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PAST HISTORY : Ingrowing nail problem or toenail problem(to leg thumbs), since 4 years, once surgery for leg thumbs carried out but again nail appeared despite assurance of Dr. that nail will not come and that too again the same was ingrowing to both leg thumbs. They have paining especially to left thumb. Other some fingures have similar problem but no paining, just they have become hard.
Dr. Vivek Nair answered : 12 years ago
Hi,
Sorry I am not clear on your question. Could you please summarize your problem? Are you asking about fungal nail infection or an ingrown toe nail?
Patient asked followup Question: 12 years ago
I am asking about an ingrown toe nail? "
Patient asked followup Question: 12 years ago
But equally well the toenails are infected.
Dr. Vivek Nair answered : 12 years ago
Thank you for the clarification. Here is the standard treatment for an infected ingrown toe nail:
A 5-7 day course of an antibiotic like Dicloxacillin, Cephalexin or Amoxicilin-Clav to clear the infection
Antiseptic soaks - Condy's soaks made with diluted Pottasium Permanganate, done twice a day for 5-10 minutes followed by Mupirocin cream on the affected area
Pain relief with Paracetamol-Ibuprofen combination taken 2-3 times a day after meals.
After 7 days of this the infection should be clear and the pain substantially reduced. However to take care of the problem for good the ingrown nail has to be surgically removed. I'm afraid there simply is no other way. The procedure is a minor one and done under local anaesthesia. Depending on the extent of the problem either the entire nail will be removed (complete nail avulsion) or only a part of it (partial nail avulsion). After removing the affected nail the causative area will be cauterized with 88% Phenol which ensures that the problem does not recur in the future.
Recovery is quick and usually only takes a week. The procedure can be done by a Dermatologist or a General Surgeon.
Please feel free to ask if you have any queries.