An ingrown toenail cannot "heal" itself. As the nail continues to grow, the part of the toenail which has grown into the surrounding soft tissue will grow as well, causing it to become worse. Topical or oral antibiotics only help the symptoms and sometimes they are not even needed. However, the underlying condition is still the ingrown toenail which needs to be removed. There are different procedures depending on the severity, presence of infection, reoccurrence of the condition and vascular status of the foot. They include simple wedge resection without an injectable local anesthetic, or temporary or permanent partial nail removal with local anesthesia, all performed in the office with minimal time for recovery.

Babak A. Giladi