What types of nail surgery are used for ingrown toenails?
Minor ingrown toenails may require simply trimming back the protruding nail sliver or piece away from the nail fold. More aggressive, debilitating cases may require a minor surgical procedure called partial nail matricectomy. Surgery should be considered as last resort after conservative local treatments have failed. Nail surgery may cause permanent nail deformity, poor cosmetic appearance, and other possible complications. Matricectomy is the process of surgically, chemically, or electrically destroying all or part of the base nail portion called the nail matrix. Complete destruction of the nail matrix results in permanent loss of that portion of the nail. Once the nail matrix is fully removed or destroyed, a new nail plate cannot ever be regenerated. This surgical procedure is commonly curative for recurrent cases of ingrown toenails. Often, only the lateral (side) 1/3 or 1/4 of the affected nail is removed in matricectomy. Much less commonly, both sides of the nail matrix are remove
