Posted 23 Mar '23

Story of a fungal nail removal

Trigger warning, the video and photos are quite graphic.

We have recently treated this patient for a fungal toenail infection, we wanted to share this story with you. We are pleased this lady came in for treatment when she did, fungal nail infection can get much worse than this.

This patient cannot remember exactly how long she has had the fungal nail infection for, her nail has steadily become thicker and more discoloured over the last few years. She has felt an increasing level of pain from the toe for the last six months.

At our initial consultation appointment, we assessed the level of damage and discussed options, we decided the best course of action would be to remove the nail as the infection had travelled too far into the nail matrix. The nail matrix where your nails form, the white crescent at the base of your nail is part of the matrix. Injury and infections can harm the nail matrix but it does heal and will regrow healthy nails.

We booked the nail surgery at a time when the patient can relax for the rest of the day, we followed our standard procedure for nail surgery, anaesthetic, sterilisation of the area, tourniquet, removal of the nail, cleaning of the area, dressing the toe, aftercare instructions.

The surgery went smoothly, once the nail was removed, we found an exostosis which is an excess of bone growth under the nail, probably caused by a previous injury.

All the patient needs to do is keep her toe clean and dry whilst the dressing is on, she will come of an check-up in a couple of weeks and we can assess how the healing is going. The toenail will grow back, clear and at a normal thickness over the next few months. We are looking forward to seeing the results.

We treat all levels of a fungal nail infection and love helping people have healthy feet. Our advice is to regularly check your feet and nails are it is quicker, easier and cheaper to sort most conditions in their early stages.

 Watch the whole surgical procedure in fast forward here. 

Mild

Over the counter treatments.
Only a few pounds to buy, you need to be committed and apply daily for a number of months for a small chance of cure.
 
Mid

Laser
4 pain-free treatments with no after care with a 90% cure rate.

Severe

Nail removal
Local anaesthetic to remove the nail, a few weeks of taking care of your toe.

Extreme

Surgery to remove infected bone underneath a nail infection with a fungal infection.
Local anaesthetic to remove the nail, a few weeks of taking care of your toe.

Never be embarrassed if you have a fungal infection, fungal spores are all over the place and it only takes a small injury or damage to your nail to allow the infection to develop.  Get in contact with us to book yor appointment. 

A few tips to prevent infection or reinfection

-Keep your feet clean and dry

-Wear clean socks daily

-Treat your shoes with Shoe fresh to kill any fungal spores that might be lurking inside

-See a podiatrist if anything changes on your feet

  book now book now