New Step Podiatry

Caring for Your Skin and Toenails the Proper Way

Deformed and ingrown toenails aren’t only unsightly, but also excruciatingly painful. New Step Podiatry in Florey ACT provides consultation, treatment and preventive services for a wide range of skin and toenail issues.

Before we can determine our treatment plan for you, we will hold a consultation to assess the state of your skin and toenails. We will examine the way you walk and run, as well as your posture, to identify any biomechanical problems.

Once we’re done with the assessment stage, we will go through the treatment process, which may include toenail trimming, reduction in thickness of nails, callus and dry skin removal, and application of cream.

Our preventive care covers a step-by-step strategic plan that you can carry out at home after the treatment to maintain healthy feet. In addition, you will take home the notes from the consultation and refer to it for posttreatment care.

Our clinic is regularly inspected by the ACT Health officials to ascertain that our premises are clean, safe and conducive for the public. The instruments we use are regularly sterilised in an autoclave to eliminate 99.9% of bacteria and fungi.

The Whys and Hows of Nails

People seek the help of a podiatrist for different reasons. Some couldn’t reach their feet because of a back, hip, knee or stomach condition. Others couldn’t see their toenails due to vision problems, while there people who aren’t skilled at nail clippers, nippers or scissors.

Whatever your reason may be, consulting a professional podiatrist reduces your risk for acquiring or worsening a toenail problem. Corns, ingrown toenails, warts, misshapen toenails and thick, hard-to-cut toenails are just among the slew of problems you may encounter if you handle your toenails and the skin around them without the proper knowledge and skills.

Treatment for Ingrown Toenails

An ingrown toenail is one of the common — if not the most common  — problems we are seeked out for. When the edge of a toenail pierces the nail fold, it results in pain, infection, corns, calluses and hypergranulation. The latter is described as the appearance of a red mound of flesh that contains tiny blood vessels, scar tissue and connective tissue.

Ingrown nails can be triggered by different factors such as tight shoes, toe deformities or a nail injury, just to cite a few examples. There are many ways a podiatrist can treat this problem, including trimming the edge of the nail and removing dry skin, applying silver nitrate on the hypergranulation, or applying antibiotic and putting a dressing to protect the toe from further growth of bacteria, among others. 

For recurring ingrown toenails, we would resort to either toenail bracing or nail surgery. The first involves the installment of a wired or plastic device on the nail to realign it and improve its shape. Nail surgery, on the other hand, involves the removal of the damaged section of the toenail and the eradication of the cells that are responsible for its growth so that the nail never grows back again.

Book an appointment and get the right treatment for your damaged nails.