Nail Surgery

At our Landsborough and Kawana podiatry clinics on the Sunshine Coast, our Podiatrists perform nail surgery, sometimes referred to as a PNA, Partial Nail Avulsion.

What is a PNA?

Partial Nail Avulsion (PNA) is the name of a procedure whereby a section of the nail is permanently removed. This ingrown nail treatment option is particularly for those who suffer with recurring painful or infected ingrown toenails.

If you are presenting to Stepping Out Podiatry for the first time, it is not likely that you will be undergoing a PNA in the first appointment. It is quite possible that our qualified Podiatrists can remove the ingrowing nail piece without surgery if the nail piece is small enough. 

During this initial consultation, your Podiatrist will:

• Assessing the ingrown nail to ascertain whether a PNA is appropriate;
• Discussion of the appropriate treatment including whether antibiotics are required, when the procedure would best be performed and what to expect during and after the procedure;
• Performing conservative management to get you more comfortable before the PNA can be scheduled and treated in this appointment;
• Discussing the costs involved if a PNA were to go ahead.

If a PNA is indicated, the Stepping Out team will book you in for a longer consult for the procedure.

What should I expect?

Before the treatment your Podiatrist will numb your toe with a local anaesthetic.  Don’t worry!  You are in safe hands as Podiatrists have specific training for this procedure and are experts at numbing the toe – quickly and efficiently.  A sterile field is set up to perform the procedure which minimises the risk of infection. The problematic toenail edge/s will be removed and a special chemical applied to the nail bed (which effectively kills the cells that produce nail). A sterile dressing is applied to the site and you Podiatrist will talk to you about how to care for the wound.

Once the local anaesthetic wears off a few hours later, some mild pain can be expected however this is almost always resolved with only paracetamol and elevating the foot. Your podiatrist will review with you soon after and keep a close eye on your healing and ensuring no infection onsets.  The cleaner you keep your toe the less complications you have and the faster you will be back playing sport or doing the things you love pain free.

4 reasons why you should choose us to remove your ingrown nail…

Experts in the field

Stepping Out Podiatry on the Sunshine Coast know feet….and we definitely know how to remove an ingrown nail. We are trained specifically at removing ingrown nails and have more experience that anyone else at treatment, prevention and removing nails with minimum pain.

Better looking nails

Podiatrists remove toenails on a daily basis, therefore know the right portion of nail to be removed to prevent it from regrowing. This means your toenail will look far better after the surgery and not distorted or deformed.

Less pain

As Podiatrists specialise in removing ingrown nails, we have instruments specifically engineered for treating ingrown toenails and for performing toenail surgery.  This ensures that you experience the best quality outcome with minimal tissue damage.

Faster recovery

Due to our specialised instrument usage to remove your nail with utmost care, we are able to remove less nail with minimum tissue disturbance, meaning you will have a faster recovery time. This means no time off work and you will be able to get on with your life and activity much quicker.