I had, the longer it took to wear off.
How you doing now?
Just had partial nail removal done two days ago. Is it normal to still be experiencing throbbing even though I’ve basically been lying around keeping it elevated for 48 hours It looks very red and raw is still seeping clear fluid.
It was for me. Your toe has been through way more trauma than we realize.
Try ice and any kind of inflammatory you can, including food options.
Does it hurt or is it throbbing?
Clear seepage is totally normal.
It doesn’t hurt per se but definitely throbs if I’m on my feet for more than 15 minutes or so. Thanks for the tips! I’ll see how it goes
That’s pretty normal. Make sure your bandages and shoes aren’t too tight.
Hi, I just got my entire big toenail removed. First time I had the sides removed and the remaining nail continues to curve into the sides. Doc used sodium hydroxide because it’s supposed to be a lot less healing time than phenol. You said you had your whole big toenails removed. How’s it been? Any issues?
Save for the infection I got the first week because I tried to help an office renovate and wouldn’t stay off my feet, nope!
My toes never hurt anymore, I don’t stub them (it’s your cuticle that hurts, not your toe), and I’ve had almost nothing but positive experiences.
I did my get toe caught under a door once, and it cut into a place where the nail would been, but that’s more pure chance.
It’s been something like four years now and I wish I’d just had them removed in the first place.
I did change what kind of shoes I wore, though. Wider options. But it’s been great!
That’s awesome. I want to get all my toenails removed eventually. Tired of dealing with them. Ultra runners manage to convince doctors to get them all removed and love the results. Sodium hydroxide seems to have less drainage than phenol. Just have had a bandaid on since the surgery.
Nice!
I want to get both my pinky toenails removed, as their both really smashed in from wearing too-narrow athletic shoes.
But they’d almost need to be dug out.
Ugh. Toenails are so pointless.
My pinky toenails are disappearing into the sides too. I have to dig them out morning and night with a nail tool. Why do your cuticles hurt on your big toes?
When I used to stub my toes, the pain was the nail being pushed into the cuticle.
Now that I don’t have nails, stubbing my toe hurts way, way, way less.
It’s been 6 and just had my follow up with the doctor! No infection but I think it’s pretty weird that the top part looks normal and pretty much healed but the bottom (near cuticle) is still very red and seeping? My doctor wasn’t concerned and he also said NOT to use polysporin or anything. I’m not convinced at his competency though because he said if it got worse he’d remove more toenail which seems odd.. Thoughts? How long was it before your toe looked “clean” like in your second to last picture? Thank you!
It took about 2-3 months, and another 90 days for it to look like it does now.
It also depends on how much you’re resting and what kind of shoes you’re wearing.
Hi Tyler….just reading thru all the stories. Maybe you can give me some info. I had my big toenail removed a week ago. Entire thing, root and all due to fungus and ingrown nail problem for years. I soak once a day in epsom salts and 1 cup of vinegar and warm water. Then bandage with triple antibiotic ointment (Neosporin). Not too much pain, here and there…mostly during the night. I will have acid treatment on the nail bed next week. Anyway, my question is the skin around the nail is still very red. The redness hasn’t grown in size, and maybe it is a little less red, but still fairly red. Is this from the chemical used or should I go back and get it looked at before my chem. treatment next week?
It’s red because it’s still healing. You toe has been through a helluva lot of trauma and has no idea what to do now that your toenail is gone.
It lessened, for me, over a few months.
Thanks Tyler for responding. I wasn’t sure about calling the dr., but your response reassured me I might be overreacting to this. This whole procedure has been a lot worse than I thought!
Totally get you. Every doctor I’ve had was VERY wrong about the healing time involved.
Most of them said “you’ll be back running in a week with a bandage on it” and they were off by months, not weeks.
Glad I could help, I used to freak out about this stuff too, I’m so “glad” I had my trimming experiences to prepare me for my full toenail removal.
Sorry to keep bugging you Tyler! But it seems you’ve become the de facto expert on ingrown toenail surgery…I’ve noticed some stiffness/tenderness in the big toe near the joint where it meets my foot. A bit of tenderness when walking/ putting pressure not pain per se but feels more like a muscle strain. No redness or swelling and It only started yesterday. Did you have any experience with this?
Yep.
Your shoes are either too tight/narrow, you’re over compensating as you heal, or your joint is still internally inflamed and will be stiff.
Continue to ice and rest as often as possible.
Nothing to worry about long term, from my experience.
Thanks Tyler! Definitely feel like my doctor undersold the recovery process… he made it seem as if I would be up and about and back to normal in a matter of days!
Yeah, my last one told me that only 7% of people have complications.
I had complications.
Then that only 3% of those got infections.
I got an infection.
Really distrust regular medical doctors now, I only go to them when I’m almost certain what is wrong and I can’t do it myself (antibiotics, etc.)
Hi Tyler:
I had my ingrown toenails removed (both big toes) 8-days-ago. The Dr. sprayed the numb-numb cold spray before in injections; which I still felt but it wasn’t too too bad. The surgery was fine, just felt pressure; and no, I didn’t watch her work…I just kept ready my book. I didn’t have any pain even when the injections wore off; though, it was slightly tender.
The aftercare instruction I got were two-fold as follows: Verbal instruction-soak 2-3 times daily with epsom salt and warm water, clean with a sterile q-tip or new and unused toothbrush at each soak, leave un-bandaged to let it dry out, do not use ointments of any kind. The Dr. wanted to Rx Keflex but when I requested an anti-yeast infection medication to go with the Keflex (which ALWAYS gives me a yeast infection) she said she doesn’t Rx that; so we opted to not Rx the Keflex (unless it gets infected).
The written aftercare instructions they gave me were as follows: Everything was pretty much the same except they said to KEEP THE WOUNDS COVERED…WHAT?!!
I wasn’t sure which instruction was correct so I decided to go with the one that was in writing…you may have heard the saying: “If it’s not in writing, it didn’t happen.
I haven’t had any problems with my toes being in pain and the seepage is normal; I chose to use q-tips for cleaning since I couldn’t imagine using a toothbrush on an open wound…I know that would hurt!
The past couple of days, though, my toes (both of them) have become more tender and there is some mild redness on the skin below the cuticles and on the skin of the sides of the toes near where the nail parts were removed; but there is no pus visible, just the normal oozing and not too much of it.
My son took pics of my toes and sent them to my daughter who is a nurse living in another state. She couldn’t believe the after-care instructions I was given (i.e. no antibiotic ointments, keep it uncovered, soak in warm water with epsom salt, clean with q-tip or toothbrush, etc.) She thinks the redness in indicative of possible infection, that the water for soaking could cause infection from exposure to germs, keeping it UNCOVERED and not using ointments doesn’t make any sense, and advised me to talk to my Dr. to make sure that it hasn’t become infected.
Last night I decided that I would disregard the instructions and applied neosporin ointment and redressed the wounds. Today, after my soak with water and epsom salt (before I spoke to my daughter-the nurse) and using the q-tip, I dried thoroughly, applied copious amounts of neosporin, and redressed the wounds.
Today is Friday, I’m going to continue with that treatment through the weekend and see if there’s any change (good or bad) by Monday. If it looks worse, I will go see the Dr.; if it looks the same or better then I will wait for my follow-up appt. on this coming Thursday.
I just wanted to know what your take on this is.
That’s weird, I was always told to keep it covered until the seepage stopped, then only during the day to protect the wound.
Epsom salt with water soaks should be fighting infections from what I understand, they always felt helpful to me.
The redness around where the nail removed was, for me, just the inner skin healing back up. It even blistered a bit.
My signs of infection were pain into the foot and leg, the redness at the wound site didn’t seem to matter in that regard, but everyone is definitely different.
What kind of shoes are you wearing during the day? Anything not open toed could be pressing and affecting the area.
I’m cringing just imagining how much that hurt!
It hurt less than the ingrown toenails did.
Hey Tyler:
Thanks for getting back to me. I mostly go barefoot at home and I wear flip flops outside; so there’s no pressure being put on my toes at all. My surgery area isn’t giving me pain at all; of course I don’t really touch it and when I clean it I use q-tips, not a toothbrush. I do the warm water Epsom salt soaks. I followed the instructions of no ointment, but I disregarded the instructions of not keeping it covered because that didn’t make any sense to me. Besides, I know how I am and something would end up getting into the wounds…I mean, seriously, they’re on my feet for Pete’s sake…why wouldn’t they get dirty! My daughter, a nurse, recommended that I keep my feet covered with socks over the bandages, so I’ve been doing that for a couple of days as well.
The past couple of days I’ve been putting neosporin ointment on them and keeping them covered; both of which I was instructed not to do. But leaving my big toes uncovered and no neosporin just doesn’t mesh with everything I’ve ever been taught about wound care.
The redness on my toes stops near the bottom of the gauze wrap on each big toe; weird huh? I thought that maybe my toes are reacting to the gauze (cotton) so I’m going to sleep bare toed tonight to see if the redness lessens or not. I’ve never had a reaction to cotton before so it might not be that; and I don’t think I put the gauze on too tight (it’s roll gauze).
I have four grown children and gained much experience with wound care over the years; there isn’t much I haven’t seen or at least heard of. So much of this doesn’t make sense to me; is it just that toe care is THAT different from wound care on the rest of the body? Strange bed fellows, these toes~!
The redness may be the deeper skin healing going on, if you had acid to remove the root, there’s a lot of damage that needs to be fixed.
Caring for toe wounds seems to be different, at least for me as someone who’s had plenty of scrapes and cuts and even cyst removals, because we tend to continue using our feet all the time, forgetting that even flexing it to protect while walking causes stress.
Thanks Tyler:
I did have the acid to kill the root done. I went to the podiatrist a couple of days ago (just two days early of my follow-up appt.) and was given antibiotics and told to come back in one week. The Dr. did say that the acid will cause the redness I have but it did look like it was trying to be infected. She also reminded me to soak 2-3 times a day
followed by removing the ‘plug’ that forms in the corner of the cuticle from the drainage. So that’s where I’m at right now. I’ll know more after my next appt.
Cool! Glad you caught that infection early. Mine hurt…a lot.
Thanks for being caring and sharing Tyler. : )
Mine doesn’t really hurt, it’s just very tender most of the time; the antibiotics seem to be helping, though. The redness is still there; I wonder how long that will take to go away.
Weeks to months, depending on how often you rest and what kind of shoes you wear.
Hey Tyler,
I have a question. Did you have to clean your toe to remove the drainage after removal of the entire toenail? I wasn’t told to do that. I’m wondering if there will be buildup that will plug the drainage in and slow down healing. It’s just such a wide area being the entire big toe.
My last doctor didn’t have me clean my toe either and he had to do debridement every time I went in to see him. That time was just the sides removed. Thanks.
No, I did not do the cleaning when my whole toenail was removed, only when the sides were trimmed.
There was no real pocket to clean when my entire toenail was removed like there was when the sides were trimmed.
Well then, it may just be weeks for the redness to clear up since I’m a perpetual flip flop kind of gal; I live in California which makes it easy to pull-off.
This is really useful!
I’ve just had the op done about a week ago now, and im really struggling with wearing shoes for school, as the pain is getting worse. I’ve had the operation on both of my big toes and i’ve been told to redo the dressings every night and soak the toes in salt water for 2-3 minutes. I’m not really seeing much improvement and the swelling and pain isn’t getting better.
Are there any signs you know of that i should be looking for so i know the toe isn’t healing properly?
Thank you
Your shoes are probably contributing to the swelling and redness, are you staying off your feet and icing?
Any chance you can get away with not wearing shoes?
Anti-inflammatory meds and foods should help.
By salt, you mean Epsom salt, yes?
You know it’s infected if the pain starts creeping up your leg or it hurts to move your ankle/knee.
I’m using just regular table salt which is what the doctor has told me to use.
I’m also still in full time education, and I feel that taking my shoes off in the classroom will leave them unprotected from the dangers of being stamped on.
I think icing should help, so I will definitely try that!
Table salt, huh? Interesting.
Yikes on the kids stamping, wish you could buy larger/wider shoes, but then moving around would cause even more issues with the sliding around.
I iced, then elevated, iced, then elevated a lot.
It helped.
Best of luck.
Hi, i just got my entire (big) toe nail removed and treated so it doesnt grow back. Pain lasted for days and all i could take was tylenol because Im pregnant. But i was wondering if its normal for it to look uglier each day? Pain has decreased greatly, my entire foot is still swollen (cant take anything for that), but it looks uglier every day. My doctor didnt really tell me what to look for if it isnt healing properly. Its probably fine but I cant help but freak out about it. All im doing is cleaning every day with hydrogen peroxide, applying neosporin, and puttinf a bandaid on. His post op care was very basic.
I had good luck with natural anti-inflammatory stuff like turmeric.
I was also specifically NOT to use hydrogen peroxide, as it kills even the healthy skin cells, which might be making the ugliness worse.
I’d consider epsom salt instead of hydrogen peroxide, it worked really well for me.
Pain is a good indicator of healing, the swelling and redness will go down, but being pregnant I’m sure is making that worse, too.
I didnt even think of tumeric!
When soaking in epsom salt, did you leave the area uncovered or did you cover it with a bandage and then soak? Google tells me different things on soaking open wounds lol
I try to take the bandage off first, as it’s usually pretty dirty, and soak it without it.
Or I’ll shower before, take off the bandage, and soak.
It’s going to sting at first, but it felt so much better the next morning for me, every time.
Thanks for this great blog. I’d no idea how common this was until it happened to me. I had it done in Guatemala at the beginning of a vacation because a piece of nail had broken off and embeded in my flesh. They call it “encarnada” (in the meat)! Sorry for off topic. Anyway, there was relatively little pain even after the surgery .. I think he really upped the lidocaine because I was screaming when he started to cut. Looked scary when it was first healing. I did cover it at all times with two bandaids, used antibiotic cream or neosporin for a month. Wore only sandals with or without socks.
Now that I’m home (5 weeks later) it’s still red, but I think finally I see the nail growing. My doc here in California recommended Amlactin, an alpha hydroxy lotion to prevent skin from growing back into the new nail. That caused more redness after the first application but seemed to clear up scabbing and loose skin … we’ll see. Soaking with or without epsom salt seems to be the best treatment for comfort. Am waiting nervously to see if the ingrown comes back as the nail grows up. Still do best wearing sandals, but winter’s coming.
Thanks again, Tyler.
Yeah, I had my nail grow back a few millimeters in one small spot.
It eventually fell off.
Totally hear you on shoes, i wore a half size too big for a while to compensate.
Hi Tyler,
Just spent a good long while reading this thread, it’s fascinating to read about everyone’s different experiences!
I had partial avulsions both sides of both big toes w/ phenol just over 2 weeks ago, they didn’t weep at all the first week, pain was minimal after the first day up until the 8th, then the shooting pains started in right toe, went to gp (was advised to by podiatrist) on 10th day to see what they thought as it was possible infection due to pain and slight swelling, got given a course of flucloxacillin (I’m in UK so not sure if it’s the same in US?) seemed to calm down after a day or so, but today (day 16) right toe is stinging/burning and shooting pains are back, haven’t finished antibiotics yet got 2 days left, I have also today noticed I have a small blister in both outer corners of both toes? Is this normal? For over 2 weeks in? The podiatry reception at my clinic are honestly useless, I rang when I said about original pain and swelling and honestly all I got for a 10 minute phone call was “ ummm call your gp if you’re concerned” (when I was told during my actual surgery to ring anytime in office hours as they could advise me better than gp and I could speak to a pod as someone is always available, but no one was there when I rang ??♀️ And then she said we can book you in to see a pod in 3 WEEKS, which wasn’t helpful to me then at all obviously) sorry for the rant but I honestly can’t speak to anyone abou this as no one I know has had this surgery or dealt with podiatry etc before so I feel a bit stuck, as to whether I should be having these shooting pains or what could be causing them? And the blisters weeks after?
I haven’t worn shoes or knocked I at all since having this done so I know it’s nothing “mechanical” causing the pain if that makes sense,
I truly hope you can shed some sort of light on what is happening/if this is normal etc,
Many Thanks
Kelly
Sorry I missed this!
The blistering is normal, that’s the acid bubbling out and the new skin forming. They go away.
Hope your pain has subsided by now, try to eat as many anti-inflammatory foods as possible.
I got this procedure done on both sides of both of my big toes nine days ago. I’ve had a pretty difficult recovery. I soak my feet in epsom salt baths 2x a day and redress/rewrap my toes. I thought my recovery was going well because by day 4 I wasn’t in much pain at all, but it has just gotten worse from there. I trimmed away the extra dead skin and called my podiatrist yesterday requesting antibiotics to help with possible infection. I have taken three doses of antibiotics, but was up the entire night with throbbing toes. Do you think the antibiotics should help soon and make the pain and redness subside?
It took about 2.5 days for my antibiotics to really kick in.
But I had success in alternating between raising my feet and icing them, wearing no or super-wide shoes, and eating food/medicine that was anti-inflammatory.
Hi again, thanks for reply!
Blister is getting bigger and the skin looks quite brown over the top of it, it’s not painful, though I’m not overly concerned now as you’ve said blistering is normal,
And still getting intermittent shooting pains, but def better than they were, im on day 23 now and it’s only just started to feel slightly less painful, still mega sensitive though, pods called me couple of days ago to arrange a check up as I’ve had a course of antibiotics, il update tommorow just to say how it went!
Many thanks
Kelly
Cool. The blisters all went away, for me. I did nothing but cover them.
Hope it goes well and you continue to improve!
Hi Kelly, I just want to weigh in on the blister, which eventually opened and turned to peeling, dry skin all around the wound. My doc recommended Amlactin lotion (available online or at Target or CVS at least). It’s a little expensive, but it’s an alpha hydroxy body lotion which did away with the dead skin almost immediately. Doc said it would be useful to keep the skin from growing around the nail as it grew out and so far, it has. You might want to wait until you’re off antibiotics and less sensitive before starting. Best,
Hi thanks for replying quickly guys!
The aftercare for me here (south uk) is just strong salt water bathing for 3 minutes everyday and then a dry non stick dressing, until weeping subsides, I have been told not to apply any creams/ointments etc and not to knock off the scab that’s slowly starting to form, I’ve been reminded to no end by the pod to not touch the wound under any circumstance (I assume this is so no bacteria can enter?) and I have been religious in following the instructions, oh and when I shower I have to keep it covered with a rubber glove to stop any shampoo water going into wound (that’s fun having to cheat death every time I want a shower, trying to grip a wet shower floor with rubber gloved toes is not easy let me tell you lol) again I can stop using the gloves/ dressings when weeping stops, god it’s a pain in the ass. 😐
drank half a bottle of benadryl passed out woke up the next afternoon and the pain of the first day was over lol
Thanks, Tyler for such an informative blog! I had a partial removal on the inside of my big toe yesterday. The cold spray made the shots truly bearable and the procedure went really quickly. My aftercare instructions were slightly different. This morning I was to remove the bandage and soak my foot in soapy water (No paricicular kind of soap…I used Neutrogena Rainbath.) He gave me a surgical sponge preloaded with disinfectant and with a soft brush on one side. It is the kind of sponge you see a surgeon scrubbing with pre-surgery. Told me to scrub for 5 minutes and to repeat the process 4X/Day for 2 weeks. Also instructed that I clean the nail crease with a q-tip at the first scrubbing. Follow up with a layer of neosporin and a fresh dressing. Have been lucky to be pain free. The anesthetic was wearing off when I got home and some throbbing started, but one I got my foot up and iced it the pain went away almost immediately. Guess I am one of the lucky ones. Off now to foot bath session 5. Thanks again for such an informative site!
Hi again,
Update on blisters etc, went to pod yesterday, she looked at it and went straight to work by popping and removing the blister, which I was quite surprised by because as far as I’ve been told you should only pop a blister if it’s interfering with movement/massive which mine was neither, and not to “de roof” blisters if you do pop them, and she did both 😐
She said she hasn’t seen blisters after phenol matricectomy before, which I find very hard to believe considering what I been told here and what I’ve read otherwise seeing as they are effectively giving you a chemical burn, but I dunno maybe she meant SHES never seen it before not it’s not heard of but???
And as for the shooting pains I’m getting she said that’s not a typical thing but I do have wounds obviously and everyone responds in their own way, my pain threshold is pretty good too (I’ve had 2 children no pain relief) so I know it’s gotta be hurting a decent amount for it to bother me, so god knows, maybe I’m just really overly sensitive to phenol? Is that even a thing lol?
Oh and she took out a blade and took out a nice chunk of scab right at the cuticle/side wall join as she did possibly think after removing the blister that it could have been a “spicule” causing the blister, but it wasn’t lol so back to a fresh weeping wound on one side now, great fun!
Many thanks
Kelly
I had this surgery done to me not to long ago. My right big toe hasn’t been bothering me ever since the surgery but my left big toe is starting to bother me. I went to my doctor and he said that there’s nothing wrong with it. I don’t have any symptoms of an ingrown toenail but my left big toe is starting to turn red. Did the shots leave bruises on either of your toes? I got two shots and both of them have left a bruise on my right big toe (where I had my ingrown toenail removed). Don’t go to Urgent Care for things like these. Before I got the surgery I got an ingrown toenail 2 times and my dad took me to Urgent Care. All they gave me was anti-biotics and it made the swelling go down but a few months later it would come back. Did you know ingrown toenails come in stages? My ingrown toenail is gone but some of the chemical is still on the inside of my foot. Like the black stuff is still where the ingrown toenail was removed. Is that normal?
Mine left bruises where the dead skin grew back from the inside.
Took a couple months to fully heal, far longer than the doc said.
I also had to change all of my shoes, as those are what irritated it.
I went back to the doctors yesterday and it turns out that I have another ingrown toenail on my left big toe. I’m getting the surgery done on the 6th (the day before I go back to school)! There are these freshman boys that like to step on people’s toes (it’s a new game the like to play now). I’m afraid of going back to school because I don’t want them stepping on my foot. They both know that I’m getting surgery but that doesn’t mean that I’m not safe from them! I have no clue what to do with them 😮
I have to go back to the doctors to get another ingrown toenail removed on my left big toe. I’m going to get the surgery done on the 6th (the day before I go back to school)! I’m a little nervous about that because these freshman boys developed a new game (seeing how many people’s feet they can step on). I told them about getting the surgery and how they can’t step on my foot until I’m healed. I don’t think they fully listened to me though because all they said was “okay” then continued playing their foot game. I’m happy that I’m getting it done over winter break and I’m glad that I know what to expect but I’m not happy about the boys and their new game. I don’t know what else to do! When I had the ingrown removed on my right big toe it was on a half day which gave me a few days to rest. Any advice for the boys and their new game? Really don’t need the extra weight and pain from both of them. Oh and they travel in packs too!
I’m not a large or tough man, but if someone stepped on my healing ingrown toenail or even repeatedly threatened to, I might tase or Mace them.
Perhaps crutches could help, or finding a instructor with a heart who can protect or shield you from them.
Be sure to keep your cell phone video handy to shame the heck out of them online if they dare mess with you.
I’m getting a little heated right now even thinking of this, to be honest.
Would you mind if I called your school about this? This kind of behavior is completely unacceptable.
I am so sorry you have to deal with such pieces of trash.
I had a partial nail removal on both sides of my left great toe yesterday morning. I didn’t have the nailbed treatment so the nail will grow back.
I was afraid of the potential pain, but Tylenol brought the pain from a 7/10 to a 4/10. I spent yesterday resting with my foot raised. At one point last night my toe was throbbing, but the dose of Tylenol made it better. I slept well with a giant pillow under my sheet that kept the blanket off my toe.
This morning, it hurt pretty bad, but when I went for my first soak in an Epsom Salt bath I realized that it mostly hurt bc dried blood on the bandage was pulling on my nail. It felt much better after the soak. I had already made the decision to stay at home, so I’ve been resting with my foot up today. The pain is at a 3/10 wearing sandals with socks. Tomorrow is a Friday and I have a very light schedule, so I just might take tomorrow off too. I have a trip at the end of the month that I can’t miss, so I want to be careful and avoid delay in healing.
Thanks for this web site! It’s been very helpful in understanding what to expect!
Thank you for sharing your story!
Hi,
I got the inside of both big toes removed two weeks ago. There is still black scabbing at the surgical site. When I put shoes and socks on or when something touches the nail, it hurts. Is this normal? When can I start wearing shoes again?
Thanks
You’re still very early in the healing process. Has it stopped seeping at night?
Your shoes may be part of the problem, it helped me to consider that.
I’m scared of the needles im scared of the needles !! Help lol
Ask for the numbing spray and close your eyes real tight!
The spray helped me with the needle pain a ton.
Hi Tyler! Fixed my left toe in October and of course the right toe also became ingrown and I just had the partial nail removal yesterday. It doesn’t hurt very much but it’s been 24 hours and there’s still a bit of bleeding along with the seepage . Is this normal? I don’t recall any additional bleeding when I did my left toe. Thank you as always for being the best resource and sharing your expertise!
Yep. I’ve read that bleeding can take up to three days to stop, while seepage can take a couple of weeks.
Drainage is good, pain and swelling are not.
I have had it done on both sides of one big toe. Now it looks as if I need it on the other big toe. My biggest issue was the itching. It would wKe me at night and nearly drive me crazy. The second time was worse and ended up itching on other parts of that side of my body! Horrid. I wasn’t told to use Epsom salts with soaking. That helps you said, so may try that this time. Just dreading it! Great site, thanks!
The itching can definitely get uncomfortable!
Three months from surgery and I wore some shoes with hard toe for a short walk. Now toe is red and angry looking. Still not very painful. Soaking in epson salts helps. Podiatrist still says it’s ok, come back in 6 months. Seems patience is one of the treatments for ingrown toenail.
Anyone else have trouble with continued redness and swelling at the side & tip of toe?
Yes, I had to change all my shoes.
one of my toenails is narrower than the other because the doc took the root out.
I had toe nail surgery 6 months back. Two days back the part a part was paining and when i pressed it. There was pus inside. It was in large quantity. Whenever i leave that part untouched the pus starts increasing and the skin covers that part. It is a very small part.
Sounds like an infected cyst-like thing.
Should definitely have that checked out, it might need to be lanced and stitched.
I had my big toenail completely removed and killed off yesterday and today, this morning it’s sgull throbbing and so painful. When can I expect it to feel somewhat better??? I also have work in two days and am on my feet for 12 hours. I’m wondering if I should call off that day?
The first day after is the worst.
Make sure you have wide shoes or can rest a lot during the workday, if you’re going to try it.
Wow I cannot believe you still comment back on your procedures and answer questions. First I just want to say this post gave me a lot of relief as I have been thinking my toes are healing weird. I went in for an evaluation which ended up to be a surgical procedure in the same day. Haha! Well I got luck of the draw and had both big toes done on both sides. I work at a doctors office and my podiatrist is friends with one of the doctors I work with. It’s been 3 days and I’ve been pretty blessed with pain. He used cold spray and had to do 4 numbing shots in the left toe and 2 in the right toe. On each toe he got directly in the nerve (felt a little pain from shots). The shots lasted about 24-48 hours to completely wear off. I went to work the following day and was on my feet for almost 7-8 hours that day. I have felt no pain in my toe nails them selves, more of an occasional sharp pain (which isn’t even that bad) occasionally in my feet from him actually hitting my nerves. I’ll take that pain rather than the pain you guys experienced. I haven’t had to take any ibuprofen either 😀 anyways thanks again and keep up the great work ❤️
Damn. What a great experience. I’m envious!
Hi tyler
I had my toenail partial removed with phenol. 2 weeks ago. Took off my dressing 5 days after the procedure. Everything was good . No pain at all. Soaking as instructed twice per day. Things went weird when I started to soak. My wound had minor bleed and it got worse day by day. Then my doctor told me to stop soaking. Now my wound is dry after 2 weeks. But when I flex my toe I feel pain and my wound is restricting me from flexing. I feel like my wound is wide open and not healing I’m almost positive this is not cause by infection. Also I’m asian. We never soak wound in China. Any ideas what’s going on. I’m very worried.
Hope you’re still doing okay.
Hi Albert,
Just want to say that your wound is still healing and maybe it’s not a good idea to flex your toe while the wound is trying to close. I have had three partial removals on four toes, and that didn’t work so I have had four toenails completely removed with sodium hydroxide which has less drainage and faster healing time than phenol. I eventually will get the other six toes done the same way. On one toe it was very painful to soak. But it didn’t bleed. I’m guessing that the soaking reopened the wound in your toe and that is why it’s bleeding. But if you’re moving your toe too much then it will reopen the wound too. Soaking helped my toes to improve circulation when they were super swollen and red, otherwise hard to tell the benefits. My doctor told me do it if it feels better, but he also said it is a tradition without scientific basis. I do it just because I don’t want to not do it and delay healing. So talk to your doctor to see if soaking is necessary. Everybody is different. Even my individual toes react differently to the surgery!
Are you seeing your doctor for followup?
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Just had mines done about 1.5 hrs ago. Shot was alarming because of the size of the needle but not painful (only had to have one). He moved the needle around inside my skin but I was numb quick so the movement didnt hurt. The most painful part was the squeezing of my nail as he cut and snipped at it. I was more freaked out than in pain. I jokingly told the other patients in the waiting run to “RUN”..They got a kick out of that as if they could lololol. I’m expecting to be in pain after the numbness wears off considering DR didnt give me anything for pain nor dressing for this bloody wound soaking thru my good socks…
No bandage at all?
Yikes. Might want to grab some of your own, at least to protect it when you wear closed-toe shoes.
Been dealing with an ingrown toenail for the past five months and I’ve decided to schedule an appointment to have it looked at and then go from there. I have a large scab looking area on the left side of my big toe and I’m hoping that’s all that needs fixing. Although I’m not sure what this is but the right side of the inner nail is almost see-through like and it’s bleed from that side twice. I also have this build up of this stuff all the way around under my nail. idk what it is but it hardens when it’s dry but when it’s wet I can scrape it out, very smelly. What are the odds I can get them to put me under and then while I’m out use the injection? I can’t do needles as every time I’ve gotten one something bad as happened. Either I turn pail and feel sick or the numbing as it’s NEVER ever worked before. My job involves heavy pressure on my feet 8 hours a day. How long do you think I’ll be out for?
How did this go?
Most people are not at full strength for a couple of weeks.
This thread had been so useful. My question is, how much vinegar should be in the water? And is it white vinegar or organic apple vinegar for the soak? You also mentioned adding baby soap to the mixture?
Capful/teaspoon of white vinegar.
Yes, Johnson and Johnson’s No More Tears.
idk if anyone is still monitoring this anymore but i really hope they are. i had an ingrown toenail 10 years ago and had the partial nail removal and that part deadened. So when i caused the same injury that caused the first ingrown toe nail on same spot but OPPOSITE foot i knew exactly what i was in for. After trying to heal it before it became ingrown (hoping i could undo my mistake) and it became ingrown i found a local podiatrist. I was an idiot and did not research him enough or find out about how much it should cost until it was too late(i paid $400 ugh). I set up an appointment and had the partial nail removal and deaden the nail done. He tried to skip the deadening of the nail and i had to stop him and remind him that i specifically requested that. He stuck the long qtip in the acid then into my toe, before he wrapped it up he took his mini “ice-cream scoop” and removed the side cutical before i could stop him. 0o0…. the cutical looked healthy and didnt look like it needed to be removed, but i told myself this is his profession surely he knows what he is doing…
he prescribed antibiotics and told me to keep it untouched for 72 hours and never to soak it. after 72 hours remove the bandage and change the bandage every morning and night. that was it!!! i thought thats noting like my first surgery after care instructions, told myself the medical field is always evolving. He told me if anything goes wrong or it comes back within 90 days hell fix it for free, i responded ok good(i was concerned about what hed done to my cutical) As im leaving he tells me to stay off my foot for 7 days! no work! My bosses were not happy, neither was i. But i did as i was told. After 60 days i call back and tell them it still hasnt healed and ive had 2 prescriptions of antibiotics and they tell me i have to pay again! I reminded them what i was told about it being free and they said i still had to pay again! I didnt have the money then and i dont have it now(9 months later). the operation was on july 3 2018 (ruined my july 4 plans(but it was necessary). and now its april 9 2019 and it is still not healed. when winter started i kept getting sick so i had to start wearing close toed shoes(i had to cut a toe hole for my unhealed toe) now its spring so im back in these flipflops ive grown to hate because they are the only shoes i can wear. so my nail is healthy, its not ingrown (i check it periodically making sure theres still a normal edge) and the cutical took 30 days after surgery to regrow. Since that point i have tried every postcare instructions to get it to heal. For a brief time after the cuticle grew back there was a weird piece of “under skin” (it looked like the layer of skin under the protective outer layer of skin) that would grow out of my cutical like it was trying to cover my remaining nail… gross. I didnt know what to do so i would cut it back so it looked normal. But it kept growing back so after the 5th time i decided id experiment on it and test a theory and i tucked it into the crater that would fill with puss and that seemed to be what my body was trying to do cause it hasnt come back. but the lower corner still wont heal… its not infected, the nail is perfectly healthy and growing like normal an the skin around my nail looks normal and healthy. the small area of the cutical he wrongly removed has a very light purple to it (like scar tissue) but its not grose looking like the scary pics you see online of this operation going wrong. Any way i need help, please anyone who knows of how to fix this ill try anything new. Im broke right now so i cant afford to pay a professional to look at it. Its looked the same for months now, that bottom corner looks like the nail is in the way? and it wont heal. ive gotten pedicures and that doesnt help, lol the one place that fixes ingrown nails during a pedicure told me not too come back again cause they cant help :/ im in the process of getting a new job that pays more but requires close toed shoes… if i wear close toed shoes for 2 hours my unhealing wound swells up and ooses. i soak it in a water and salt mixture which helps keep it clean. Someone please help. Again i have no money, it all goes to paying for college (3.8GPA), feeding my 3 rescued cats and bills.
Ah, that really sucks.
Feels like it’s the shoes themselves causing the issues.
Have you looked into getting wider shoes? LEMS work well for well.
The purple is bruising scar tissue, for sure.
Any chance you have medical care through your college?
well the shoes are your basic flip flop and put no pressure on my toes what so ever. They are the kind that have on strap between your big toe and second toe and split to attach on both sides of your foot. I have wide feet (widest at my toes and behind my toes) and they are wide enough to allow room on both sides of my feet. I wore my comfortable well broke in western boots for 2 hours the other morning to dig several holes in the ground and when i was done the unhealing wound had swollen up. Those boots dont put pressure on my toe because i cut the big toe off the removable insole. I was researching the human toe anatomy and it seems like the edge groove is what is missing on the unhealing wound. if you look and the toenail like a square its the bottom left corner that wont heal. im not sure the purple is bruising, im pretty sure its not bruising, it looks more like scare tissue then a bruise. It doesnt hurt when you push it like a bruise would, unless you push that side pretty hard then it hurts bacause the nail edge is in the un healing wound. Again the nail is healthy and the skin around it is healthy, except that corer that wont heal. But defiantly not infected or having a fungus of any kind. I really am not sure why its not healing, there is no infection or fungus and im not wearing close toes shoes (as much as id like to).
I strongly doubt ive got medical care through my college, ill look into it tomorrow.
UPDATE:
So i don’t have medical insurance through my college, the job I am hoping to get will have great medical insurance and benefits(but that does me no good right now).
Okay so I someone told me that doctors are afraid of the Medical Board and BBB so I decided to research why that was. I was thrilled to learn that you can report doctors to the BBB and Medical Board (if you have all the right information and perfect documentation) and doctors will pay thousands to get it hidden (not removed but hidden). It is basically the only thing you can do to take disciplinary action against a doctor in my state because sewing them is not worth it. So knowing that information and after reviewing the needed documents for filing with the medical board I called that podiatrist. I told them about the non healing wound, reminded them about the 90 day fix it free guarantee i was promised, my knowledge of the Medical Board, and bluffed having all the documents needed. Suddenly they too were concerned for my health. I was called back the next day and asked to come in as soon as possible so they could fix it for free. When I arrived the office manager greeted me and apologized for the “terrible inconvenience” the “miscommunication” caused me, she informed me they had a change of office staff. I was taken to a room and the dr came in and told me about the change of staff, apologized for my pain and the miscommunication and looked at my toe and said i had a “toenail spicule”. I am not a podiatrist, i am a computer scientist and having a 9 month non-healing wound i have had plenty of time to research the big toe anatomy. I really don’t believe it was a spicule, I had spicules on both my big toes and pulling them is what caused both ingrown nails. I occasionally get them on my finder nails (when I haven’t given myself a manicure in a while) and they are not always a problem. He told me he was going to redo the surgery, and I watched very closely and was ready to stop him if he decided to do something unnecessary like remove my perfectly healthy cutical. The surgery went exactly as you would expect, when he pulled the nail section he tried to immediately throw it away without showing me and I stopped him (I was ready to jump out of that chair to stop him) and asked to see it. He gave it to me and i asked him to show me the spicule and he pointed to the nail and said that side, there was no spicule but I nodded my head and played along. He tried to get me to throw the nail away and (last time he offered to let me keep it) i thought that was strange so I kept it. The angle of the new cut gave my toenail a much more normal shape and I believe that was the reason it wouldn’t heal. He removed alot of scar tissue from the inside of that cutical and deadened the nail and wrapped it up. His verbal care instructions were different this time, they followed the same guidelines you can find listed online. Baking soda soak (smallest box bakingsoda mixed into hot water[hot as you can stand] soak for 30 mins) or salt water soak (look up online or above soak 10 mins). I personally am following the care instructions listed above. The vinegar fights fungus, the babysoap is the most mild soap so it cleans oils and dirt, and salt dries out would for faster healing. im on day 4 of post care and its almost at the same point it was for 9 months. Which is great considering the first time he operated on it it took 30 days for just the cutical to grow back.
What really concerns me is that I think he cut the angle of the nail so it wouldn’t heal. He mentioned the first visit that he has many returning in-growl toenail patients. I am concerned that he deliberately cut my nail so it wouldn’t heal and removed my cuticle so that it delayed the healing process so that i would be forced to come back and pay more money.
To ANYONE who has an ingrown nail and manages to read far enough down to see this, REASEARCH the doctor well, find one that has alot of reviews. Preferably find one that shares his office with orthopedic specialists and works for multiple offices. Dont pay $350+ (for a single ingrown nail) because that is outrageous. And finally research the surgery and pay attention to details and if you think something isnt right DOCUMENT ALL OF IT LIKE YOUR GOING TO SUE THEM! or just bluff about the Medical Board like I did.
Hi Tyler,
This thread has really help a ton! I had an ingrown toenail removed a week ago today, with acid application to kill the root. I had zero pain for the first week, kept it clean, soaked twice a day (still am). I am keeping it covered with meds and a band aid, changed daily, but I noticed yesterday morning that the area where the ingrown toenail was hurts, almost like a bruise. The skin itself isn’t bruised, it’s almost like it’s deeper. I was allowed to go back to the gym after a couple of days (no running, but I could weight lift and do the elliptical), but I have kept the working out to a minimum until I go for my follow up in a week and a half. Is the feeling like the nail is bruised normal? Or should I be concerned and try and bump my follow up appointment up?
That part is the dead skin from the acid.
It will disappear as new skin pushes it out.
Really creepy looking, though.
I’m due to have this surgery done on Tuesday and though I am concerned about the amount of pain the injections will cause I have been at the point pain wise with my toe that I would have quite happily had someone knock me out and cut it of (ingrown on both sides of same toe, plus infection). My biggest concern is that I tripped over my dog today and think I may have sprained or at worst broken that very toe do you think they will still do the surgery as I’m desperate to get this do and resolved
I’m pretty pain sensitive and the agony of stubbed or ingrown toes has always been far worse than the shots.
There’s a numbing spray you can ask to be applied before the shots, which helped, too.
I don’t think a broken toe would matter much, as you’re just going to be wrapping it anyway.
Just make sure to stay off it as long as possible, eat as many anti-inflammatory things as possible, and don’t forget to ice/elevate.
I’ve had so many ingrown toenails removed, one just a week ago. It seemed fine and last night it flared up and got really painful. It’s better now but I’m going back today to have him look at it. This happened 3 years ago on the same toe but it was the other side. I’ve has this doctor for 25 plus years but I’m starting to question him. He is always trying to push oral antibiotics which I don’t want to take. We’re you ever prescribed those? I’m going to a different doctor tomorrow for a second opinion on it. Thanks for sharing your story.
Yes, I take antibiotics when I get infections.
If this is a recurring issue, have you thought to see if it’s your shoes causing the problem?
It definitely was for me.
I wear pretty comfortable and loose fitting shoes. I had two bunion surgeries and the toe that I just had an ingrown nail removed on is next to the toe with the bunion I had removed. Since that surgery this toe points down more and takes the brunt of the pressure when I walk so I wonder if that is contributing to it.
I’ve had a lot of gut issues so I don’t want to take antibiotics because it will probably mess my gut up. I’m ok doing the antibiotic cream though.
I like to take probiotics with and after antibiotics so at least the good stuff is added back.
Has something like that ever worked for you?
Good call on the toe pointing down theory.
I take a lot of natural supplements, some of which act as antibiotics, like silver.
Sigh I had partial removal of my right toe nail done in January and for a couple of months things were great. But now the skin has rolled over and the new nail growing back (about halfway up the toe now) is pushing into that rolled over skin. It’s not infected yet but the pressure is definitely a tad painful. Should I look into having the partial removal again or Just suck it up and bear the pain until the nail is fully back out? Need to decide soon since I have a trip in mid June…
This happened to me. I had to get more and more removed until I just asked them to take the whole nail.
Turned out it was my shoes causing the issue.
Hmm yikes not looking forward to doing the procedure again… but i’ll Double check my shoes, maybe some are still too narrow. Thanks as always for being so helpful!
Hello, I’ve had this procedure done 6 times, the second time both of my toenails were removed, and that doctor “burned” the matrix with laser, it obviously didn’t work. The other times I have been going with the same doctor, she has been doing partial because it always gets infected. She told me once you feel mild pain come to me and I do, but the toe is already infected. I just had my last procedure done this past Saturday 5/18/2019, We were ready do a permanent on my right toe because its the only one that hurt, when she was getting ready she squeezed it and pus came out, so now all she did was remove my whole toenail again. I keep having problems with this and it is getting really annoying. Financially, I’ve spent a total of $1300 over these 6 procedures. She wants me to get an MRI because she wants to know what is causing this problem. I already wear loose fitting shoes, I wear steel toe at work but I am sitting down 80% of the time and the shoes are a size bigger. I don’t know what to do anymore, when my nail starts to grow from the matrix is already growing bad, so I feel the sharp pain from the bottom, and it gets really bad.
They haven’t tried using acid?
That’s what was used to burn my roots.
That really sucks, permanent was the only thing that worked for me.
I had both of my big toes done several years ago, the inside and outside nails. One of them outside nails grew back causing an ingrown nail. I had the procedure again 10 days ago. She sprayed lidocaine on my toe to ease the pain of the shots. I felt a slight prick and that was all. She did 6 shots. Procedure was so easy, has healed nicely. This is one of the best things I’ve done for myself.
After how many times I’ve been through this, you’d think id know the drill but I must be blocking out the pain so I keep forgetting details – how long was it before then epsom salt soaks stopped hurting/stinging? I’m on day 4 and the epsom salt soaks still sting but also oddly I can feel It reaallyyy deep in my toe like an aching feeling almost right down to the bone. No other signs of infection so not sure if this is normal or needs a follow up doctors visit. Thank you!
Mine still stung for 10-14 days afterward.
Do you have the aching feeling when not soaking, and does it extend up your leg at all?
Nope the aching feeling is only when I’m soaking or right after and I only feel it in the big toe. Still getting clear seepage too.
I had clear seepage for up to 17 days once.
Clear is normal.
Did the doc say it wasn’t?
It feels like a lot of docs are dramatically underestimating the healing time of ingrown toenail surgeries.
Yup I have an upcoming trip so the doctor basically said recovery would be a week and no problem to be recovered by then. very much underestimating the recovery time,! He also said I’d be pain free by day 3 which really wasn’t the case, especially during the soaks.
Yeah, not a single one of my surgeries healed that quickly, and I wore open-toed shoes while working from home.
I had a follow up with the doctor and he wasn’t super helpful beyond just telling me to wait and let it heal. It’s been 10 days and near the base of the nail where it was cut out is still quite red and shiny and “open” looking, like it looks almost exactly the same as the day I had the surgery done but no signs of infection. I thought I would try the Amerigel dressing you used but not sure how to go about it? Could I just put a dab of it on the base of the nail where it is red and then put a bandaid over it? Does it wash off during the Epsom salt soaks on its own or will I need to scrub it off? Thank you!
Yes, that’s what I did. It washes off like Neosporin, or it’s absorbed.
Worked great for me.
I’m going in for surgery tomorrow, but I have to start weight lifting for Football 4 days after the surgery. Apparently the Doctor said I would be good but I don’t think that’s going to be the case. Any ideas?
Four days does seem ambitious.
Are your shoes wide and comfy?
Can you lift weights barefoot?
Hi Tyler,
Thank you for this website and stream! Although I was squeamish looking at the pictures it was helpful! Lol!
I have a condition called pincer nail – very extreme ingrown nails on all of my toes. My podiatrist said the condition is either hereditary or from extreme trauma to the toes. Since no one else in my family has this, I’ll assume it’s from the years of marathon running. Most of my toes don’t cause any pain but the big toes are excruciating! Even bedsheets cause pain. I had both big toenails completely removed 10 years ago and OMG the recovery was excruciating! They grew back fine for about 8 years but the last 2 years I have been in denial that they were getting worse. Started going back to the podiatrist to have my nails trimmed and it was agony every time. He suggested the partial nail avulsion on the offending side with acid to kill the root. I was terrified but had it done on one toe 3 days ago. I had heard that having the needles put in was the worst part but he sprayed cold alcohol on the toe and I barely felt the needles going in. He was very clear in the recovery procedures:
1. Leave original dressing on for 24 hours
2. Remove dressing and soak foot in 1 tbsp of Epson salts and warm water
3. Gently dry surgical area with Q-tip – don’t dig
4. Apply antibiotic ointment to area if desired
5. Apply bandage (he gave me some extra large ones for 3 days)
6. Do salt/water soak 2 x daily for 2 weeks
7. Followup appointment 1 – 2 weeks out
I only had terrible throbbing the first night so took Advil and that worked fine. Haven’t had to take since. I did overdo it the 1st and 2nd day by not staying off my feet as much as I should have since I didn’t have much pain so today was a very lazy day. I was able to take 2 days off work plus have this weekend to heal a little.
Got this done in the summer knowing there would be an extended healing time and can just wear open toe or flip flops for the recovery time. Only time will tell if this fixes the problem and if it does, I am totally getting my other toe done! I am a HUGE wuss but the daily pain of ingrown nails does not compare to a few weeks or months of healing.
Hope this post with my experience will ease some of the stress for others!
This is great! I’m pretty sure my issues were caused by wearing basketball shoes a lot as a kid, then running as an adult. Appreciate the share.
First off, man this is a very old but still active comment section. Nice to see replies still.
Just had both sides of my big toe nail taken down to the root to hopefully let it regrow without ingrown.
Doctor gave me a sheet of info to follow for care, but am curious on one thing. Do I keep the toe bandaged at night while sleeping or let it breathe?
I know with other cuts you’re suppose to let them air out at night. Not sure if I should do that either my toe or not.
And sadly wont be able to give the toe any rest due to work and will be standing and walking all day for next few days. Any recommendation to help?
I was told to keep the bandages on at night (changing 2x daily) until the wounds stopped seeping, which was 10 to 21 days for me.
If you have to walk on them, try to wear loose-fitting shoes and elevate/rest as often as possible to reduce swelling. Also, walk slow. My only infection came after I helped a friend move immediately after surgery.
Ice would probably help, too.
I have the same problem with bouth of my toenails and I’m just thinking should I go and remove the toe nails with a surgery or not???? Because i don’t know for how long I’m not gonna be able to wear a high heels? I’d like to wear high heels for my son’s first birthday which is on October 30. 2019 ( today is August 20.2019) .
What is the best recommendation from you?????
High heels might be part of the reason you’re having trouble with your toes.
It took my 10 weeks before I felt comfy wearing shoes again, but I never again wore too-narrow shoes.
Hi Tyler,
Just wanted to say thank you for this very thorough blog. You provided a lot more information than my doctor did and I’m reassured my healing is normal and I’m progressing just fine.
You are a very kind man to answer the same questions over and over with such compassion! 👍🏼
You’re welcome!
I freaked out a lot when I first had mine done, I wanted to help alleviate anyone else whose doctor didn’t quite give them the info they needed.
Ok….question. I had the edges of both big toes removed and acid on them and both the toenails right beside the big toenails completely removed. I’m experiencing little to no pain on my right side but excruciating pain on my left. Is this normal or should I go have it checked???
Excruciating pain is a problem, I’d go in, especially if it hurts to move or touch your foot.
I’ve had toes on both feet done, often at the same time, and have only ever had issues on my right side.
It’s probably a sign of infection if you have pain on one side but not the other, unless we’re talking about a few hours of pain right after the anesthetic wears off that night/the next morning, that’s normal.
But beyond that, the ONLY time I had any real pain during recovery, aside from those few hours, was when it was infected.
I got the surgery 5 days ago and because it’s healing I thought I’d share my experience. I’m 14yr girl incase anyone is wondering. I MUCH prefer quick bad pain than long slow pain. The shots did hurt like a female dog but I’ve already forgotten about the pain. The WORST part of the surgery is definitely post operation. Best thing to do is keep your feet elevated as much as possible, lie on the couch or your bed. The first two days (same day and the following) are the worst, nothing really helped me but meds might help. The following days it slowly gets better until the 4th day where the pain is completely gone, that’s the best time to keep the foot elevated. I can walk without feeling anything now which I’m super happy about because it’s the first time there hasn’t been drainage of my toe and a big scab in 6 months. It’s already looking a bit better so glad I got the surgery. Pick a good doctor 🙂
Great advice! Thank you so much for sharing…sorry it took me so long to approve the comment.
So I’m a 15-year-old boy and the worst part was the shots and I had to do this on one (left both sides) big toe the other one (right side only) and the index toe on the (on the right). The shot felt like hell but after that, it was mostly fine but once I got home after a couple of hours there was a bad stinging pain and at that point, I took a 500mg Tylenol and after that I was fine but the pain was there for the next few days but it was getting better. After about three days when they told me to take off the bandages they used gauze, welp it was fine until I realized that the skin kinda grew into it. So that was a lot of pain but I was able to apply some ointment after like two hours of prying and new bandages but the whole operation was fast and the doctor was amazing. I’m still in the healing process but they didn’t use any acid and they cut all the way down from each side and pulled all the nail and roots but I’m not sure if it will grow back since it was infected badly and said that they couldn’t use acid because of that, but they said it won’t grow back unless I was hearing wrong. It has been a couple of months since and I’m feeling good and I have no pain.
Thank you for sharing. Three days feels like a long time to keep that initial gauze you’re doing better.
I’m a 60yr old woman. Been dealing (badly) with ingrown toenails and fungus on both big toes for 25+years. Was self treating ie; ripping the nails down from the top corners to the base trying to get the ingrown parts out. PAINFULL but usually some temporary relief for a few days/weeks. Nails just kept getting more ingrown and fungus making nails so thick, raising off the nail bed, PAIN. Finally went to podiatrist. Permanently removed both nails. I am one of the lucky folks, even the shots hurt only a tiny bit! Freeze Spray before the shots worked wonderfully :). When shots wore off, I wanted to dance (of course I didn’t) as I was 100% pain free from the ingrown sides. Now 11 days post removal. Left toe looks like it is healing fine. Right is doing well I think but looks “yucky”. I think this one bled a lot more as the initial bandage was soaked and crusted with blood when removed. There is still black looking stuff on the side of the nail bed where the nail used to live. I think this may be a spot where the fungus was so bad?? Will this eventually fall/scab off? On both toes there is also very thick white skin, maybe old abused skin, around the top and side of both toes where I had been ripping the nails off for years. Doc has me using “wet” dressing until I see him next week. Any thoughts or advice will be greatly appreciated. So far, I would do this again in a heartbeat! I can not put into words how good my big toes feel without horrible ingrown nails. For me, this is AWESOME relief.
Hi! Thank you for sharing. For me, the black is the dead skin being pushed out from the shots used to kill the nail. It should fade to brown, then green, then yellow as it heals.
Your “old” skin will adjust, it just takes a bunch of months.
Sounds you like your nails were likely pretty impacted because of what you needed to do to keep them clean, I’m betting that’s why you were told to continue the wet dressing.
For me, changing the bandages twice a day or any time it got wet were the real key, along with staying out of shoes!
Thank you for making this web page, it has put my mind at ease after surgery on both sides of both big toes. And using a toothbrush is an excellent idea!!! I have been searching for answers, or pictures to determine if mine are infected. You have saved me a trip back to doctor!!! Love it wish there were more posts like yours!!!!🙂
Thank you for saying so!
I got a question, it’s been accouple of months since I had my ingrown toenail fixed and everything went A okay with the healing process, yet after all this I time I notice that the skin on the right side of my nail where I had the ingrown is still slightly red and it’s as if the nail hasn’t settled properly. Difficult to describe but it’s like the nail bed hasn’t fully reached the right side and there’s very little room to fit nail clippers. There’s no pain in the region so I’m not terribly worried, yet it’s red for a reason. Any advice? Thanks for reading by the way 🙂
It takes MUCH longer than we were told for that to regrow, the red is just the skin being exposed to air. If it doesn’t hurt, I’d pay it no mind but would check in on it regularly.
Thanks for sharing how it is totally worth getting ingrown toenail surgery. My friend was telling me how they are nervous about getting it done. So I’ll share this article with them and see what they think.
Hello, I had the partial toe nail removed. It was infected and pus came out of the nail bed. This is my second day and my concern is that the redness an swollen doesn’t go away. No pain, just some discomfort from the procedure. Iam taking amoxillin 500 mg very 8 hours. My question is; how long for the redness and swollen to go away. I am diabetic.
Congrats!
Redness will stick around for a few weeks, swelling should go down after a few days.
Monitor the pain, that will tell you if anything is wrong.
My full recovery always took longer than the doctors said, but I’ve only had complications once and that happened within a couple of days.
Rest, keep your foot elevated, and not covered up!
Hi there! Not sure if this post is still monitored but I just had a partial removal today. Same experience re: pain with anesthesia wearing off. Awful! Quick question- How long did you leave your original bandage on before changing? My doc office closes early Friday and I forgot to ask. I got mine done at 8am this morning. I was thinking first soak/change tmrw morning? (24h ish ?) thx!
I’ve always left them on until the next morning, just like your instincts told you. Never had a problem doing so, I imagine leaving it on longer would start to hurt real quick.
Hello Tyler,
Thanks for your post. I had both of my toes done by phenolisation over here in France two weeks ago. The doctor gave me a pain killer via intravenus so I was “floating” and felt no pain for the injections. My right toe is nearly healed and my question concerns my left, which seems to be taking longer. After wearing very comfortable boots to work it’s bleeding very slighlty. Should I soak and always remove the blood? I know it’s not to form a scab, however it seems to me the healing process is quicker when left to air out and dry?
I have found it better to soak if the wound still weeps. It also helped to consider whether wearing the same style shoes as before may be aggravating the area.
Tyler just found your thread, I had both of my big toe nails removed last Thursday today is Monday. My VA doctor told me.to keep the same wrapping on it for 2 weeks until I came back to see him…… that cannot be right can it? Everywhere I read says to change the bandages often. I kept the original gauze wrapping on it for 3 days and then changed it. Put a Large bandaid on with some antibacterial ointment. Not sure where to go from here the VA I’d a joke and you get 5 different answers from 5 different people. Do I leave it dry and just wrap with gauze? Do I put ointment on the affected area and then wrap? When should i start soaking? He didn’t tell me any of this stuff
Hope you’re better now. I was always told leave the bandage on for 24 hours, change/soak twice daily until it’s done weeping (1-2 weeks), then once a day and leave it uncovered at night.
I was also told never to use antibiotics, but rather wound dressing.