Toenails can be a source of pain, infection, and for some people, embarrassment. Anyone who has had an ingrown toenail will tell you how much it hurts and can affect daily activities. What may seem to be a trivial infection can have unintended (and serious) consequences. For some people, the shape or colour of their nails can cause embarrassment and shame.
A podiatrist is the primary practitioner for the management of nail complaints. The podiatrists can assist anyone with pain, infection, or thickened or discoloured nails, plus people who do not have the capacity to care for their own toenails due to:
limited mobility
reduced eye sight
difficulty trimming thick nails
pathology affecting the toenails
What we treat
The podiatrists at Fitzroy Foot and Ankle Clinic are skilled and experienced to treat a variety of toenail conditions that may be causing pain, infection, or an unsightly appearance.
The toenail conditions we most commonly see and treat include:
Onycholysis: painless detachment (lifting off) of the nail plate from the nail bed.
Onychogryphosis: a nail disease that causes one side of the nail to grow faster than the other, resulting in gross thickening of the toenail.
Onychocryptosis: an ingrown toenail. Please visit our ingrown toenails page for more information.
Onychomycosis: a fungal infection of the toenail. Please visit our fungal infections page for more information.
Treatment
The podiatrists at Fitzroy Foot and Ankle Clinic are equipped with a variety of medical grade, sterilised instruments that allow them to perform a variety of nail treatments. We have extensive knowledge of foot and toenail dermatology and have many years of clinical experience caring for a range of presenting complaints.
Treatment may include:
nail trimming to remove the edges of nail that may be causing pain
nail burring to reduce the thickness of nails or remove fungal nail
procedures for ingrown toenails
advice on medication to treat nail disease
prescription of some medicines by our *Endorsed podiatrist Dr Glen Whittaker*
For patients who are unable to maintain the health of their toenails, routine appointments are advised with the frequency of treatment recommended on a case by case basis. In general, every 8-10 weeks is suggested.