ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: We sought to demonstrate the healing efficacy of an antimicrobial hydrogel containing Oakin, an oak extract, to heal postoperative partial and total chemical matrixectomies. METHODS: Sixty participants were eligible for this open-label prospective study by having an ingrown toenail and a willingness to have the ingrown portion of the nail or the entire toenail permanently removed. All of the participants underwent a similar nail surgery, were provided a postoperative kit that included the study hydrogel, and received the same sheet of instructions for aftercare. RESULTS: Fifty-four participants could be contacted for follow-up and final evaluation; 54% (n = 29) were men and 46% (n = 25) were women. Eighty-nine partial hallux nail avulsions with phenol matrixectomy were performed. The median ± SD time to healing was 7.00 ± 0.00 days for 80% of participants (n = 43) and 8.85 ± 4.15 days for 98% (n = 53). An analysis of variance showed that the proportion healed time trend is significant (F1,53 = 79.265; P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: The study hydrogel's ability to stop phenol's caustic activity is clinically beneficial in phenol matrixectomy aftercare. Providing each participant with a kit that included the same dressing supplies yielded consistent aftercare outcomes and 98% patient satisfaction (n = 53). The findings show that the Oakin-containing hydrogel was efficacious in healing phenol matrixectomies without the need for soaking. Furthermore, we suggest that the study hydrogel could also reduce healing times.