Why does your nail hurt?

Do you experience pain, itching, and discomfort in your nails? Are your chipped, cracked, or uneven growing nails causing you distress? Have you heard of a nail infection that may irritate you and make you feel itchy and uncomfortable? Well! There’s a solution for all your nail problems. Let’s learn about Nail surgery in detail here:

What is Nail Surgery?

Nail surgery is a process of removal of either all or some part of a nail. This is carried out when a person is suffering from different conditions causing any pain, discomfort, or infections. The removal of the entire nail is called avulsion, and the removal of part of the nail is called debridement.

When is surgery necessary?

Surgical removal of the nail is done when a large portion of a nail is affected and is severely damaged or in cases where your nails are extremely painful. In some of the surgical procedures, only the diseased portion is removed, and in some, the whole nail is removed surgically.

What is the procedure?

Nail avulsion surgery is one of the most common surgical procedures undertaken by millions of people in day to day life. In this procedure, the nail plate is removed from the body and its primary attachments. The procedure is indicated in recalcitrant onychocryptosis and tumours of the nail.

Nail surgery is an outpatient procedure that is done either in the doctor's office. Your doctor gives you a local anaesthesia injection in the finger or the toe to prevent pain. To access your nail, your best dermatologist in delhi will separate the nail from the skin with a small tool. If in case a part of the nail is affected, then only the diseased part is removed.

After removing the nail plate at the end of the procedure, your doctor may apply an antiseptic ointment to the wound, covered with gauze and tape.

What happens after the surgery?

If your doctor has told you how to take care of your wound, you must strictly follow the instructions. But in case you have not got any instructions then you have to follow some of the general instructions like:

Wash your wound thoroughly after 24 to 48 hours, with clean water. Repeat the procedure about 2 times a day for effective results. Try not to use hydrogen peroxide or any alcohol-based solution to cause slow healing and delayed recovery. Alcohol-based solutions may irritate the skin and make the skin dry, causing itching and worsening the condition.

Try to cover your wound with a thin layer of petroleum jelly or a non-stick bandage. Petroleum jelly helps keep the wound moist and prevents it from forming a scab or drying out. Apply some more petroleum jelly, and then do replace the bandages when required.

The wound may take a few weeks to heal. Fingernails might take about 6 months to regrow, and toenails will take around 12-18 months to grow back.

How long does nail surgery take to heal?

Nail surgery takes about 4-8 weeks to heal completely, especially when only part of the nail is removed. It may take around 6-12 weeks to complete the process when the whole nail is removed. In some cases, it might also take a longer time to complete healing.

Risk factors associated with nail surgery:

Nail surgery helps in reducing pain and offers a long term solution. The procedure is known to be very much safe as well as efficient. However, there may be some associated risks. These risk factors are listed below:

Nail regrowth: Even if every possible step is taken to prevent the nail's regrowth, there are few chances that regrowth might occur.

Delay in healing: Healing might take a long time, and it depends on your age, overall health, and how well you get after your health after surgery.

Infection: This presents itself as a red, hot, and painful finger. Usually, a swab test is taken to see if there is an infection, and then accordingly, antibiotics are given.

If you were looking forward to undergoing an ingrown nail surgery in Delhi and worried about its cost, then don't worry! Because the charges are very nominal. The ingrown nail surgery cost in Delhi may range anywhere between 1600-2000 INR. The cost may depend on various factors like patient age, admission charges, consultation fee, and type of hospital or clinic you choose.

References:

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/326019

https://www.summitpost.org/phpBB3/toe-nail-surgery-how-long-does-recovery-take-t35617.html