Ingrowing Toenails

you don't say how old your son is. If most of his growth is complete, I highly recommend the surgery. It is in office and solves the problem permanently. Cutting a "v" will not help, as it is the nail bed that causes the growth, and the nail will not grow to fill in the V - it is a myth. (No offense, previous poster) - see this article... http://www.epodiatry.com/ingrown_nails.htm

I had a very large nailbed and horrible, very painful ingrown toenails as a child and tried every trick in the book, and no matter how careful I was, it always came back. It was because my nailbed was too large and mishapen. When I was 18, I had the surgery, where the dr cauterized the nailbed beside the toe, and no more large, ingrown toenails! Very, VERY worth it.

Two of my now adult children inherited my bad toenails and had the surgery when they were also 18. Our toes all look normail now.

I had the same problem my whole life... only every once in a while when I was a kid, but by the time I was 25 it was almost constant. Surgery was the only thing that helped. It's not really a painful procedure, and heals quickly. Once I had it done I felt so much better. I'd been in pain so long I'd forgotten what normal felt like! I wish I had done it sooner!

Besides making sure that shoes AND socks are fitting properly, cutting a "V" right in the middle of the toenail with provide almost immediate relief and help the nail grow out. You have to try and cut it as deep as you can go and then just file the cut edges smooth.

I had to wear steel toe boots for a number of years and, for some reason, caused me to get awful ingrown toenails. I used the "V" trick and never had to have them treated surgincally.

my daughter had an ingrown toenail and the doctor suggested this. take a piece of cotton and pull it into a thick thread and then slide it at an angle under the corner of the nail that is growing in. that worked for her. i think she did it after showering and then just left it until it either came out or her next shower. she was a young teen at the time.

wow .. my daughter has one that's it really infected... i will have to bring her to the dr. and see what they say.. good luck

The surgery really isn't a big deal. I had it done when I was 11 and they don't even have to put you to sleep or anything. My relief was immediate and I've never had one since then.

How old is your son? I had ingrown toenails all my life. My parents and dr.'s decided to wait on surgery, and I really wish they hadn't! My toes finally got really infected right after my son was born, and I was left to take care of an infant without being able to walk. I know you hate to watch your son in pain, but I think it's easier to get it over with now, keeping him from years of pain in the future.

Three of my four children have had this done in the podiatrist office. They numb the area and to watch is nasty - but it helped tremendously! I am pretty sure we have not had to go back due to ingrown toenails since the surgery for any one of them.

M