Either the part of the affected nail should be removed or the entire nail should be resected to provide a permanent solution for the patient. The surgical treatment of ingrowing toenail also called onychoplasty or onychectomy, if done properly, can lead to a permanent solution to the problem.
The surgery is performed under local anesthesia with minimal post-operative pain, and the patient can walk immediately and return to his/her daily activities. Complete healing within about three weeks, and with excellent surgical technique, recurrences are extremely rare.
In conclusion, ingrowing toenail is a very common condition of the nail, which if not treated properly causes problems in the patient's daily life. Particularly in diabetic patients, the inflammation may extend to the surrounding tissues, including the bone (osteomyelitis), and lead to more drastic surgical solutions and hospitalization for intravenous antibiotics.
For all these reasons, it is necessary for the patient to visit the doctor in the early stages of inflammation, so that a combination of conservative and required surgical treatment can solve the problem permanently, significantly reducing the chances of recurrence.
