If you're reading this, you don't need me to describe the pain of an ingrown toe nail. You're probably very familiar with it. I had surgery to treat my toenails 20 years ago, and haven't had a problem since, but I still remember that feeling all too

I had surgery done on my ingrown nails when I was 14. It was a simple outpatient procedure at the podiatrist's office. They numbed the nerves of the toe, then did a bunch of things I tried to not think about - namely cutting the sides of the nail off down to the root and putting some sort of acid in there to keep it from growing back. I had both sides of both big toes treated. I read a magazine while they did it.

On one toe, it was a breeze. On the other, the shots they gave me to deaden the nerves just weren't working right. My toe was a little numb, but just a little. They gave me more shots of lidocaine, then asked if I wanted to wait and do it another time, since the anesthetic just wasn't working right. I told them to just go ahead and get it over with. So I felt most of the pain from that one. I won't lie, it hurt. Bad. But, it was bearable, and quick. I think each toe took maybe 10 minutes, tops. I think my experience was pretty close to the worst case scenario. Most of the time, there's no trouble with local anesthesia, and you're not going to feel anything.

The worst side effect of my own surgery is the fact that my big toes just look weird now. The nails are little squares, about 1 cm across. It can be difficult to trim them, but I don't have to trim them as much, and they are NEVER ingrown.

Surgery is a permanent way to treat ingrown nails. There are a variety of different surgeries used now, and I recommend you research them all and take your time finding the best podiatrist you can. But rest assured, it's a simple procedure and they're not going to screw you up too badly, no matter what happens. Overall, I highly recommend surgery as a remedy. Get it over with, and you'll never have to feel that pain again.