Medical Questions » Nails Questions » Question No. 707
| Question: | I have had an ongoing problem with an ingrown toenail for ten years. The nail has been removed twice, and despite having both sides of the nail bed removed by a podiatrist, the nail is still growing back and getting infected. I have heard that laser surgery will help this problem. Do you know where I can obtain this treatment? |
| Answer: | Lasers are a substitute for a scalpel, and are used to cut through flesh, while at the same time seating the flesh to prevent it from bleeding. In most cases they are of more assistance to the surgeon, by preventing bleeding, than they are to the patient.
Removing both sides of the nail bed (Zadeks procedure) should cure the problem if it is carried out correctly, but if even a small amount of nail bed is left behind, the problem would recur, often worse than before, because the nail will be deformed.
You need to have a radical Zadek' s procedure performed so that the nail bed at both sides of the nail is totally, completely and utterly removed, thereby permanently narrowing the nail by about half its width. This procedure is very well performed with a scalpel rathet than a laser, will prevent the nail from growing into the adjacent flesh, and can be done by some general practitioners and orthopaedic surgeons.
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