Don’t put up with ingrown toenails for one minute longer.
Ingrown toenails can be extremely painful, disrupting and limiting to your day - and your life. If you’re looking for a permanent solution to fix ingrown toenails so you don’t have to worry about them returning and causing you grief for years to come, you’ve come to the right place. Better yet, we're the only clinic in the regions offering needle-free injections to make your ingrown toenail treatment not just painless, but comfortable too.
We’re Tauranga’s only dedicated ingrown toenail clinic, and we use several evidence-based techniques (performed by our registered podiatrists) to fix ingrown toenails for good. We work with adults and children of all ages. We are highly trusted by those classed as having ‘vulnerable’ feet - such as those living with diabetes, circulation issues, neuropathy and other conditions.
If your toenails have ingrown into the surrounding skin, have curved in and pressed against the skin, have a ‘pinched’ appearance that’s causing discomfort, or have thickened or become distorted to the stage that they’re causing you toe pain, we can help.
A small ingrown toenail,
a very big problem.
Our podiatrists have years of experience treating ingrown toenails using a range of techniques - so we know exactly what gets the best results. The difference with our Tauranga-based clinic is that we’ve highly refined our processes and the treatment options we have available to give you the best, seamless experience as we get rid of those pesky ingrown toenails for the long run.
We also stay up-to-date with new clinical evidence, research and the availability of products that offer the best outcomes without compromising your safety and convenience. With us, your feet truly are in the best hands.
Ingrown Toenail Treatment Options
We offer several treatment options for ingrown toenails and follow strict safety, sterilisation and hygiene protocols to ensure the best outcomes. Your experienced podiatrist will explain your suitable options at your appointment so you can choose your preferred approach.
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IngrownToenail Surgery
Ingrown toenail surgery is performed in under one hour in your treatment chair. We use anaesthetic to numb the toe, making your procedure painless. Most recommended for those that have struggled with multiple ingrown toenails in the past, here we remove a very small portion of your toenail at the ‘ingrown’ nail edge, effectively removing the sharp nail spicule from the skin. We also apply a chemical to stop that small portion of nail from returning, and continuing to produce ingrown nails in the future. The procedure is called a partial nail avulsion (PNA).
Benefits of a partial nail avulsion:
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Complete within one hour, in-clinic
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It’s pain-free under local anaesthetic using our needle-free method
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You can go home immediately without taking the next day off work or school
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No special boots or braces are needed while the toe heals
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There is a minimal level of discomfort after the procedure
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We professionally dress your toe, and equip you with a take-home dressing pack and instructions
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We monitor your progress to ensure your toe is healing well and that we see the results we want
Onyfix Ingrown Nail Bracing
Onyfix is an innovative nail correction system that painlessly fixes ingrown toenails. It works by restoring the shape of your toenail (including the ingrown edge) to be flatter and more natural instead of curving down one or both sides of the nail, which predisposes you to ingrown toenails.
With this treatment, we set an adjustable resin strip horizontally over your painful, pinched, curved or ingrown nail. We often refer to it as a brace, but it is attached to the nail so that you don’t need to do anything else but sit back and relax as your pain and symptoms ease.
Benefits of onyfix:
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Treatment is painless
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There’s no downtime (no time off school or work)
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It’s a simple and straightforward procedure - sit back and relax
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It’s suitable for people with diabetes and problems with healing, circulation
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It’s uniquely moulded to each person - it’s not one-size-fits-all
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Onyfix works on the natural shape of the nail
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You can still shower and perform daily activities normally, including wearing nail polish, without restrictions
What Is An Ingrown Toenail?
Wondering what’s actually causing your toe to be painful, pink or swollen? An ingrown toenail occurs when part of your toenail digs and grows into the skin that surrounds the nail. As the nail pierces the skin, it acts much like a large splinter, causing pain throughout the day (and, for many, at night). The pain tends to be exacerbated by wearing enclosed shoes, as it can press the nail further into the skin, as well as already pressing on a tender and inflamed toe. The most common reasons we see for ingrown toenails include:
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The way you trim your nails
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Ripping off toenails, which can leave nail spicules behind
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Trimming deep down the sides of toenails where spicules are left behind
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Having toe changes (e.g. hammertoes, bunions) that press against the nail or the other toes
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An abnormal nail shape, such as having ‘pinched’ nails
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Trauma to the toenail (like dropping something on your toe, or repeatedly kicking the ball during sports)
The majority of people that we see and treat will have had at least one ingrown toenail or have already tried treating their toe at home without success. This means that their symptoms may have been temporarily relieved, but as they didn’t address the underlying cause, their ingrown nail will continue to come back over months or years, as the nail grows.
Here are some examples of ingrown toenails at varying stages, from early and mild to more severe and infected. If you’re experiencing some pain or discomfort, redness or swelling around one (or both) sides of your toenail, there’s a strong chance that you have an ingrown nail.
What Does An Ingrown Toenail Look Like?
Frequently Asked Questions
Plenty can be done to relieve pain from an ingrown toenail at home, ranging from soaking your feet in warm water (with or without Epsom salts) to taking painkillers, to trying to trim back the offending nail edge. The problem here is that most at-home solutions (for those with recurring ingrown nails) don’t actually fix the problem, but just offer some temporary relief. This can be great - until it continues to come back repeatedly. The only way to get rid of ingrown toenails for good is to address their underlying causes with methods that will achieve lasting results, like the ones we offer in our clinic.
We use local anaesthetics for any treatments, such as minor ingrown nail surgery, so you don’t feel a thing. Remember, when we’re already working with a tender, vulnerable or painful part of the body, it’s natural that there may be a little discomfort in the treatment process as this area is sore anyway. Most people walk out of our clinic feeling relief and reduced pain - which continues to improve as your swelling goes down and the toe can heal and return to a normal, pain-free state.
Absolutely. We work with people of all ages. The only difference is the type of treatment we recommend.
Onyfix is $250 per session. Our full package for a partial nail avulsion (PNA nail surgery) for a one-sided ingrown nail (so the surgery only needs to performed on one side of the toenail) inclusive of the procedure, a dressing change appointment within 48 hours, and a follow up appointment 4 weeks after the procedure is $650. The cost of the initial consultation to discuss your options, confirm your diagnosis, and complete simple ingrown nail removal (if it's the preferred method) is $150.
The most common sign of an infected ingrown toenail is discharge from the side of the nail, whether it’s white, clear, yellow or green. The toe may also appear more swollen. As part of our assessment, we always check for signs of infection and adjust your treatment plan accordingly.
Make sure you’ve addressed the cause of your ingrown nail! Your podiatrist will discuss this during your appointment and equip you with the correct information to help prevent your ingrown nail from returning and to prevent a new one from developing on the opposite toe.
In most cases, the answer is no. Returning to the splinter analogy, if you don’t remove a large splinter from your skin - especially when it’s fixed permanently in place by your nail - the toe can’t heal, and the inflammation (and pain) can’t go down. This is precisely what’s happening with an ingrown toenail and why they don’t tend to resolve on their own without proper care.
Yes! While ingrown nails mainly affect the big toes, we definitely see them on the smaller toes from time to time. These are often relatively straightforward to treat.
Instead of piercing the skin, we use a needle-less device with high-pressure technology to push a fine stream of anaesthetic through the skin of your toe and into the underlying tissue. This process is fast, precise and minimally invasive, making it much more comfortable, especially if you feel anxious about needles and any related pain. The anaesthetic spreads to the targeted area, numbing the toe effectively throughout your entire ingrown nail treatment.
Ingrown Toenail Removal
If it’s your first time experiencing an ingrown toenail, and it’s unlikely to recur, you may be best suited to a simple, one-off ‘conservative’ treatment for your ingrown toenail. Here, your podiatrist will use medical instruments to trim down the side of the ingrown toenail and remove the offending nail spicule causing your pain or discomfort. Your podiatrist will also discuss the likely reasons your ingrown nail developed and guide you on how to minimise the risk of the problem recurring in the future.
Benefits of ingrown toenail removal:
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This treatment is performed quickly, directly targeting the source of your pain
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You’ll feel instant relief once the nail spicule is removed
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The procedure is safe and sterile
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Anaesthetic is not usually required, but is available if needed using our needle-free method
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Painless ingrown toenail treatment
without the needles
We’re also proud to be the only clinic in the area to offer needle-free injections for local anaesthetic if needed for your treatment. We know that injections can drive anxiety and fear for adults and children alike, so it was important to us to invest in this technology to elevate your experience with us. We use the Comfort-In™️ Needle-Free system.