Many people face the problem of ingrown toenails, especially this situation is familiar to women. As you know, beauty requires sacrifice. This statement is very accurate to the topic of our material. Wearing clothes woven from synthetics and narrow, uncomfortable shoes often lead to the appearance of an ailment. The most common is an ingrown toenail. If you do not take care of the treatment in time, in addition to the aesthetic flaw, the patient will be tormented by severe pain. Therefore, it is very important to conduct high-quality therapy. We will talk about how to treat an ingrown toenail at home in this article.
Concept
First of all, you need to understand the meaning of the term. Onychocryptosis (this is what they call such a problem in medicine) is a disease characterized by the ingrowth of the nail plate into the side of the roller. Simply put, the edge of the nail grows into the skin, and inflammation of the soft tissues, pain, swelling, redness and discomfort are found. As already noted, the thumb is most often affected. Much less often, the disease occurs on other fingers. Usually one side of the leg is affected, sometimesboth are damaged at once.
Contrary to popular belief, an ingrown toenail is a very serious problem and should not be taken lightly. First of all, it is necessary to contact a specialist in a timely manner. Indeed, otherwise, additional unpleasant symptoms appear. For example, the skin around the nail swells, pus appears at the site of ingrowth, blood flows from the tumor. Agree, such a prospect is not encouraging. The finger significantly increases in size, changes color to bright red, fester and hurts a lot. When walking, discomfort and inconvenience is felt. The question arises: what to do if the nail has grown into the finger? You need to make an appointment to see a doctor in a timely manner. Ignoring the symptoms will lead to complications and negative consequences.
Causes of pathology
There are quite a few reasons for such a situation to arise. Within the framework of this material, we will consider only the main ones:
- Wrong pedicure. When trimming your nails at home, you must follow a number of rules. For example, you can not cut the edges too much, because the likelihood of a disease increases. It is recommended to cut nails after bathing procedures, using rounded scissors, and then file them with a nail file.
- Heredity. Oddly enough, the problem of an ingrown toenail is often passed on from the older generation to the younger. If the disease is present in the next of kin, do not be surprised to find the disease in yourself. The patient only has to carefully monitor his he alth, not forgettingabout preventive measures.
- Fungal infection. An ingrown toenail can be caused by this virus. Usually in such a situation, the nail plate becomes overgrown with several layers and becomes yellow. The best remedy for infection is good hygiene.
- Tight shoes. If you feel discomfort and the shoes are squeezing your foot around the tips of your toes, you may have a disease. Choose comfortable shoes to avoid unpleasant consequences.
The problem that the nail has grown into the toe is easily solved. But there is one condition: it is necessary to prevent the development of the disease in a timely manner. To do this, you should know the symptoms, which we will discuss below.
Signs
Even in the absence of pain, the patient can identify this disease in himself. To do this is quite simple, you only need to know the symptoms:
- Thickening of the nail fold. The inner side suffers most often, with a certain pressure on it, the nail digs into the skin, that is, it grows. The body gives a protective reaction, which consists in increased tissue granulation, "wild meat" is formed.
- Deformation of the nail plates, their thickening. It is expressed in the appearance of a ribbed surface, point impressions, etc.
- Ingrown toenail changes color. Due to the fact that the plate thickens and the density of the nail is deformed, it acquires a yellowish tint. In rare cases, a white color appears, but the transparency is preserved.
- Painful redness appears at the site of the ingrowth.
- If the situation is running,suppuration may be found with the formation of a yellowish liquid.
- Pain syndrome. It is observed in almost all cases, it is especially pronounced when wearing uncomfortable shoes.
The above signs point directly to the disease in question. As already noted, it is not recommended to ignore the symptoms in order to avoid unpleasant consequences.
Ingrown toenail: what to do?
In any case, do not self-medicate. Here you need a professional hand. The best solution would be to see a doctor. After a visual examination, he will prescribe treatment for the ingrown toenail. You need to make an appointment as early as possible, because this increases the chance of recovery in a short time. If this is not done in a timely manner, serious complications are possible.
Advanced cases require surgery. Its essence is to remove the embedded part of the nail. There are home remedies for ingrown toenails. If you want to use them, still contact a specialist for advice. If you suspect an infectious disease, the doctor will advise on ways to solve the problem. Treatment must be started immediately, since at the initial stage it is easy to choose therapy and cope with the disease.
General treatment
The first symptoms of the problem are throbbing pain, redness and swelling at the junction of the skin with the nail plate. Many mistakenly believe that cutting off part of the nail will automatically get rid of the problem. In most cases, when growinga similar situation arises. An ingrown toenail can only be cured after a proper diagnosis. Then, in each case, the doctor prescribes therapy.
There are several ways to treat an ingrown nail: traditional medicine, surgery and drug therapy. The choice of method remains with the attending physician. Often there are situations when the patient tried to cope with the problem on his own for a long time, after which he nevertheless turned to a specialist. Usually this ends badly: an open wound forms at the sites of ingrowth, an inflammatory process develops. It is very difficult to deal with an illness of this degree. Therefore, it is better not to delay visiting a doctor, because we are talking about your he alth.
Home Therapy
It is worth noting that such treatment of an ingrown toenail is relevant only in the initial stages. If complications arise and the wound opens, you should immediately consult a doctor. We will tell you how to deal with the problem at home.
The goal of therapy is, first of all, the release of the nail plate from under the roller. To achieve the result, you first need to soak the nail in the bath. An excellent option would be to use an antiseptic bath with the addition of chamomile and calendula infusion, the water should be warm. In no case do not put your foot in boiling water, as it will irritate the inflamed skin. In addition, the appearance of suppuration and open small wounds is possible. They are hard to spot at first.but when hot water gets in, pus grows and, accordingly, the spread of infection. As for cold baths, they are not recommended due to insufficient softening of the plate. Thirty-three degrees is considered the best temperature.
Interesting fact: if suppuration is found, it is better to use a hot s alt bath. Under such influence, the tissues will tighten, thereby exerting natural pressure on the pus, the s alt draws out the liquid. After the procedure, the wound must be disinfected. If the treatment of an ingrown nail at home did not lead to the elimination of suppuration, you should seek help from a doctor.
Take a bath twice a day for twenty minutes. After that, you need to carefully remove the nail from under the plate, as far as possible. You can proceed to action only after a significant softening of the nail. How to extract it? It is necessary to put a small bundle of cotton wool, pre-moistened with a disinfectant, under the plate. Hydrogen peroxide and furacilin solution are perfect. The flagellum should be driven to the maximum, as far as the regrown part allows. In this case, the patient will feel discomfort and pain, but these sensations are worth enduring.
It is necessary to put medicine on top of the ingrown nail. Take a cotton pad or gauze, soak it with a special cream (Vishnevsky's ointment, Nogtinorm, Levomekol, etc.) and apply it. On top of such an application, it is recommended to wear a fingertip. All these designs need to be changed twice a day after takingbaths.
Leave your feet bare during treatment. If this is not possible, choose the most comfortable shoes. In this case, you should not strain the foot once again, the legs should be at rest.
The procedure is performed daily until complete recovery. To speed up the process, you can use the method of sawing the plate. This is done as follows: a thin strip is cut out on the thumbnail, up to the middle of the plate, you can make one deep cut in the center or several shallow ones in different places. It is very important not to damage the nail bed. You need to cut about one third of the thickness of the plate. As a result of the natural pressure of the nail roller, the plate will shrink in the area of the cut, and the nail will come out from under the skin on its own.
Folk remedies
Usually, traditional medicine methods are not able to completely cure the disease, they only slightly drown out the symptoms. But if we are talking about an ingrown nail, then the situation is different. Folk recipes help not only get rid of the disease, but also prevent a possible relapse. Consider some of the most effective means.
First, let's remember butter. It is necessary to soften, steam and disinfect the nail, and then apply a small amount of this product. From above, they fix it with a gauze bandage and wrap it with polyethylene. It is recommended to do this procedure at night. By morning, the skin around the nail will soften significantly, which will allow you to easily drive a cotton roll. Butter is a great remedy for eradicating a problem from the start. Ithas the necessary emollient properties, thereby eliminating the risk of ingrown.
Aloe pulp is another good remedy. It is necessary to purchase the leaves of the plant and make a gruel out of them, which is applied to the area of \u200b\u200binflammation. To enhance the effect, you can wrap your finger with the inside of an aloe leaf. It is recommended to wear a fingertip over the entire application. Of course, the procedure is carried out on pre-steamed and disinfected nails. It is also recommended to use the product at night or in the evening. The goal of treating an ingrown toenail is to soften it. Then the nail can be easily removed from the roller, aloe juice also has a wound healing effect.
Plantain leaves have excellent healing properties. The scheme of the procedure is the same as with other means. First you need to disinfect and steam the nails, crush the plantain and apply. Top recommends wrapping with another leaf of the plant, and then with gauze. To enhance the effect, put on a fingertip. The procedure is best done at night. In the morning, carefully remove the nail and drive the gauze flagellum.
Some more effective alternative medicine methods
There are situations when immediate surgical intervention is required, we will talk about them later. But in most cases, proper treatment is necessary. There are several effective folk recipes that have proven themselves from the best side:
- A decoction of chamomile or St. John's wort is an excellent solutionat the initial stage of the disease. You will need six tablespoons of any of these herbs. Pour them with two liters of boiling water and let it brew for an hour. Then you need to strain the broth and heat again. This liquid significantly softens the nail plate. Under its influence, you can easily remove the nail and put a bandage on. Treatment is stopped when the plate returns to its normal shape.
- Baths with the addition of s alt, soda and furatsilina perfectly relieve inflammation and promote the release of pus. It is necessary to take them with the calculation of one tablet of the drug per liter of water.
- A good option would be to use an ointment of boiled ingredients. To do this, you will need onions, aloe, garlic gruel, butter. We take these products one tablespoon at a time and add a teaspoon with honey. The mixture needs to boil for a few minutes and is ready to use.
- Pharmacy herbs, especially calendula. When preparing a decoction, follow the proportions indicated in the first paragraph (chamomile or St. John's wort). Need a concentrated solution for best effect.
Surgery
You found yourself with an ingrown toenail. What to do? First of all, contact a specialist for advice. If this is ignored, it can come to surgical treatment. In the case of a small ingrown, the surgeon removes only part of the nail fold. This operation prevents the manifestation of irritation and inflammation. A few months after the intervention, the nail plate returns to its normal shape.
If during diagnosisthere is a discharge of pus or severe deformation of the plate, the ingrown nail is completely removed. The wound must be cleaned of pus and an anesthetic applied. The doctor should change the bandages every day for a month, until the nail grows back completely. An operation of this type is accompanied by a risk of injury to the growth zone of the nail. Then the already regrown nail will still have an irregular shape.
Laser therapy
One of the methods of intervention is a laser. The method is quite effective, at the same time almost painless. The essence of the method is to remove the ingrown part of the plate and the edge of the growth zone of the nail. The intervention involves the neutralization of foci of inflammation, which significantly reduces the risk of relapse. The laser technique is based on the removal of the edge of the nail located inside the plate, and in the future it will no longer grow.
An ingrown toenail that develops as a result of a fungal infection can also be treated with a laser. There is a sterilization of fungal spores of the entire nail plate. To strengthen the result, the doctor prescribes drugs aimed at combating fungal infection. In addition to the obvious advantages, the technique also has disadvantages. Among them, the burn of tissues around the focus, the slow recovery process and the painful period of wound healing are especially prominent.
Radio wave treatment
This method is one of the types of surgical intervention. Radio wave therapy is carried out only under local anesthesia, often used"Lidocaine". First, with the help of a scalpel, the nail is partially cut from the sides, after which the growth zone of the nail is treated with certain nozzles of the Surgitron device. Tissue coagulation takes place in six seconds. If a patient has "wild meat" (fleshy tumor-like processes), it is treated with radio waves.
All this is then smeared with an antiseptic solution, after which a bandage is applied, which cannot be removed for four days. The wound usually heals during this time, the possibility of recurrence is minimal. Only in one of eleven to twelve cases, re-ingrowth was observed. The radio wave technique is good because it does not limit the life of the patient. There is practically no pain, the patient can go to work the next day, but only in comfortable and wide shoes.
Nail Correction
Above, we described the treatment of an ingrown nail at home with a sterile cotton swab. In a medical institution, special staples are used for these purposes. They are installed across the entire width of the plate. The goal is to correct the growth of the nail. In modern medicine, there are many types of staples: Fraser, Goldstat, Combiped, etc.
They are made from different metals, up to medical gold. Ingrown toenail correction is an excellent method. Firstly, after installation, the brackets are not visible at all. Secondly, they give the desired effect immediately. The nail plate is aligned, the load on the bed is reduced, the nail grows correctly. If the patient has a chronic problem,braces are the best solution.
Prevention
The appearance of the disease can be avoided if you use simple recommendations:
- when you go to public places like bathhouses and swimming pools, wear proper shoes, never use other people's slippers;
- choose your shoes carefully, they should be spacious, comfortable and breathable;
- be sure to follow the rules of personal hygiene;
- pedicure should be done correctly, do not cut too much edges, in extreme cases, entrust it to a professional.
When cutting nails, use scissors with sharp edges. To avoid an ingrown toenail, use the correct technique: cut in a straight line no deeper than the top of your toe. If it's too short, use a file to remove the sharp edges.
An ingrown toenail is a serious problem that needs to be addressed as soon as possible. If folk methods do not work, and the pain intensifies, be sure to contact a specialist.
