Simple Surgical Technique for Ingrown Toenail Surgery

Ingrown toenails are a common condition which, when recurrent and painful, are often treated surgically. This study proposes a new simple surgical technique for ingrown toenails with good results. We selected 150 patients with 185 affected toes who were surgically treated by our techniques carried out from April 1995 to March 2004. This technique consisted of marginal nail elevation combined with surgical excision of the granulation tissue. To fix the nail margin on the toe, we have done one bite suture by Nylon 3-0 and remove it after 3 weeks. Recurrence occurred only in 1.08% (2 of 185 toenails), and only one toe required further surgical treatment. Failure of technique in overall is 1.7% and successful surgical treatment is over 98%. This study shows higher cure rate, shorter postoperative pain, lower risk of postoperative infection, and remarkable cosmetic result without any deformity because we excise the granulation tissue and elevate margin of nail over the skin with this simple technique. Therefore, this technique could be considered as an alternative method of ingrown toenail treatment.