Novel treatment using thioglycolic acid for pincer nails

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.