I have an infected ingrown toenail. How to treat it?

Question

Hello doctor,

I have an ingrown toenail, and it has gotten infected. I suffer from a lot of pain while wearing shoes. I have this pea-sized bubble-like thing that bleeds on the side of my toenail.

I have attached a picture of my toenail. It is a swelling, and I wonder what I can do to take it away, other than surgery?

Kindly suggest.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I have seen your clinical picture and gone through your query (attachment removed to protect patient identity).

I would strongly advise you to undergo a partial nail excision, debridement, and daily dressing of the wound until it shows healthy granulation tissue. It is because, unless you remove the offending portion of the nail, the wound will not heal.

I would rather call it a procedure rather than a surgery, which can be done with local anesthesia (ring block) and in the OPD procedure room. Other than surgery, just the debridement and daily dressings can be tried, but once again, I would like to tell you that unless the portion of the nail that is curved inside and impinging on the skin is excised, this wound may not settle down.

Also, a broad-spectrum antibiotic will be required until the wound heals satisfactorily.

I hope this helps you.

Thank you.