Nail extraction procedure

vividharbor5 said:As if I could just rip it off in 4 or 5 days... I had surgery last Tuesday, and I'm still stuck in this leg wrap. I have two more dressing changes scheduled, and honestly, I don't have the strength to pull anything over my foot right now. They had to take everything off because the swelling was actually deforming the area underneath—it was messing with the underlying tissue and even the newest growth... Anyway, the anesthesia actually hurt more since they hit me in 2 or 3 spots, though the whole thing lasted maybe 5 to 10 minutes... They pulled it out in less than 5. I'm still walking on my heel, but it's getting better—less pain, just uncomfortable. My advice? Go see a surgeon to handle these issues if you can't manage them yourself; otherwise, you risk permanent deformity. At the end of the day, none of us are doctors, so we obviously can't claim to know the 100% perfect solution to this problem.

It seems they follow a different protocol here in Savannah. My orthopedic surgeon had it removed on Friday. The first dressing change was Monday, followed by one final appointment on Wednesday. At that last visit, he told me I could finally take the bandages off on Friday and start soaking my toes in some antiseptic solution a few times a day—they actually had to remove the nails on both my big toes.

Megan Cox8 said:It took me six months... When it starts growing back, it looks all patchy and weird. It needs time to actually grow out properly.

Well, it finally started growing out, everything seemed fine, but then this past Monday, it feels like it's digging back in again. It looks redder than before, too, and I guess it hurts a bit when I touch it...

The thing is, the nail hasn't grown out enough—maybe about 75% of the way there—so I can't even get a grip on it to trim that part off. Nothing is sticking out past the skin yet...

Is it actually possible for it to start ingrowing again, like, could it turn into an infection with pus, or is this just some weird stage of the whole regrowth process?

Hey everyone, back in January 2009, I had to undergo a minor procedure to remove the nail on my left big toe due to a fungal issue.
The doctors went about it by injecting local anesthesia around the nail area first; it didn't hurt at all, and I was wide awake throughout the whole process.
The only real pain I experienced was during my follow-up dressing change. It was absolutely agonizing because they had wrapped it so poorly, but aside from that, I didn't deal with any other discomfort later on.
What I'm wondering is if anyone else here has dealt with something similar. My nail has grown back, but it looks nothing like the nail on my right big toe. Does it always stay looking this different?

Megan Cox8 said:Hey everyone...😁
Calling this "nail ripping" felt a little aggressive, but that's basically what we're talking about... I've got ingrown toenails on both big toes. Everything was fine during the summer, but now that I've switched to closed-toe shoes, it hurts like hell—one foot is even starting to get infected. I kept telling myself it would just grow out and I'd fix my trimming technique later, but nope, nothing works. I went shopping for winter boots the other day and there wasn't a single pair I could actually wear without the nails digging into the skin and causing total agony. So, if anyone here has dealt with nail removal, please let me know... how bad is the pain, how long does recovery take, how long until they grow back, etc...
Thanks, thanks, thanks...🙏 🙏

A friend of mine had surgery on both of hers, and honestly, the recovery was awful and she didn't see any improvement. They ended up growing back crooked again—just her luck, I guess.

I don't really have any issues with it anymore, but I figured I’d share my experience here just in case someone else ends up looking for advice—might save you some trouble. For years, I had these ingrown toenails on both big toes, and honestly, I went to three different doctors, two of whom were private specialists, and it was just a massive waste of time and money that actually made things worse. The first one did this "brilliant" move where they cut away the skin right next to the nail to give it more room: please, whatever you do, never let a doctor do that. You'll just end up with granulomas, and then you'll spend the next three years dealing with doctors trying to fix the inflamed tissue instead of the actual nail. Then the second doctor tried to deal with the inflammation by using liquid nitrogen to burn the skin on the side. Both of these procedures were done without any anesthesia, so it was basically just unnecessary torture that I can brag about today.
That was obviously total nonsense, too. The third option was having the nails ripped out at the hospital, and even though they used two types of local anesthetic, it still hurt like hell for some reason. After that, the nails grew back crooked again, so my best advice is: don't try the skin cutting, the liquid nitrogen, or the ripping-them-out method. I was told once that sometimes after puberty, things just straighten themselves out... Well, after everything I went through, I finally gave up on seeing doctors, and that's exactly what happened. Maybe it was pure luck, maybe it was just finishing puberty, or... who knows? The only thing I’d actually recommend is trimming the nail in a bit of a heart shape. Basically, you notch the very tip of the nail right in the middle. That way, the nail tries to fill in that gap and grows inward, away from your skin.
Of course, you could always just keep clipping away at the part that's digging in, but that usually hurts way too much for most people. All those various procedures and ointments and oils I tried were really just fighting the symptoms rather than the actual cause.

Help me out here, please!
I ripped my thumb nail off three weeks ago, and now there’s absolutely nothing left. Not even a tiny hint of regrowth. The area is still super sensitive, so I’m stuck wearing a Band-Aid constantly. All I see are these thin, flaky scales covering the entire nail bed; one of those little flakes actually peeled off today, leaving just raw skin underneath. I went to see a surgeon, and his take was basically: 🙏"It looks fine, no signs of infection, but since the nail is gone, you'll just have to wait for the matrix to kick in. Good luck." I honestly expected at least some progress after three weeks. What has your experience been like? How long did it take for your nails to actually start growing back? And did anyone else deal with that weird, flaky layer?
The reason I had to pull the nail in the first place was because of a nasty burn—it turned blue and yellow and started lifting away from the bed. They told me to remove it to prevent an infection, which would make anesthesia difficult later on. To be fair, pulling it didn't hurt at all. The wound throbbed for two days and then got itchy, but this recovery process feels like it's dragging on forever. My thumb doesn't ache, but it's incredibly tender. Please, if you've been through this, share your stories and give me some peace of mind. 🙂

Is anyone even reading this forum??

I happened to stumble upon this thread, so I figured I’d share my own experience. Last December, the middle finger on my right hand started acting up. It throbbed for a few days, so I complained to my manager at work, mentioning something felt like it stung right near the nail. She immediately dragged me off to corporate to report the incident. The next day, they sent me to some random doctor. He took some pictures, claimed everything looked fine, but it still hurt like hell—I could actually feel the pulsing right under the nail. The doctor then referred me to a specialist who told me the nail was ingrown and needed to be removed. Fine, I said. He scheduled me for hand plastic surgery. When the day came to get the nail pulled, they gave me a few injections and my finger went numb. The doctor was from India, accompanied by his assistant. I chatted with her while he worked; I didn't feel a thing, not even when he was messing around with the nail. He just said, "Done." I looked down—no blood, half the nail was gone, zero pain. I thought, *Okay, maybe this guy actually knows what he's doing.* I asked him where the bandage was, assuming I wouldn't walk out like that, but he just shrugged and said, "What do you need a bandage for? If you want one, you can put it on yourself." I headed back to work, and they had me back on duty immediately. I was fuming, cursing the doctor under my breath 😁 because I knew I’d have to come back in five days for my follow-up. They gave me light duties, but I was still annoyed because the finger was still inflamed and sore. When I returned to the doctor, I realized he hadn't written me a note to avoid using that hand. He looked at me, told his assistant to write something down, and she wrote: "Do not use this hand for two weeks." I took that paper straight to corporate. Once they saw it, they realized they had to deal with it. They told me, "Look, rowdypanther, there's nothing we can do about you working with one hand, so just go home for two weeks." I panicked, thinking I was going to lose my job. But they assured me, "Don't worry, you'll still get paid 😁." So, I went home, absolutely thrilled.😁
I felt like I had to tell you guys—the nail grew back perfectly. There's no trace left; it looks like it was never even pulled. All credit to the doctor; he did an excellent job.👍

I forgot to mention he gave me a cream to apply to the nail. It’s the kind used after surgeries or something... mupirocin ointment USP, 2%

I’ve actually had my toenails ripped out twice now, which was just miserable
the first time they used local anesthesia, but it ended up growing back all wrong
the second time they did it without any numbing at all, though I guess it grew back okay

I'm honestly pretty terrified of having to go back in for another procedure, but hopefully it won't come to that
Are there any other ways to handle this?
Ever since that doctor at the county hospital decided to pull it without any anesthesia, I think I'd much rather just pay for a private clinic

Does anyone have a good recommendation for a specialist in San Diego or somewhere nearby?

I mean, I've been dealing with these nail issues for seven years straight now, so it's just a constant struggle

Kenneth Gonzalez61 said:I’ve actually had my toenails ripped out twice now, which was just miserable
the first time they used local anesthesia, but it ended up growing back all wrong
the second time they did it without any numbing at all, though I guess it grew back okay

I'm honestly pretty terrified of having to go back in for another procedure, but hopefully it won't come to that
Are there any other ways to handle this?
Ever since that doctor at the county hospital decided to pull it without any anesthesia, I think I'd much rather just pay for a private clinic

Does anyone have a good recommendation for a specialist in San Diego or somewhere nearby?

I mean, I've been dealing with these nail issues for seven years straight now, so it's just a constant struggle

I stumbled onto this thread by accident—you can check out my own post a bit further up. I haven't had any trouble with this for 10 years now, and I think I finally figured out how to manage it.
The big thing to prevent it from coming back is wearing comfortable shoes (and I mean *really* comfortable—try switching to lighter, more cushioned sneakers, maybe something like Skechers or similar). Also, you really need to change how you trim your nails.

I'm nowhere near San Diego, but whatever you decide to do, I'd suggest these simple methods. If a nail starts ingrowing, try this:
1. Lift the nail (it'll probably hurt quite a bit, I guess), and use something thin and blunt to tuck a tiny little ball of cotton under the nail. You're basically just creating a small cushion that protects the skin from that sharp edge by lifting the nail slightly away from the flesh. The goal is to give the skin on the side a chance to heal. Just make sure to change the cotton after every shower and once a day, obviously.

2. The next step is just letting the nail grow out. The cotton keeps it separated from the skin while it grows—which will take some time, clearly—but once the corner of the nail where it's ingrowing finally grows past the tip of your toe, then start trimming the nail completely straight or in a heart shape. What I personally do is trim my big toe nails very straight, but I leave a little V-shaped notch in the middle using nail clippers. So, the tip of my nail has a little indentation of about 2-3mm right in the center. I do this so the nail tries to fill that gap first (since it's the shortest part), which directs the growth inward instead of outward (and thus, into the skin).

So, you can do whatever you want regarding the doctor. Go ahead and get them pulled again if you feel you must, but when it comes time for the nail to grow back, just as soon as it starts heading toward the skin, tuck that cotton in there to lift it up and keep it away from the flesh. And trim them so they're shorter in the middle (that V or heart shape) and wear comfy shoes.

Personally, I probably wouldn't go through with having a nail pulled again, but if you feel like you don't have a choice, just find a private practitioner. Just be very clear about what worried you and tell them you want anesthesia. It'll definitely be a better experience than last time, and honestly, the money isn't worth that kind of pain. Good luck.

If you're dealing with those nightmare ingrown nails, go check out Pfizer over in Savannah.

Man, I spent years absolutely losing it over my toenails—both big toes, both sides, just total misery.
First, I tried the standard nail salons, then went to some private specialists, and eventually had to deal with surgery... you know, that whole thing where they narrow the nail at the root.
After a while, everything just went right back to being a disaster until I finally hit up that medical pedicure center mentioned above. Fast forward about six months, and I’m actually wearing my regular shoe size again instead of having to buy stuff two sizes too big just to breathe.

I mean, I definitely burned through a decent chunk of change fixing my feet, but honestly? Totally worth it since I can actually live a normal life now.

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Honestly, you might want to hit up a podiatrist before rushing straight to a surgeon... my brother went through absolute hell dealing with an ingrown nail, seeing all sorts of specialists, and in the end, he just stumbled upon this incredible specialist—he actually just happened to see a feature about them in a local newspaper—and he couldn't be happier with the results. It really just comes down to finding the right expert and sticking with them. I mean, I keep seeing these ads popping up everywhere for those Scholl kits or whatever they call those DIY ingrown nail sets, but if you ask me, it’s much better to just leave it in the hands of a professional who actually knows what they're doing.