Ingrown Nail & Wart Treatments

What is an Ingrown Toenail?

Also known as onychocryptosis, this very common condition occurs when the nail excessively curves and begins to rub and dig deeply into the nailfolds. This often causes inflammation, pain, and an increased risk of infection. The cause of the toenail’s curve can usually be traced to ill-fitting shoes placing excessive pressure on the nail, although heredity or injury to the toe can sometimes be factors as well.

How are Ingrown Toenails Treated?

Mild cases of ingrown toenails can often be resolved conservatively at home, but conditions that are especially painful, appear to be infected, or keep returning should be examined by a professional. By no means should someone ever engage in “bathroom surgery,” trying to cut out an ingrown toenail at home. This most often only leads to further pain and a much greater chance that the toe will become infected.

In severe cases, the most efficient treatment for an especially painful or persistent problem is a full removal of the nail sides, followed by the destruction of the nail growth centers via a chemical application. This procedure is referred to as a matrixectomy, and often results in the nail never growing back.

A matrixectomy procedure can be performed in our office with local anesthesia, under the full attention and care of foot specialist. It is, of course, not the only option that may be available, and more conservative methods will be employed first if they might be effective.

For help with ingrown toenails and other painful conditions, contact Ottawa Foot Clinic at (613) 595-9700 to schedule an appointment with our Deakin Street office.

What are Plantar Warts?

A plantar wart is a contagious skin lesion at the bottom of the foot caused by a viral skin infection by one or many of the 150 different species of Human Papilloma Viruses (HPV). Plantar warts are similar to normal warts, non cancerous skin growths, with the difference being that plantar warts form on the sole, ball or heel of your foot where the pressure from standing and walking can cause them to grow upwards into the foot.

How are Plantar Warts Treated?

At Ottawa Foot Practice  we have trained foot technicians working under the supervision of doctors of podiatric medicine who have experience in dealing with plantar warts and providing appropriate treatments for all levels of conditions.

Our new plantar wart laser treatment protocol is a quick, in-office procedure. There will be no downtime due to chemically-induced blistering.

It is believed that the laser beam gently coagulate the mini blood vessels nourishing the infected skin cells. These cells will then be evacuated fast enough so viral transmission to newer skin cell generation will not take place. In many cases, three to four laser sessions performed two weeks apart may be enough to eradicate the viral lesion.

As plantar warts are a virus and in many cases are hard to treat it is advised that you contact our foot specialist to assist with their treatment.

Over the counter medications can often cause more harm than good by rendering the lesion more resistant to professional treatments. Home treatment can also damage healthy skin and  ”home surgery” is certainly not recommended because it only spreads the viral infection to a larger area. You may cause injury and most likely you may not be able to remove the growth entirely.