Is your ingrown toenail coming back – again?
You’ve tried soaking, trimming and antibiotic creams. The nail settles for a few weeks, then the pain returns with a vengeance, disrupting training sessions and Saturday sport.
If this cycle sounds familiar, it may be time to consider a partial nail avulsion (PNA) for a chronic ingrown toenail at Brisbane Foot and Orthotics.
Partial nail avulsion is a type of ingrown toenail surgery. It is a minor surgical procedure, performed onsite under local anaesthetic, to:
PNA is not a nail trim — it is a long-term (often permanent) solution for painful, chronic, or recurrent ingrown toenails. Our multi-lingual, AHPRA-registred podiatrists regularly perform PNAs within their scope of practice.
This initial assessment promotes high-quality clinical care by enabling your podiatrist to:
Surgery is only scheduled if it is the right option for you or your child.
A partial nail avulsion is a fairly quick procedure that usually takes 15-30 minutes.
Your podiatrist will:
You can walk (carefully) as soon as the procedure is complete, though may need to choose wide, comfortable shoes. Full aftercare instructions are provided before you leave.
Surgical nail removal is typically recommended when:
As with any surgical procedure, partial nail avulsion and phenolisation (chemical treatment to the nail root) carry potential risks and may not be suitable for everyone.
Possible risks include:
Post-operative follow-up matters. Brisbane Foot & Orthotics has three Brisbane podiatry clinic locations, so families across the south-east and on the north side can attend aftercare appointments without a long drive.
A nail trim is a temporary fix — it removes the visible spike but doesn’t stop the nail from growing back into the skin. Partial nail avulsion removes the offending nail border permanently and prevents its regrowth.
We offer partial nail avulsion, which removes the part of the nail that is digging into the skin but leaves the rest of the nail intact. This is different to whole nail avulsion, which removes the entire nail.
Funnily enough, an ingrown toenail may be more painful than the surgery to remove it!
The local anaesthetic injection may cause brief discomfort, but the procedure itself is generally well-tolerated, with patients describing a feeling of pressure rather than pain. Post-procedure soreness is normal for a few days and managed with standard pain relief.
Ingrown toenail surgery is usually more effective than conservative treatments in preventing recurrence. The UK’s Royal College of Podiatry reports that ingrown toenail surgery is 95% successful.
Recovery timelines vary between patients, which is why a pre-surgical assessment is essential before any procedure is scheduled. As a general guide, sports, swimming and strenuous exercise should be avoided for about 2 weeks after ingrown toenail surgery.
Your podiatrist will discuss sport-specific timelines at your Surgical Suitability Assessment.
No referral is required. You can book a Surgical Suitability Assessment directly with Brisbane Foot & Orthotics.
An active infection may need antibiotic treatment before surgery can proceed. Call us on 07 3184 6824 — urgent appointments may be available.
