ABSTRACT

Ingrown toenails are a common problem in surgical practices (Figure 1). For the patients it often means a long-lasting disturbance. Improper nail trimming in combination with chronic trauma from tight shoes often causes ingrown toenails (1). A spicule of the nail plate lacerates the soft tissue of the lateral nail fold and leads to painful irritation, inflammation, infection, and growth of excessive granulation tissue. Many treatment modalities have been described: nail edge separation, partial matrix phenolization, or the classic wedge excision (2). However, these classic treatment regimens may lead to severe damage of the nail fold or to frequent relapses. Therefore, based on the technique of Wallace, we developed a new noninvasive treatment for ingrown toenails without producing severe nail matrix damage (3,4).