Dallas County Living Well Magazine March/April 2016 | Page 41

By Chantell Peterson

I

Ingrown Toenails
Can Be Painful and Unsightly

‘m sure most of you have had a
painful toenail at some point in
your life. The feeling of a sharp,
shooting pain penetrating in the
corner of the toe is what we call an
ingrown toenail. This is when the toenail, primarily occurring on the big or
great toe, grows into the side of the
toe. Not only can this be painful but
very unsightly too.
There are many causes of ingrown toenails. The most common cause is due
to the way the toenails are trimmed.
When the toenail is cut in the corners,
this forces the toenail to grow in that
fashion and into the skin. The proper
method of trimming the toenails is
straight across the nail. This should be
done with a straight toenail trimmer.
Another major cause of ingrown toenails that is seen on a regular basis is
from a traumatized toenail from a nail
salon. Many patients will come into
our office complaining that their toenails have been painful after receiving
their pedicure. This is typically caused
from the pedicurist trimming their toenails in the corner. While this may
give some relief at the time, it is best

to have the ingrown toenail cut out by
the experts who know how to properly
remove them. Pedicures are a nice luxury for both men and women however,
if you get them, ensure they are cutting
your toenails straight across.
Most patients seen in our office have
already attempted to cut out their ingrown toenail. Unfortunately, most of
the time, this causes greater risks and
complications later. It is best to have
the ingrown toenail treated as soon as
possible so that it is removed properly.
Ingrown
The picture shown
toenail
is a typical ingrown toenail
that occurs in
many of our
patients.
Sometimes
the pain can
be very severe and infection can set
in if it goes untreated. Treatment is
fairly simple with minimal pain. The
most common treatment is a local procedure that is performed in our office
under local anesthesia. First, the toe is
anesthetized in the office with inject-

able anesthesia. Then the corner of
the toenail is cut down to the root with
a special device. Once the corner is
excised, the nerve root is destroyed
with an acid that is applied. The patient is then given oral antibiotics for
prophylaxis. Patients do very well with
this procedure and there is no cutting
or stitches involved.
The patient then returns in two weeks
for a follow up visit to evaluate the toenail and ensure there is no pain or infection present. Once this is ruled out,
the patient is discharged. This is one
of the most common procedures performed in our office on a daily basis
and your satisfaction is our guarantee.
If you have an ingrown toenail that
has been reoccurring or is bothersome, please call our office today
at 972-316-0902 for an evaluation
so we can cure your problem with
a simple in-office procedure. With
summertime right around the corner,
now is the perfect time to take care
of those toenail issues so you can
wear your summer shoes and show
off those toes!

Dr. Reza Mobarak heads the Southwest Foot and Ankle Center with offices in
Plano and Lewisville and may be reached at 972-316-0902.
DALLAS COUNTY Living Well Magazine | MARCH/APRIL 2016

39