So I finally went to the doctor today about my ingrown/infected toenail. The nurse looked at it and basically said "Antibiotics." The doctor came in, asked what I did, and said "Antibiotics and remove the nail."

What the doctor said shortly afterwards earned him a lot of respect, in my eyes.

He explained that there were a couple different procedures that could take place to solve the ingrown issue. The first issue he described was to remove the side of the nail and the nail bed itself, thus preventing the side of the nail from ever growing back. He said that he didn't recommend this procedure because it isn't fool-proof and it is expensive, nearly five times as much as the alternative.

He then went on to describe a simpler method: Just remove the entire nail and let it grow back. This method has a 50% chance of becoming deformed, whereas the other method has a 100% chance of becoming deformed. Also, for the majority of the time, the nail grows back completely normal and not ingrown.

After explaining the two procedures, he said that he was going to suggest the nail removal and leave it up to me, but it would be in my best interest to go ahead with it.

So now I have a new doctor which I respect much more than my previous doctor, just after this one situation. Also, I have an appointment, tenetively scheduled for June 29 at 4:00PM to have the nail removed. Come Monday, that date might be rescheduled to sooner or later, depending on what happens.

And for the curious, have some reading material, including pictures, of this little matter. :P