The pain that ingrown nails can cause is excruciating and poses a huge hindrance in our day-to-day activities. The ingrown nail occurs when a curved nail grows down beneath the skin causing redness, swollenness, and even pus coming out from beneath the skin. Left untreated it could lead to infections that can make the condition even more complex. But what are we doing wrong to get us stricken by such a painful and aggravating condition? Inadequate nail trimming is the first on the list of causes of ingrown nails and is accompanied by wearing shoes that are not suitable for our feet and traumas to our toes, but it can also be hereditary or a consequence of diabetes, extremely long toes and excessive sweating of feet.

The assortment of cures for ingrown toenails is vast. People tend to use some home remedies and treatments for less severe cases. Not so rarely, this condition gives patients such a hard time that they decide to go to a doctor’s office and arrange a surgery. When we mention surgery we can’t help but think about how perplexing this process is, the patience it calls for and, of course, the money that it will take us to relinquish ourselves from all the agony ingrown toenails bring with themselves.

The cost of this procedure is what bugs us all, especially when the finances do not look so promising. In the following paragraphs, we’ll try to give you an insight into the price of the operation, everything that influences it and some extra costs that you can expect.

 

Make sure to be insured for a lower price of the ingrown nail surgery!

For patients whose insurance doesn’t cover ingrown toenail treatment, the price ranges from 50 to 1000 dollars. When a patient is subdued to home treatment the former price will most likely be the right one and includes over the counter medications and kits for the treatment. However, if a patient decides to have a surgery, the cost will increase significantly. The price is estimated at 200-1000 dollar but could be lessened by 10-50 percent if the afflicted person is insured.

 

Have a detailed consultation with your insurance company  

Simply knowing that your insurance covers ingrown toenail surgeries is not sufficient and patients are encouraged to contact their insurance company for in-depth information. First and foremost, let them have you informed about the network of healthcare providers that fall under the insurance. This means that there may be doctors for whose services your insurance won’t be of any use and you’ll end up paying the full price. Patients can also ask their doctors if they’ll accept the insurance but this is not something you should usually ask them as they will probably just ignore the question and bill you for what the insurance doesn’t cover (since every doctor can ‘accept’ the insurance though it doesn’t mean it will cover the cost if the doctor is an out-of-network provider). Another thing you can do is to ask your podiatrist to provide you with an estimation of the total cost, including the insurance.

 

The cost depends on the severity of the problem!

Simple, permanent ingrown toenail removal is assessed at the maximum of 400 dollars without the insurance. However, considering the gravity of the problem the cost may well exceed 500 dollars, the reason being that the more serious the problem is, the more podiatrist appointments and treatments it will take. For example, if you’ve developed an infection, the doctor would have to begin your therapy by temporary nail extraction and prescribe you antibiotics before removing the ingrown toenail permanently. Finally, if you have more that one nail to be treated, the price can skyrocket up to 1000 dollars. If an ingrown nail is noticed early, patients probably won’t need any surgeries and will be prescribed simple antibiotics which means that premature diagnosis will save you a lot more money.

 

Different hospitals charge different prices!

If we want to put some money aside we have to do a comprehensive research of different hospitals and health care centers in order to pinpoint the one that is the most affordable for us. For instance, if you leave in Arkansas you’ll have to prepare 120 dollars for ingrown toenail removal, including the price of local anesthesia. On the other hand, in the renowned Saint Elizabeth Regional Medical Center, you’ll be charged $329 which excludes the doctor’s fee.

 

Additional costs

Planning any sort of surgery demands thinking about not only the procedure itself but also about the preparations for the procedure and post-op treatment.  An ordinary pain relief kit costs 8 dollars and includes toe pads and pain relief gel. Also, an ingrown toenail kit consisting of different tools for keeping your nails in order is between 14-20 dollars. You’ll also have to pay for antibiotics (usually around 7 dollars for 30 pills). What you also have to expect is that the cost of the surgery itself will rise if you decided to be put to sleep during the procedure.