General information, not an individual diagnosis. Ask a healthcare professional if you are unsure about your situation.
After ingrown toenail surgery, ask the care team about dressing instructions, whom to call and the follow-up appointment. The technique used and your health affect follow-up.
Immediately after surgery, for slight bleeding, Ameli advises raising the foot and pressing the dressing with your fingers or tightening the bandage a little. Follow your own team’s instructions first. In France, call 15 or 112 for severe bleeding.
For the first three days, Ameli recommends avoiding prolonged standing and walking little, resting the foot on a stool while sitting. Ask how to apply this advice to your situation.
During healing and later if the ingrown nail returns, seek medical care the same day for fever, a red swollen toe with pus and throbbing pain, or a tender red line extending up the foot or calf. Warmth and pain in the toe can signal infection: contact the team without waiting for the scheduled check if the wound worries you.
Healing is generally complete or nearly complete in two to three weeks, but full toenail regrowth can take ten to eighteen months. These general time frames do not predict your individual recovery.
After the nail regrows, watch for recurrence. The signs requiring same-day medical care apply both during wound healing and after regrowth.
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