At your dressing appointment the day following nail surgery the dressing will be changed and we will demonstrate how you will change your dressing at home. You will need to buy dressings for this until the toe is healed.
Looking after your toe following nail surgery
- Work in a clean area and ensure any items such as scissors are as clean as possible.
- Gently remove the dressing. Bathe the foot for 3-5 minutes in a clean bowl of warm saltwater. (Alternatively, shower but do not wet the toe for prolonged periods. You may wish to wash your hair separately in the sink)
- Wash around the toe and gently cleanse with sterile gauze to help dislodge any debris. Avoid touching the wound at any other time.
- Having washed the toe/s, dry with a sterile gauze and discard it, before applying a clean sterile dressing as shown by the podiatrist.
- Do not wrap tape tightly around the toe as this can restrict blood flow.
- You will need to purchase breathable dressings from the pharmacy as discussed with your podiatrist.
- Do not be tempted to sit with the dressings off, or walk about without a dressing on as dirt, dust, animal hairs etc may get into the wound and cause infection which may delay healing.
- Change the dressing every 1-2 days or any time you see weeping through the dressing. You must continue dressing the toe until fully healed.
- When the nail bed is dry and there is no mark on the dressing then you may leave your toe uncovered.
- Wounds can take up to 3 months to fully heal. Avoid sports and tight shoes until the toe has healed.
How to apply the dressing
- Wash your hands and use clean scissors to cut the dressing
- Make 2 small cuts to create a flap at the top of the dressing
- Place dressing ensuring the sterile pad is over the wound and the flap to the top of the toe
- Fold the flap over the top of the toe and the remainder of the dressing around the toe, firmly but not too tight
Click here to view a diagram explaining this.
Is there anything I should look out for?
For the first 1-4 weeks the area around the nail bed will be red and inflamed, expect to see a heavy discharge and the nail bed will develop a thick yellow/ red crust where the nail has been removed. It may be painful/ uncomfortable or bleed. This is a normal inflammation response to the chemical burn and not necessarily an infection.
Extreme pain, extreme swelling, and redness which tracks up the toe, usually accompanied by thick and smelly discharge, may indicate an infection. This is unusual within the first week unless an infection was present at the time of surgery.
If concerned, contact Single Point of Contact (SPoC): 03003045555
