Caring For Your Ingrown Toenails After Nail Surgery

Immediately after your procedure

• Take the rest of your day off from work, school and any physical activity commitments. You want to kickstart the healing process and reduce the risk of continued bleeding
• Keep your foot elevated as much as possible for the rest of the day
• Use paracetamol if you need to manage pain, as opposed to ibuprofen, which can thin the blood
• Don’t get your foot wet, shower with your foot completely waterproof, or wait until the next day to shower
• Keep your foot clean, and don’t remove your dressing
• Don’t drive on the day after your procedure
• Don’t wear closed-in footwear on the day of your procedure

Within the first week of your procedure

• Return within 2-3 days for your dressing change
• After your redressing with us, redress your toe every 1-2 days, or anytime that your toe gets wet
• Don’t remove or play with your dressing before your first dressing change
• Don’t get your toe or dressing wet, if you do, let us know and we may get you in earlier to redress your toe
• Avoid wearing tight shoes and socks that push on your toe
• Avoid any activity that causes toe pain
• Take time to elevate your foot where possible
• Avoid any physical activities that involve kicking and direct impact to the toe

The first one to two weeks

• Return for your one week check with us, where we’ll be able to check the status of your healing and debride if needed
• At this stage, different people may be at different healing stages, so it’s important to listen to the advice of your podiatrist
• Continue to redress your toe as instructed. We’ll let you know when you can switch the kind of dressing you use to one that is less rigorous
• Be cautious during physical activity until your toe has healed sufficiently
• Continue to avoid any activities that cause you pain
• Wear open-toed shoes as much as possible to encourage healing
• Let your podiatrist know if you are experiencing significant pain, or are worried about infection

After two weeks

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