Novel treatment using thioglycolic acid for pincer nails

Abstract

The authors developed a novel treatment using thioglycolic acid (TGA) to chemically soften pincer nails. The objective was to describe a new treatment method for pincer nails by applying TGA to soften the nail and then fix it in the correct position. A total of 104 patients (nine men and 95 women; mean age, 56 years) with 106 pincer nails underwent our treatment. A small hole was made on the markedly incurvated side of the pincer nail, and a super-elastic wire was inserted into the hole and bent backwards; 5% TGA was then applied for 6-7 h prior to reduction. Favorable reduction was achieved in 66% of patients within 1 day of the procedure, in 30% within 2-4 days and in 4% 5 days or more later. No patient required surgery. No post-procedure infection, rash, continuous pain or nail cut out was evident. In eight cases, recurrences of nail deformity were observed within the 1-year follow-up period. Our novel method, which consists of administrating TGA via a hole in the nail plate, is a useful treatment for pincer nails.

Correction of Pincer Nail Deformities Using a Modified Double Z-Plasty

“…9 Although several conservative and surgical treatment options have been introduced to correct pincer nails, there is no standardized method for achieving rapid improvement, low recurrence, and cosmetically appealing results. 8 Superelastic wire 13 or formable acrylic treatment, 14 aluminum splint, 15 shape memory alloy device, 9 and thioglycolic acid and wire 16 have been suggested as conservative options. They can cause morphologic changes and relieve pain, but the changes are usually unstable and it takes several months to a year before improvements are seen.…”

Treatment of pincer nail deformity with 1064‐nm Nd:YAG laser

“…were reported a case of PN successfully treated with tazarotene 0,1% gel 5 . Administrating thioglycolic acid via a hole in the nail plate to soften the nail and then fix it in the correct position was stated a novel treatment approach for PN from Japan 6 . Each one of these options has some advantages and disadvantages according to patients’ expectations.…”

Polyethylene Nail Brace for Ingrown Toenails Treatment: A Randomized Clinical Trial

“…The follow-up period was another 6 months. This follow-up period is also that of diverse authors consulted in the bibliography [10][11][12][13][14][15]. All the study subjects were given a check-up appointment every 2 months during a year.…”