[Kevin108]

And, if so, how many times did it still grow back?

Had it popped off for a 3rd time Thursday afternoon. Still hobbling around and getting restless.

[the88thpianoman]

Never had one completely removed, but I've had to get surgery for an ingrown toenail. I mention this because to keep the nail from growing back on the sides where it can get ingrown, they etch off the tissue with a type of acid. This permanently prevents regrowth, but only where the acid is applied. I would think you can get the same treatment done to the entire nail bed, which would prevent the entire nail from ever growing back. Talk to your podiatrist and see if that's an option for you.

[2006_Sport]

how does it just "pop" off? Do you not clip them short or something?

[Munch520]

Originally Posted by 2006_Sport

how does it just "pop" off? Do you not clip them short or something?

X2? Sounds painful!

[AuroraProject]

I had my right big toenail permanently removed and it has never grown back. I went to have it fixed as it was ingrown, a week later the whole toe was green and infected. 3 weeks later the toenail had a fungal infection. I went back to the same doctor and he gave me 2 options (both free, he felt he caused the infection, to which I agreed). I could take pills for a year and risk liver damage, or he could just remove it and a call it a day. He removed it and cauterized the nail bed, and it's been gone ever since. That was at least 10 years ago.

[AuroraProject]

Originally Posted by 2006_Sport

how does it just "pop" off? Do you not clip them short or something?

It doesn't just pop off, the doctor removes it with something resembling snap ring pliers! They just jam it between the nail and the skin and squeeze the handle and pop!

[Kevin108]

Originally Posted by the88thpianoman

to keep the nail from growing back on the sides where it can get ingrown, they etch off the tissue with a type of acid.

He did that last time. I guess he didn't account for my

mutant healing factor.

Originally Posted by 2006_Sport

how does it just "pop" off? Do you not clip them short or something?

My podiatrist numbs the toe, scores along the cuticle with a scalpel and sticks a miniature stainless steel Wonder Bar under the nail.

[1222]

Damm, I was avoiding this thread because I’m really finicky with that sort of stuff but curiosity got the better of me. Oh well, might as well leave a comment while I’m at it.

Why would anyone want to have the toenail permanently removed? Seems like it’s needed in some capacity.

[Havasu Living]

Originally Posted by 1222

Why would anyone want to have the toenail permanently removed? Seems like it’s needed in some capacity.

One reason:

October 22, 2009
One Ultrarunning Problem, Solved for Good By CATHERINE SAINT LOUIS
GETTING serious about a sport can mean doing the previously unthinkable. Swimmers shave their bodies sleek. Cyclists take blood-boosters. And ultramarathoners have their battered toenails surgically removed — for good.

Toenail removal is not for the faint of heart, but it can be a big relief to people who compete in 50- or 100-mile races. Even the most hardened ultramarathoners, for whom 26.2 miles is a warm-up, can be distressed by bleeding under a nail or a loose nail that bangs repeatedly against the front of a shoe.

Marshall Ulrich of Idaho Springs, Colo., who had all his toenails surgically removed in 1992, has become a example for the practice. He used to stop mid-race to poke a hole in a throbbing nail to relieve pressure. Now, he said, toenails are “one less thing to have to deal with.”

Plenty of distance runners lose their toenails repeatedly. For some, it can be a badge of honor, proof of miles logged and the repetitive toe-banging they have endured. The proud wear hats and T-shirts emblazoned with the slogan “Toenails are for sissies.”

[1222]

Havasu Living thanks,

Holy crap, I had no idea, way more info than I was looking for. Anyhow thanks for cluing me in, plus I actually learned something and I can also use it when a conversation goes silent.

[Kevin108]

Originally Posted by 1222

Damm, I was avoiding this thread because I’m really finicky with that sort of stuff but curiosity got the better of me. Oh well, might as well leave a comment while I’m at it.

Why would anyone want to have the toenail permanently removed? Seems like it’s needed in some capacity.

I've got pics if you want to see them!

I'm not a runner but I'm often on my feet all day, walking and climbing and what the hell ever. I work for a local municipality in commercial building maintenance as a carpenter but I do a little bit of everything.

The nail was lower than the tip of my toe so after it stayed ingrown and ****ed up for a year, I decided to get rid of it entirely. I didn't have to go that route. The doc offered to basically do a little plastic surgery and trim the skin down on the tip of my toe but it had like a 3-week recovery period with no guarantee the nail won't still get ingrown where with the toenail removal can get you back on your feet more or less instantly - maybe after a weekend. I had mine done Thursday afternoon and I'm going back to work on Monday.

[Puck81]

I need some pics in this thread. my toes constantly get ingrown and it drives me nuts. Also, any one know if insurance covers toe nail removal?

[Kevin108]

I had a $40 co-pay for seeing a specialist, but that was it. Well, had to go twice - once for consultation and again for the procedure, but still not too bad.

[Kevin108]

This is how it grew back over the course of a year after the last removal - two chunks that had sort of intersected each other.



This is the day after removal when I took the bandage off for the first time. (Click it for the full nastiness.)



This is my bandage system and my caveman foot. Electrical tape over gauze and bactroban. Feet are size 12 EEEEE. The box fits better than the shoes.

[Puck81]

Cripes! My toe looks loke that right now after I buchered the hell out of it diging for an ingrown. I know the feeling about the caveman feet, mine are 9.5 H. Its hard to find shoes that fit. And when I do, they cost and arm and a leg.