Can you imagine not wearing sandals for about nine years, not even at the beach, because you are embarrassed about your ugly toenails? This happened to a patient I saw recently and she walked out the office crying in relief, joy and proud of how her toenails looked good and natural after a cosmetic nail restoration we did.

In her case, previous ingrown toenails surgeries ended up making her nails look ugly, thickened and deformed. Because of that, she only wore shoes that would cover her toes and never went barefoot in public. Other patients also told me that they have used Band-aids for years to hide an ugly toenail.

When I looked at her toes she didn't have any pain, but at that point there were not many options to treat her toenail other than removing the nail. Or trying this cosmetic procedure called KeryFlex.

Same day application

The resin nail is applied on the same day of the visit. We grind down the thickened nail, cut back the detached parts and leave only what was attached to the skin. For this procedure there has to be a little portion of the nail because the resin won’t stick to the skin.

A bonding agent is then applied and we put on a special resin. Different from typical acrylic nails that are rigid and can damage the nail bed, the Keryflex nail is flexible and functions just like a natural nail, adapting and bending with the natural movement of the toes. You can paint the nails, remove nail polish with regular acetone and go out and about with your activities, including swimming.

It takes an average of 15 minutes to do the full restoration procedure, but this depends on how many toenails are being restored. Usually the nails last between two to three months - once in a while one can fall off and some things can get underneath the nail. For better results, patients should not use any products on the natural nail for two days prior to the application.

No harsh acids

This aesthetic procedure is made with a medical grade resin containing an antifungal ingredient and is free from the harsh acids that are common in salon acrylic nails. To maintain the KeryFlex nails, we recommend that our patients shorten the toenails by filing, never trimming with clippers or scissors.

It is a great summertime solution/hack that gives our patients confidence to wear sandals or be barefoot. And give them time as other treatments for fungal nails, for example, take full effect. If you want a quick fix for your ugly toenails this summer, call 508-757-4003 for an appointment.

Read more: Pain free treatment for ingrown toenails

AUTHOR

Dr. Donald Pelto is a Podiatrist at Central Massachusetts Podiatry, in Worcester and Westborough. Author of several books on foot health, he also speaks Portuguese and Spanish. He likes to go on family hikes and loves learning and talking about health related topics and healthy life hacks. Watch some of his interviews about health and video lectures on youtube.com/drpelto.