Nail Laser & Nail Restoration

Restoring Toenails And Your Self-Confidence

Your Toenails are Meant to be Beautiful!

You may have heard of the decorative nail wraps that are popping up all over. You can choose funky pink and purple stripes or elegant black with a faint sweep of tiny white stars—and everything in between. They can be a lot of fun, but may not work well if your nails are damaged. Restoring toenails can give you a smooth foundation so you can let your inner artist go wild.

What is Wrong with My Nails?

Your finger or toenails can be cut or bruised by an accident, turn brittle and discoloured from a fungal infection, or develop pitting because of psoriasis. Spoon-shaped nails can form because of an iron deficiency or liver problem, or you can get little indentations called Beau’s lines from diabetes or other illnesses. Whatever is causing your nails to be a funny shape or texture, treating the underlying condition and then restoring toenails will eliminate your worry and embarrassment.

How Nail Restoration System Works

At Ottawa Foot Practice we often use this system in conjunction with laser treatment for fungal nails. The thick, brittle, yellow nails can be a source of great embarrassment. Even though the treatments kill the fungus, it takes a while for the new healthy nail to grow out. To give you nice-looking nails in the meantime, we do the following steps:

  • Inspect: We make sure the nail and toe are clean, dry and free of any lotion or solvent residue or foreign bodies.
  • Debride: We remove much of the damaged nail tissue with a dremel, leaving at least 15% of it as a base for bonding. We take care not to damage the skin, nail bed or cuticle and use sterile equipment to keep from spreading the fungus. When done, we wipe away any residue with a dry gauze.
  • Apply Bonding Agent: The gel-like material is applied to the old nail with a small, thin brush. A thin, even coat that covers the entire nail is best, and it is left to cure for 2 minutes without touching it.
  • Apply Resin: The composite material is brushed on, starting at the tip of the toenail, and a new nail is sculpted. The material won’t bond to skin, so we take care to clear any stray resin away from the skin, cuticle, and edges of the nail so the bond will work well.
  • Cure: The resin is cured for two minutes with ultraviolet light waves.
  • Repeat: If another layer is needed, we can do so without the bonding agent as long as nothing has touched the surface to inhibit the bonding between layers. The additional resin is cured again for 2 minutes under UV light.
  • Clean and Buff: We use an alcohol wipe to clear away the film from the curing process, and then smooth out any dips or bumps with a file.
  • Seal: When the nail looks satisfactory to you, we apply the final sealing agent, cure for 2 additional minutes, and clear away the film with an alcohol swab.

Wow! New Nails!

Nail restoration is quick and painless, and your new nail is ready to go immediately. You can apply polish or nail wraps, put on socks and shoes, and walk around with no wait times. Restoring toenails gives you a smooth, flexible covering that moves with you and behaves much as your normal nail would.

When caring for your nail, you should not use acetone nail polish removers, and it is best to avoid kicking with that toe, as that could cause the nail to pop off. Running may shorten the life of the nail, but otherwise it should last about 8 weeks. As your own nail grows out, give Ottawa Foot Practice a call. This nail restoration system may not be a good idea if you have ingrown toenails, arterial disease, circulation problems, diabetic nerve complications, or coloured lesions that could indicate a serious condition. Otherwise, call our Ottawa, ON, office at (613) 595-9700 for an appointment, or you can request one online.