Ingrown Toenail Treatment-Follow Up Care
October 17, 2008 by: ToddieMThe most common way I treat chronic, ingrown toenail pain is with phenol. This chemical induces a chemical burn at the level of nail matrix (where your toenail is made).
Because this becomes a chemical burn, the dead nail cells need an open conduit to drain. This drainage process can take anywhere from one to two weeks.
For this reason, I tell my patients that it is very important that they soak their foot every day after the procedure for 15 minutes. I consider this to be so important that not only do I:
- tell them verbally to do so at the office
- give them a written list of post op instructions
- set up an automatic aWeber email reminder system
I can always tell which patients follow my post-op instructions by the level of “crud” I remove from the nail border when they come in for their post-op check.
Also, the level of redness and pain around the nail border are a dead giveaway as well.
So, be good to yourself, follow your doctor’s advice; and your healing period will process as quickly as possible.
November 7th, 2008 at 3:34 pm
Thank you for the information about soaking your toe. My doctor just told me to wipe
the “crud” from my toe. I had been told by other doctors in the past to soak my toe
so I am following your instructions. Just wiping the toe sounds like it would hurt
and would not remove all the drainage, so I looked online for other opinions. Thanks
again!
November 7th, 2008 at 3:45 pm
Soaking your toe will definitely help to “clear out the crud.”
Good luck to you!
June 4th, 2009 at 2:17 pm
I was told to soak my the same day as my surgery and it was at 4pm. Should I soak it as soon as 8pm? I was thinking it might still be too “new” to soak just 4 hours after surgery. What do you think?
June 4th, 2009 at 4:49 pm
I usually tell patients to wait until the next day, largely because the toe may still bleed if you take the compressive bandage off too early.
June 11th, 2009 at 7:51 pm
I got this surgery a few months ago on the inner side of my big toenail, and all of a sudden it’s swollen and painful, but there’s no nail actually digging in.. I have no idea what it is, and i just receieved the surgery again on the outer side of the same nail (my third operation total) and it seems to be healing fine. Help?
July 2nd, 2009 at 6:36 pm
I just had an ingrown toenail removed, once again. But by a different podiatrist.
this doctor said soak it the next day, put bacitracin on it, and a band aid, and let it heal up.
He did the chemical burn thing also. I went back a week later like he told me too, I was sure it was infected because it was hurting. He said it wasn’t infected. He gave me some iodine swabs, and told me to NOT soak it, let it dry up. Keep it uncovered. No bacitracin. Put the iodine on every morning and evening for 6 days, and it will dry up.
However, it is about 4 days later, and it is till hurting. He told me that the chemical he used, was very strong, and it may have burned some.
Any thoughts? I am wondering if I am supossed to be soaking it every day…….is it tooo late to start soaking it, or does anyone think it will still help???? thanks people
July 2nd, 2009 at 7:23 pm
It’s possible that you may have had a reaction to the phenol.
Some patient’s skin is very sensitive to it; it can literally cause a burn. It’s happened in my office before.
WIthout seeing your toe, I cannot definitively say this; but I would ask for a Silvadene topical prescription just in case.