Toenail Surgery at Dunmurry Podiatry

Some nail issues require a minor surgical procedure in order to resolve the problem. If required, we can provide nail surgery procedures for patients, in our premises or via our home visits. 

At Dunmurry Podiatry, our expert team can safely perform nail surgeries, providing you with permanent relief from toenail pain and discomfort.

Is toenail surgery painful? 

At Dunmurry Podiatry, we ensure that our toenail surgery procedures are as comfortable as possible for our clients. The surgery is not painful as we use a local anaesthetic to numb the area beforehand. It is a simple and minor procedure that permanently revolves your ingrown toenail issues and fungal nail problems. 

Ingrown Toenail Surgery 

For those suffering with an ingrown toenail, it can become incredibly painful, cause discomfort and limit mobility. Ingrown toenails can be caused by a variety of factors, including: 

• Poorly cut toenails
• Unsuitable footwear
• Injury to feet
• The toenails natural shape
• Feet that sweat a lot 

For initial ingrown toenail treatment, we recommended cutting the nail in a straight line, keeping the area clean and gently pushing the skin away from the nail using a cotton bud. However, sometimes these methods don’t work and toenail surgery may be required in order to solve the issue. 

At Dunmurry Podiatry, we can evaluate your ingrown toenail symptoms and provide nail surgery if needs be. Depending on the severity, this may involve removing the whole nail or just a part of it.

Toenail fungus nail removal surgery 

Toenail fungal infections may cause pain and discomfort if left untreated. They also commonly return even after topical treatments or a course of antibiotics, sometimes nail surgery is required in order to completely remove the fungal infection. 

Toenail fungus infections can be spread by a variety of factors, including: 

• Walking around barefoot in communal showers, gyms, locker rooms, etc. 
• Feet that sweat a lot.
• Not changing socks and footwear regularly, causing feet to be exposed to moisture for long periods of time. 

If you are experiencing recurrent toenail fungal infections, or if your infection is causing pain, we can perform a toenail surgery in order to treat the infection. 

Depending on the severity, this may require partly removing the diseased area, or the entire toenail if required – although it is usually uncommon that the whole nail needs to be removed. 

Nail Surgery FAQs

If you are preparing to have toenail surgery, or even just considering it, you may have some questions regarding the procedure. 

Check out our responses to frequently asked questions below, however if you can’t find an answer to your specific question, you can always get in touch with us and we would be happy to answer your query.

Can you wear nail polish during toenail surgery?

We advise that you remove any toenail polish before undergoing nail surgery as this may increase the risk of an infection developing. We want the area to be as clean as possible, so that you can heal quickly without any problems. 

After ingrown toenail surgery does the nail grow back?

In short yes, but it can take between 12 – 18 months for your toenail to fully grow back after surgery. If you only had part of the nail removed it may grow back in 6 – 12 months, but if you have undergone a total nail removal, this may take longer. 

Your Podiatrist will ensure that the ingrown part of your nail doesn’t grow back like before, ensuring permanent relief from ingrown toenail issues. The nail will usually grow back looking normal, but in some cases it can grow back distorted or thinner than before. 

How to look after a toenail after nail surgery?

In order to ensure a full recovery and to prevent infection from developing, we recommend following these tips to look after your toenail post surgery. It may take 6-8 weeks to fully heal but in the meantime you should: 

• Avoid wearing tight fitted footwear and socks. 
• Avoid getting the dressing wet.
• Avodis taking aspirin or ibuprofen.
• Avoid swimming until fully healed. 

You should also keep an eye out for an infection developing, such as painful red swelling, as you may need a course of antibiotics from your doctor. 

Have a read of some of the other Podiatry Services we offer in the Dunmurry, Lisburn and Belfast Areas:

Verruca Treatments
Help with foot pain
General Footcare

Book a toenail surgery today

At Dunmurry Podiatry, we provide expert toenail surgeries in order to provide our patients with permanent relief from ingrown toenails or fungal infections. Use our online booking system to schedule an appointment or alternatively give us a call.