Dressing. Change the dressing about 12 to 24 hours after the surgery. Follow your provider's instructions for changing the dressing. Your provider may recommend soaking your foot in warm water before removing the dressing.
Once you start to redress your toe you must change the dressing every 2-3 days following the instructions given. Change the dressing more frequently if there is a lot of weeping from your toe and the dressing is getting soggy, stained or smelly.
Do not get the dressing wet. Avoid swimming until healed and reduce strenuous sporting activities. If part of your nail has been removed it will usually take six to eight weeks to heal. If all of your nail has been removed it will usually take eight to ten weeks to heal.
For the first few days use gauze to cover the toe instead of a Bandaid, this allows the toe to breath. Once the drainage is minimal you can switch to a Bandaid. Keep it covered at all times for the first 3-4 days with gauze.
Wear cotton socks and loose fitting shoes for about 2 weeks. Do not run or engage in strenuous activities until the toe is healed. You may need to wait 2 weeks.
Recovery After Ingrown Toenail Surgery
You will be able to walk after surgery, but you should wear open-toed shoes home after surgery (or a podiatrist-supplied open-toe boot) and up to two weeks after to avoid putting pressure on your toe.
Wear sandals, open shoes, or soft shoes with plenty of wiggle room while your toe is healing—for 2-6 days. Normal activity can resume after 2 days of healing, but be mindful of bandaging if still using. There could be some discomfort during activities within the first week after toenail removal.
Everyone is different but on average it takes four to six weeks to heal if part of the nail is removed and 10 to 12 weeks if the whole nail is removed. During this time, you will be able to walk and carry on your life as normal, although you should avoid swimming and sporting activities that may injure the toe.
Moderate redness around the nail surgery site and yellow or clear drainage are normal. This will usually decrease each day. If it doesn't seem to get better after 4-5 days, but the redness expands to other parts of the toe, swelling occurs, and drainage continues, you may have an infection.
The nail bed (the tissue under the nail) is moist, soft, and sensitive. Protect the nail bed for the first 7 to 10 days until it dries out and becomes hard. Keep it covered with a nonstick dressing or adhesive bandage until that time. Bandages tend to stick to a newly exposed nail bed.
If you notice increasing pain, swelling or a smelly fluid, seek urgent medical advice. Avoid contact sports and activities involving sand/grit for two weeks. It typically takes a long time for the nail to recover: expect a new but abnormal nail by 3 months. Return of a normal nail can take around 9 months.
THE HEALING PROCESS
The toe may appear slightly red and puffy for about 10 days, this is normal. It may weep slightly but will begin to dry out after 2 to 4 weeks, and a scab will form.
The original dressing can be left in place for up to two days (or as advised by the nurse/doctor), as long as it is not oozing. The wound must be kept dry for two days. If the dressing becomes wet from blood or any other liquid, it must be changed. do not apply antiseptic cream under the dressing.
It is normal to have some pain and throbbing when the local anesthetic (freezing) wears off. If your surgeon gives you a prescription, fill it at your pharmacy. Follow the directions carefully.
All nail polish should be removed prior to surgery, including polish on toenails. Patients with long hair should not wear metal hair pins or barrettes. Be sure to remember cases for contacts, glasses or hearing aids.
It is important to dry the toe after soaking and to use sterile gauze for dressing until the wound is healed. The sutures will be removed after seven to ten days. This depends on the speed of wound healing. Shoes should not be used for the first seven to ten days after ingrown toenail surgery.
The nail bed is moist, soft, and sensitive. It needs to be protected from injury for the first 7 to 10 days until it dries out and becomes hard. Keep it covered with a nonstick dressing or a bandage with ointment.
Bandage the toe.
If the toenail has not completely fallen off, you can bandage the nail to your toe until it falls off. You can also apply a bandage over the nail bed after the nail has detached from the nail bed. Keep the bandage on for 7 to 10 days until the skin of the nail bed hardens.
Once the toe is numb, you will not experience any pain while the nail is removed. After the procedure, when the anaesthetic wears off, the toe will be cushioned in a protective dressing. It may feel a little tender but should not be painful at all. You just need to take care not to knock it against something!
You should avoid running, jumping, or strenuous activity for 2 weeks after the surgery. Teenagers should not participate in physical education activities for 1 to 2 weeks after the procedure. Infection may develop in the toe during the first few weeks after the surgery.
“Toenails are like our appendix,” Krebsbach says. “They do serve a purpose, but we can live without them.” You can run with toenails, and you can run without them.
Most patients can return to work after 48 hours of rest, especially if they take all the advised post-surgery steps. Full healing of the surgical site can take between two to six weeks, and in some cases longer.