If you have decided to seek medical attention and treatment for your ingrown toenail, congratulations! You have made the first step towards relieving the pain that your ingrown toenail almost surely caused. The podiatrist doing your ingrown removal should give you specific instructions on what to expect during and after your procedure. However, you may want to know a little more about what the recovery period and post-treatment care will entail before you go to the consultation to discuss with your doctor. 

The most important thing during recovery after the procedure is rest. Resting allows the toe to heal from the surgery without continued damage. Resting is especially important for the days immediately following the procedure. For the first 1-2 days after, try to avoid stepping on that foot as much as possible. Some movement, like walking to your car to go to work, shouldn’t be an issue for most people. If you expect to start work immediately after your procedure, you should discuss this with your podiatrist. 

Expect to wear open-toed shoes or shoes with wide fitting toes for a couple of weeks after your procedure. Usually, after 24 hours you can start to wash the toe with warm soapy water to keep it clean. Until then, make sure to keep the bandages the doctor puts on your toes clean. 

Any pain after the procedure will usually subside within a couple of days and is manageable with over the counter painkillers. If your ingrown was infected, expect the doctor to also prescribe an antibiotic. Make sure to take the full course of the antibiotic.

Depending on the severity and type of ingrown toenail you have, the post-treatment experience you can expect will vary. The best way to get a solid idea of what your own personal recovery will look like is to see a podiatrist for a consultation. To schedule your consultation with a podiatrist, give us a call at (424)-299-4627 or visit our website for more information.