# What ingrown toenail surgery costs (and what you're paying for)

> Clear UK pricing: what nail surgery costs at the clinic, what's included, how that compares to private hospitals, and why the cheapest option is rarely the cheapest.

Straight numbers first, because that's what you searched for: nail surgery at UK
podiatry clinics generally runs £300 to £500 per toe. At my clinic in Shepperton
it's from £350 per toe, and that figure includes the local anaesthetic, all
dressings, a written aftercare pack and the review appointment. The assessment
beforehand is from £55. There are no add-ons waiting in the small print.

Now the more useful question: what are you actually paying for, and what do the
alternatives really cost?

## What the fee includes

The £350 isn't for twenty minutes of my time. It covers the assessment of which
procedure suits your toe, sterile instruments and a clinical environment, the
anaesthetic and the phenolisation that stops the nail edge regrowing, the
dressings you take home, and the review where I check the toe has healed properly.
It also covers the judgement, honed over nearly a decade of doing this, of when
NOT to operate, which brings me to the cheapest outcome of all.

## Sometimes the answer is £55

A decent chunk of the people who book an "ingrown toenail surgery" assessment
don't need surgery. A first-time ingrown nail, caught early, is often fixed
conservatively in one appointment: the offending spike comes out, the toe settles,
and you've spent £55 and learned how to stop it happening again. I will always
tell you when that's your situation, because operating on a toe that didn't need
it is bad medicine and worse business.

The surgery conversation is for the toe that keeps re-ingrowing. By the third
recurrence you've usually spent more on repeat appointments, antibiotics and
misery than the permanent fix costs.

## The comparison table nobody shows you

Rough UK figures, so you can see where a podiatry clinic sits:

- **Doing nothing:** free, until it isn't. Infections, antibiotics, time off and
  the eventual procedure anyway. The most expensive option on this list for most
  recurring cases.
- **Repeated conservative treatment:** £50 to £70 a visit, every couple of months,
  indefinitely. Fine for a one-off; poor value for a repeat offender.
- **NHS route:** free, where you can get it. Provision varies by area, and
  routine nail surgery sits low on the priority list unless you're high-risk, so
  waits of months are common while the toe keeps flaring.
- **Podiatry clinic:** £300 to £500 per toe, bookable within days, done under
  local anaesthetic by someone who does it constantly. This is the lane I'm in.
- **Private hospital:** commonly £1,000 to £2,000 once consultant fees and
  facility charges stack up, for the same 20-minute procedure with the same
  phenol. You're paying for the building.

## Why the cheapest quote isn't always the cheapest

One caution worth your time: nail surgery is only permanent when the nail matrix
is properly treated, and that's a skill and judgement job. A procedure without
phenolisation, or with it rushed, invites the edge back within the year, and then
you've paid twice. Whoever you book with, anywhere in the country, ask two
questions: are you HCPC-registered, and do you phenolise the matrix? Both answers
should be an easy yes. (Mine are. You can check any podiatrist's registration in
30 seconds at hcpc-uk.org.)

More on regrowth odds in
[Will it come back?](/advice/will-my-ingrown-toenail-come-back/), and the full
procedure walkthrough is
[here](/advice/what-happens-during-ingrown-toenail-surgery/).

## The honest bottom line

If your toe has ingrown once, book an assessment and £55 will probably sort it.
If it's a repeat offender, from £350 ends the cycle permanently, and patients from
Shepperton, Walton, Weybridge and Staines tell me the same thing at review:
against a year of pain, it was the easiest money they'd spent on themselves in
ages. Exact fees are always confirmed at your assessment, before anything is
booked.

## Quick answers

### How much does ingrown toenail surgery cost in the UK?

At podiatry clinics, typically £300 to £500 per toe. At Thameside Podiatry in Shepperton it's from £350 per toe, including the anaesthetic, dressings, written aftercare and your review appointment. Private hospitals commonly charge £1,000 or more for the same procedure.

### Can I get ingrown toenail surgery on the NHS?

Sometimes, but routes vary by area and waiting lists are long unless the toe is severe or you're high-risk (for example diabetic). Many people wait months in pain for a 20-minute procedure a podiatrist can book within days.

### Is the assessment fee separate?

Yes. The assessment (from £55) comes first, confirms surgery is genuinely needed, and often solves a first-time ingrown nail on the spot with conservative treatment, in which case you may not need surgery at all.

### Are both big toes cheaper done together?

Doing both toes in one sitting is common and saves you a second recovery period. Ask at your assessment and you'll get the exact combined price before deciding anything.

## Related treatment

[View the related treatment guide](/treatments/nail-surgery-shepperton/)