Nail plates can grow into the surrounding roller, not only in adults. Some parents are perplexed to discover that their newborn baby has an ingrown nail. What to do? How to help the baby? Parents wonder why this happened. After all, it is known that such a question is more about people who wear inappropriate shoes, and in this case, the baby has not even made an attempt to stand on his feet. At the same time, such a problem still occurs among children: it worries the baby, causes him not only discomfort, but also real pain. Therefore, he cries, refuses to eat and does not sleep well. It is important to identify the pathology in time, find out the causes of its occurrence and provide qualified assistance. It should be taken into account that the disease can be acquired, which is explained by improper care of the nails of the baby, and congenital. In the latter case, even in the womb, pathological changes can occur in the nail plate, due towhy a child is born with an ingrown toenail (or more than one).
Causes of disease development
The reasons can be both external, depending on the illiterate observance of the child's hygiene by the parents, and internal. As mentioned earlier, the disease can be congenital. In this case, heredity is usually blamed, if in some family members the nail plate grows down, damaging the skin. Usually, such an anomaly is characterized by symmetry, when the nail grows into the skin on both sides.
The problem may also be related to the pathology of the baby's metabolic processes. In addition, a bacterial infection or a lack of vitamins can serve as a provoking factor.
Sometimes an ingrown toenail in young children occurs due to improperly selected shoes. It sounds strange, but some parents even put on babies shoes that constrain the leg, squeeze the fingers, provoke the emphasis of the nails into the elastic booties. In babies, the nail plate is very soft, it quickly lends itself to any mechanical impact, so even too tight socks can deform it.
Illiterate trimming of the nails often leads to the disease. When the procedure is done too often, the nails may start to grow in. It is also not recommended to cut them too short. Sometimes parents can’t cut their baby’s nails neatly because of his anxiety and restlessness. As a result, an uneven cut is formed, sharp tips lead to mechanical irritation, and subsequentlyto possible ingrowth of the plate into the skin. Therefore, a nail file in a set for children's manicure is a mandatory attribute. It has a soft abrasive, so its use can minimize injury.
An ingrown toenail on a baby's foot often occurs due to parents' attempts to give it a rounded shape. At the same time, they cut off the corners of the nails, while it is considered correct to leave a straight line.
Stages of pathology development
It is clear that the baby will not be able to tell where and how it hurts. He expresses his emotions by crying. Therefore, a signal that an ingrown nail has formed in a baby can only be his anxiety and knotting with his legs (handles). Therefore, if up to a certain point everything was in order, and then the child began to show anxiety, then it is worth carefully examining the baby's body to detect a problem.
If an ingrown toenail in a baby was caused by hereditary causes, then the problem is detected even in the hospital, when the doctor examines the baby. It is noteworthy that pathology can be of varying degrees of complexity. Depending on this, the specialist prescribes specific therapeutic measures aimed at restoring the he alth of the plate. If the disease is ignored, it begins to progress. In this case, the symptoms may appear in stages.
- At first, a slight swelling of the side ridges appears. When pressing on them, pain intensifies, which can be understood by the sharp cry of the child: when the doctor or parents tryinspect the leg or handle the baby instinctively pulls the limb and cries.
- In the absence of a therapeutic effect, the roller noticeably turns red. The tumor becomes pronounced, pus may even appear. Again: if you try to put pressure on your finger, then the baby starts to cry a lot. It is worth considering that the child is constantly worried about aching pain, so he is naughty and behaves restlessly even without touching the focus of pain.
- At the last stage of the development of pathology without medical intervention, there is a strong inflammation of the soft tissues and their decomposition.
Symptomatology and manifestations
An ingrown toenail in a baby is easier for parents to detect on the handles. On the lower extremities, the problem becomes apparent when the skin is already inflamed. It is sometimes difficult for parents to understand what exactly is happening with their beloved child. A baby cannot say that he is in pain. He just cries and is naughty. But observant parents notice that anxiety intensifies when a sore finger is touched. Also, some children try to get a problematic place, remove the sock, or, conversely, try to remove the leg away. If this behavior is noted, it is important to immediately examine all fingers. If redness or swelling is found, consult a specialist.
It is known that nails on the legs of children grow more often than on the handles. This is explained by the fact that sliders, socks, booties and even shoes are usually put on the lower limbs. Therefore it is difficultnotice the development of the problem in time.
How to treat an ingrown toenail in a baby?
If the disease is not treated on time, the inflammatory process quickly passes to the surrounding tissues of the skin. In order not to aggravate the situation, it is important to seek qualified medical help in a timely manner. The progression of the pathology can be of varying severity, so the doctor may suggest treatment depending on the nature of tissue damage and the severity of the situation. To prevent the matter from escalating to surgical intervention, you need to act immediately.
Surgery
Treatment of an ingrown toenail in a newborn may require surgery. There may be several treatment options. The choice is up to the specialist and the baby's parents.
The surgical method consists of a small operation using local anesthesia. The plate can be completely removed, or its shape can only be partially corrected. Surgical manipulation consists in the traditional technique, in which the doctor cuts the inflamed area of skin with a scalpel and removes part of the nail plate that does not grow correctly. Next, a sterile bandage is applied to the resulting wound. It is important for parents to monitor the condition of the baby's nail and its growth in the future.
As with any surgical process, this method has its pros and cons. The obvious advantage is that the problem is solved quickly and radically. The disadvantages include the need for anesthesia, the likelihood of psychological trauma in the infant and painin the postoperative period.
Laser correction
Only a doctor can tell you how to treat an ingrown toenail in a baby. Here you can not engage in amateur activities and diagnose pathology on your own. Modern methods of treatment involve less traumatic operations, which undoubtedly reassures parents. Now doctors often use a laser instead of a scalpel, which makes intervention in the child's body almost bloodless.
To begin with, a general examination and the delivery of appropriate tests are carried out, and after that an operation is scheduled. For its implementation, local anesthesia is used, and with the help of a powerful laser beam, the problem area is removed. Next, a sterile dressing is applied.
The procedure has many positive aspects:
- 100% positive result guaranteed;
- recurrence is usually not observed after surgery;
- baby does not experience discomfort during surgery;
- after the intervention, the child does not feel discomfort, as after surgery with a scalpel.
However, the laser procedure has its downsides:
- nail may subsequently grow incorrectly;
- sometimes a fungal infection develops;
- the cost of such an operation is slightly higher.
Despite the disadvantages, the laser procedure is considered one of the most effective and safe.
How can you help at home
Certainly, fewparents want to expose their baby to surgery, but if the baby has an ingrown nail on the arm or leg and the stage is running, then the operation remains the only possible way to stop the pathology. If the problem only arose and the parents identified it in a timely manner, then it seems possible to get rid of it with the help of improvised means, but without fail with a preliminary consultation with a doctor. To do this, steam out the damaged area and cut off the sharp end of the nail with small nail scissors. The lesion site is further treated with alcohol. Herbal and other baths are recommended for steaming.
Solution for steaming a finger with a damaged nail
To make the steaming procedure for the baby the most comfortable and effective, you can use auxiliary agents in the form of herbal decoctions. The herbs themselves can be picked up and used fresh, or they can be purchased at the pharmacy in dried preparations. To prepare a decoction, pour 6 tbsp. l. chamomile, calendula, mint, burdock or nettle herbs with two liters of boiling water. The resulting drug should be put in a dark place and allowed to cool for 40-60 minutes. After that, they filter it, check the temperature with their own hands and let the baby dip the handle or leg with the problem nail into the container. During the procedure, it is necessary to distract the child, gently talk to him so that the steaming time is at least 10 minutes.
Further, the limb is taken out, wiped dry and cut off the painful area of the nail that disturbs the child. It is important after that to put on the place of processingcotton wool soaked in brilliant green or iodine to prevent infection. At the end of the manipulations with steaming and cutting the nail, clean socks are put on the legs, and special "scratches" are put on the handles.
Saline packs
It is extremely unpleasant for any conscious parent to find a focus of his painful sensations in a baby. But if, nevertheless, the baby has an ingrown nail, what should I do? S alt compresses are put forward as an alternative to taking medications before visiting the pediatrician. For example, if the problem was discovered in the evening, the reception time of the inpatient physician is over, and self-diagnosis and self-treatment by parents are unacceptable, it makes sense to use a s alt compress. It has the effect of relieving unpleasant pain, has a beneficial effect on the skin, softening it and minimizing swelling. To prepare the solution, you need to stir 1 tbsp in a glass of hot water. l. table s alt. Next, you need to wait until the water reaches a temperature that is comfortable for the child, and then dip the child’s hand or foot. It is noteworthy that even pus can be removed from the wound using this method, since it allows the formed pustules to open up.
Recipes of traditional medicine
Traditional medicine often surprises with its healing recipes. In the case of purulent abscesses in the area of the ingrown nail, she also has her own specific recipes aimed at relieving inflammation and bringing skin tissues back to normal. One of them is socalled garlic-onion therapy. To prepare the product, you need the following ingredients:
- one onion;
- garlic clove;
- one leaf of aloe;
- ghee (can be butter) - 1 tsp;
- beeswax - 1 tsp
Onions, garlic and aloe leaves need to be chopped, add oil, wax and put on the stove, where you need to boil the mixture for about five minutes. To prevent the gruel from burning, it must be stirred regularly, preferably with a wooden spoon. Then the container is removed from the stove, and the contents are cooled. The resulting mixture should have a thick consistency, which should be rubbed into the skin around the nail of the baby on the arm or leg. You need to spread it very thickly, cover with a cabbage leaf on top and bandage it. If the problem is on the foot, then woolen socks are preferable. On the hands you can do with "scratches". If the procedure is carried out several days in a row, then the problem of inflammation and ingrown nails usually disappears.
Nevertheless, it must be taken into account that the use of traditional medicine methods must necessarily be agreed with a pediatrician or pediatrician. Self-medication in this case is unacceptable.
Preventive measures
If an ingrown toenail was found in a baby, and the problem is acquired, then parents are almost always to blame for the situation. Therefore, in order to save the baby from suffering and prevent the need for surgical intervention, pediatricians are advised to follow simple rules for caring forchild:
- carefully trim baby's nails, but do it no more than once a week;
- for the little ones, use not nail scissors, but special children's nippers;
- try not to round the shape of the nail and cut it in a straight line;
- make sure there are no sharp edges that could injure the skin.
If you follow these precautions, the risk of finding an ingrown nail in a crumb is minimized.
Timely detection of the disease and the possibility of relapses
Thus, ingrown nails in infants can be both the result of a congenital anomaly, and the result of improper hygiene and care of the nail plate by the parents of the crumbs. If the nail is just starting the process of growing into the skin of the roller around the plate, then you can try to cope with this problem on your own, at home, with the help of improvised means and appropriate steaming with compresses. But if the problem has reached serious proportions, and the inflammation has taken a critical form, the baby urgently needs to be shown to a specialist.
Practicing surgeons advise with severe swelling and severe inflammation not to delay the operation. Otherwise, you will have to remove the entire plate. As a result, such a nail may not grow at all, and the process of restoring the general condition of the baby will be long and painful.
Sometimes the problem repeats itself. If a relapse occurs after successful treatment, corrective action is necessary.manipulations in which the doctor changes the shape of the nail itself. However, it is important to prevent such a situation, because any intervention at such a young age threatens with many side effects.
