Efficacy of a new nail brace for the treatment of ingrown toenails

Background and objectives: Surgery is the mainstay of treatment for complicated ingrown toenails. However, alternative treatments using nail braces have been reported to show good efficacy. The objective of the present study was to investigate the efficacy of a new nail brace for the treatment of ingrown toenails. Patients and methods: We conducted a retrospective study on patients with ingrown toenails treated at Wan Fang Hospital between June 1, 2015 and May 30, 2016. Ingrown toenails were classified into acute inflamed/infected (AI) and chronic dystrophic (CD) types. Using physician global assessment scores, the efficacy of nail braces for the two types of ingrown toenails was compared 1, 2, 3, and 6 months after treatment initiation and during the final visit. Results: Twenty-one patients (42 sites) had CD-type ingrown toenails; 25 patients (36 sites) had ingrown toenails of the AI type. Of the affected sites, 81 %, 94 %, and 100 % showed an excellent or fair outcome at 1, 3, and 6 months, respectively. Recurrence rates were 10.3 %; complication rates, 7.7 %. While, in the first three months, AI-type ingrown toenails tended to achieve excellent results more rapidly than CD-type nails, outcomes were similar at six months. Conclusions: Nail braces are an effective therapeutic option, particularly for CD-type ingrown toenails.