Ingrown toenail treatment

In case of improper foot hygiene, the nail plate often penetrates into the soft tissues of the toe or nail fold, which leads to discomfort and pain. Therefore, it is necessary to carry out mandatory treatment of ingrown nails.

Treatment of ingrown toenail

Medicine identifies two main sources that can provoke this pathology: wearing tight shoes and improper cutting of the nail plate.

During the period of ingrowth, the site of injury begins to bother, especially the pain increases when putting on shoes and while walking. If you do not treat an ingrown toenail in time, the wound may become infected, which will very quickly lead to purulent discharge. Subsequently, if no measures are taken, there is an increase in granulation neoplasms that have a shade of raw meat, for which they are popularly called "wild meat". With the appearance of these growths, this pathology becomes chronic.

Treatment methods for ingrown nails

Ingrown nails are a fairly common pathology that, despite its initial non-seriousness, still needs to be treated. There is a fairly impressive list of treatment methods.

Surgeons distinguish the following methods of treating ingrown nails:

Conservative treatment:

• Tape technique: The most aggressive method, using tape to remove the ingrown portion of the plate.
• Dental floss. In this case, the same technology is used to extract the corner of the plate, but instead of tape, dental floss is used.
• Braces for nails, as well as similar devices. They help to correct the curvature of the nail plate.
• Antibiotics. They are used to stop the inflammatory process and prevent the penetration and development of infection.
• Hygiene. Carrying out foot baths with subsequent hygienic treatment - these procedures are important factors of conservative treatment.

Surgical treatment:

• Nail avulsion. This procedure is accompanied by quite unpleasant postoperative complications.
• Wedge cutting. This is a more gentle method of resection that preserves the shape of the nail.
• Reduction and removal of the lateral fold of the nail. During the process of ingrowth, the lateral fold becomes irritated, forming granulation tissue, which is excised.
• Removal of the nail bed (Queenie treatment). This too radical method (both the nail bed and the matrix are removed) has not found much use and is quite rare.
• Amputation of the fingertip (Syme treatment). The resection process includes not only amputation of the nail bed and matrix, but also partial removal of the bone phalanx. The defect is closed with a skin flap.
• Surgical excision of the segmental matrix. This is a more gentle method of surgical intervention, more sparingly related to the etiopathogenesis of the pathological nail.

Conservative treatment of ingrown nail

Any pathology is best treated at an early stage of its development. This simple truth is also perfect for our case. After all, it is much easier and less expensive to make baths and compresses than to resort to removing part of the nail and phalanx.

If it so happens that the nail has begun to grow into the adjacent soft tissue and create discomfort, but the situation has not gone too far, it is possible to improve the situation by using conservative treatment for the ingrown nail.

To reduce the level of trauma, it is necessary to make warm salt baths for the feet, and if it is necessary to relieve the inflammatory process in this area, it is worth using baths with baking soda or a low-concentration solution of potassium permanganate.

To protect the tissue from injury, use a tourniquet of gauze or bandage soaked in 0.5% alcohol-water solution of chlorhexidine, which is carefully inserted between the nail plate and the skin fold. Gauze protects the skin from injury, and the drug promotes faster healing of the wound. For the same purpose, instead of gauze, you can use a carefully cut piece of X-ray film. In addition to reducing mechanical impact, it also allows you to slightly change the bend of the nail, removing it from the zone dangerous for the skin of the finger. Modern medicine suggests using specially designed devices instead of film, which do not even interfere with wearing shoes. These are springs, staples, and plates. They slightly raise its edge, thereby reducing the load on the skin fold, which partially or completely relieves pain, and also helps to correct the shape of the nail.

If suppuration is already observed in the area of pathology, this indicates that the process is neglected. Do not hesitate, you must urgently seek help from a doctor.

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Laser treatment for ingrown nails

Laser, in what area of modern life it does not find its application. It is also actively used in medicine. Treatment of ingrown nails with a laser most often occurs using carbon dioxide (CO2). The laser treatment method has its advantages:

• significantly reduces pain symptoms,
• stops bleeding faster,
• reduces the time of the "operation"
• reduces the rate of subsequent disabilities.

Treating an Ingrown Toenail at Home

The main advantage of home treatment is that it significantly reduces the risk of contracting various infections that can enter through an open wound on the foot. However, one thing must be remembered: treatment must be started immediately upon detection of the defect. This step will prevent further progression of the disease and its complications.

Treating an ingrown toenail at home comes down to three main points:

• Relief of the inflammatory process.
• Resection of part of the nail.
• Changing the shape of the nail plate, which helps prevent future relapses.

As mentioned earlier, in this case, baths with table salt (water temperature 45 - 50 ° C) are very effective. And instead of potassium permanganate, to relieve inflammation, you can use herbal infusions (St. John's wort, chamomile, sage, yarrow, etc.). It is necessary to prepare a concentrated infusion in advance (pour six to seven tablespoons of a single herb or mixture with a liter of boiling water and leave for half an hour) before taking foot baths, add to hot water.

You can also treat an ingrown nail at home using ioduxun, which contains iodine, which has a drying effect, and glycerin, which makes the skin softer. The solution should be applied three to four times a day until the discomfort passes. In this case, you should wear comfortable (not narrow) shoes.

You can also use a mixture of vinegar essence and glycerin. The mixture is prepared in a glass container by mixing equal proportions of these two ingredients. Then, using a pipette or a special medical stick, drip into the wound. This procedure is carried out further depending on how you feel.

In no case should you treat an ingrown nail at home by removing soft tissue and the nail plate. The therapy is long-term and requires sufficient diligence.

Ointment for the treatment of ingrown nails

The nail grows into the skin of the finger and begins to bother, and if treatment is not started at this point, the process continues to progress, inflammation develops, and abscesses appear.

If the disease is at the inflammatory stage, it will be enough to apply compresses with anti-inflammatory ointments to the sore spot (for example, nogtinorm is an excellent ointment for treating an ingrown nail). This drug is applied to a pre-steamed nail and surrounding skin tissues once or twice a day.

In cases where the wound begins to rot, Vishnevsky and Ichthyol ointments will be more effective, as they perfectly suppress pathogenic microflora and draw out purulent masses, thereby cleaning the wound.

It is better to apply ointments to the affected area before going to bed, and in the morning you should try to cut off the ingrown corner of the plate.

The attending physician may also prescribe an ointment for the treatment of an ingrown nail with antibacterial action, for example, Levomekol.

All these ointments can be easily purchased without a prescription at any pharmacy.

Vishnevsky ointment for ingrown nails

Many medical articles sing the praises of Vishnevsky ointment, and this is not without reason. The ointment that our grandmothers used remains relevant today. It perfectly "draws out" purulent masses, promotes rapid healing and disinfection of affected areas.

Compresses from Vishnevsky ointment are made two or three times a day, applying a thin layer. Gauze or bandage folded in 5-6 layers is applied on top, the tampon is fixed. Before changing the next lotion, the corner of the nail plate is cut off. And the compress is applied again.

With prolonged use of the drug, a side effect may be irritation of the skin and an allergic reaction to its components. Vishnevsky ointment is contraindicated for ingrown nails only in case of individual intolerance to the components of the medicinal mixture.

Levomekol for ingrown toenails

This preparation is perfect for both the treatment of ingrown nails and for preventive measures. In addition to antiseptic and antibacterial action, the cream also has cleansing and pus-pulling properties. Levomekol can be used for ingrown nails at home.

The drug should be applied to a sterile cloth and applied to the affected area. The dressing should be changed daily until the problem is completely gone. It is also permissible to inject the drug heated to 36 °C with a syringe directly into the abscess cavity. However, you should not do this on your own; it is better to seek help from a doctor. The drug is well tolerated. Pharmacists say that the only contraindication is individual intolerance to the components of the drug.

Kapolin for ingrown nails

To at least slightly relieve the pain and speed up the healing of the wound, it is necessary to try to lift the edge of the nail plate. Kapolin for ingrown nails will help to fix this position. Kapolin. This is the name given in medicine to a soft tissue special material (for example, Vlisstoff), which is used for tamponade of the ingrown nail plate.

During the treatment, capolin must be inserted between the skin fold and the nail. This procedure is quite painful, but necessary.

Before inserting the capolin into the space between the plate and the skin, it is necessary to soften the tissues by doing warm salt or herbal foot baths. After each such procedure, it is necessary to try to push the tampon further into the depths. The capolin should be changed daily. After a certain time, it will be possible to cut off the disturbing corner of the nail. It is necessary to be patient, since such treatment is quite long.

Dimexide for ingrown toenails

Dimexide for ingrown nails is used both as a compress and as a solution for washing wounds. Applications with the drug are more effective at the early stage of progressive inflammation.

Dimexide is diluted with water in equal proportions. For sensitive skin, the concentration of the medicine can be reduced slightly. The resulting solution is used to moisten a gauze pad (a piece of gauze or bandage folded in 5-6 layers). The antibiotic is applied to the affected area. The gauze pad is placed on top and secured with an occlusive dressing (polyethylene film and a fabric pad on top). The compress is left on the problem area for two hours.

The pharmacodynamics of dimexide for ingrown nails allows it to serve as an excellent conductor of antibacterial agents, allowing them to penetrate into the deep layers of organic tissues. The duration of the treatment course of compresses is from ten days to two weeks.

For washing purulent and necrotic wounds, a lower concentration of the solution is used (from 10 to 30%). In the overwhelming majority of cases, dimexide is well tolerated, but occasionally such deviations as diarrhea, skin itching, bronchospasms, insomnia, nausea and dizziness are still noted.

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Ichthyol ointment for ingrown nails

If the nail has begun to grow into the adjacent soft tissue and a developing inflammatory process is noticeable, then ichthyol ointment for an ingrown nail is simply irreplaceable. The drug in question is widely used both as a pure medicine and as a 10% glycerin application. To obtain it, 20% ichthyol ointment and glycerin are mixed to a homogeneous mass in equal volume proportions.

A small amount of ointment or mixed mass is applied to gauze folded several times. Apply to the sore spot and wrap with polyethylene or cling film on top and fix with a sock or fabric bandage. The procedure is performed at night, changing the compress daily and so on for a week, and on the morning of the eighth day, the ingrown piece of the nail plate is resected with a sterile instrument and ichthyol is applied again.

Ichthyol ointment has no significant contraindications, the only exceptions being allergic predisposition and individual hypersensitivity to the drug.

Folk remedies for ingrown nails

If the process has not started, then there is a high probability of stopping the inflammation, and with it the pain, using folk remedies for the ingrown nail.

• Take a medical fingertip, put butter in it and put it on the injured finger every night before going to bed. Repeat the procedure for two to three weeks. During the treatment, the nail plate will become softer and the pain will disappear.
• After the pain has disappeared, you need to very carefully lift the corner of the nail with a sterile knife and place a tourniquet of gauze in this gap. Wrap the finger again, leaving the tourniquet in place (the gauze acts as a capolin).
• The overgrown area of skin will “settle”, the pain will subside, and the wound will gradually heal.
• To prevent relapses, you need to exclude narrow and hard shoes from your wardrobe.

If the process has not started, then at the initial stage of the disease, foot baths using a strong tincture of chamomile are quite effective.

• Pour six tablespoons of the herb into two liters of boiling water.
• Seal the vessel with the infusion.
• Leave for about an hour.
• Strain the liquid through a sieve.
• Warm slightly.
• Take foot baths until the liquid cools.
• You can also use a decoction that has been boiled for about ten minutes.
• The procedure lasts up to 15 minutes.

In the old days, ram fat was used to soften the nail plate. It was tied to the sore spot for several days.

• To soften the nail, use cypress gum. If the shape of the plate cannot be corrected and the wound does not heal well, you will have to decide to remove it and consult a doctor.

Another recipe for folk treatment of ingrown nails:

• Peel and finely chop the medium onion.
• Mix with one tablespoon of honey.
• Before going to bed, steam your feet in a soda solution to soften them.
• After this, apply the honey-onion mixture to gauze and apply to the problem area.
• Cover with film and secure with a bandage on top.
• After sleeping, try to bring the problem area out.

Treating ingrown toenails with aloe.

• Peel the plant leaf and chop finely.
• Dilute the resulting mass slightly with warm boiled water.
• Apply the mixture to gauze and apply to the ingrown plate.
• Cover with film and bandage.
• Do the procedure at night.
• In the morning, try to carefully push out the corner of the nail plate.

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Treatment of ingrown nails with plates

Modern medicine is ready to offer several innovative therapeutic methods. One of them is the treatment of ingrown nails with plates. They were developed specifically for the procedure of correcting the shape of a deformed nail plate, as well as to simplify and speed up the process of stopping inflammation.

This pharmacological product is made of a leaf spring. The material of the device is duraplast with a fiberglass coating. Such a plate is applied transversely to the nail. Its property of springing allows you to lift the edges of the nail. This feature of medical plates leads to amazing results and makes it possible to take a worthy place among existing methods.

Advantages of treating ingrown nails with plates:

• Installation takes minimal time.
• Easy to care for.
• Polyallergenic material.
• Reliable fixation.
• Does not create discomfort when wearing shoes.
• Free access to the nail plate.
• There are no cosmetic defects.
• The flat shape makes it possible to disguise it with a pedicure and varnish.
• Suitable for any nail shape.

Ingrown Toenail Treatment with Staples

Treatment of ingrown nails with staples has also been used quite widely recently.

They, like the plates, work to reduce the pressure on the nail plate and allow it to return to its correct shape. Treatment of an ingrown nail using this technology is carried out only at the initial stage of the pathology, when there is no purulent infiltrate yet.

They are made of thin wire, the thickness of which is only 0.4-0.7 mm. It is easily fixed on the surface and is fixed with a special gel in the center of the plate, the edges of the nail are captured by hooks, which the bracket is equipped with.

Advantages of the method:

• The tension force is easily adjusted, but you should not overtighten it, as there is a high probability of tearing off the nail. Therefore, it should be set by an experienced specialist: either a doctor or a cosmetologist.
• The method is absolutely painless.
• Medical hypoallergenic alloy.
• Thanks to stretching, the pressure of the nail on the skin fold is reduced.
• The inflammatory process goes away faster.
• After a few days, you can safely remove the nail corner that caused the injury.
• Treatment of ingrown nails with staples allows you to easily correct the correct shape and growth of the nail plate.
• There is a possibility of a designer approach to this device. In the summer, you can decorate the bracket (for example, with rhinestones). The pedicure looks stylish and original.
• A wide range of sizes allows you to select a bracket for any nail.
• The bracket is installed once, and its tension is simply adjusted as needed.
• After its installation, you can safely work out in the gym or pool.

But it is worth knowing that braces and plates are not installed if the patient has fungal infections on the nails, as well as for children under six years of age.

Radio wave treatment for ingrown nails

The inflammatory and sometimes purulent process develops quite rapidly. And if measures are not taken in time, doctors have to resort to more radical methods. Radio wave treatment of an ingrown nail is a special case of surgical intervention. The operation is performed under local anesthesia (usually lidocaine is used). The nail is partially cut from the side of the injured area with a scalpel. Then, using special nozzles of the Surgitron radiosurgical device, the growth zone of the nail plate is irradiated. Six seconds are enough to perform complete tissue coagulation, as well as cut off the "wild meat". This entire area is treated with radio waves.

After the procedure, an antiseptic solution is applied to the affected area and fixed with a bandage. It is not touched for four to six days. Only after this period has passed is the bandage removed. Usually by that time the wound is almost completely healed.

The effectiveness of radio wave treatment of ingrown nails is quite high. About 90% of those "operated" do not know what a relapse is. It does not limit the patient's lifestyle. Immediately after its implementation, he can move normally, you just need to get comfortable, spacious shoes.

Surgical treatment of ingrown nail

If neither conservative nor medicinal methods help, you have to seek help from a surgeon who will perform surgical treatment of the ingrown nail. The operation is performed under local anesthesia - 2% lidocaine solution, and if the patient has an allergic reaction to it (the test is mandatory, since anaphylactic shock is possible), then 0.5 - 1% novocaine solution.

Today, there are several different approaches to surgical intervention. The simplest is partial or complete removal of the plate. It will take at least three months before the nail grows back, and the unprotected tissue sends pain impulses with any physical contact with it. The first weeks after surgery are especially difficult.

The effectiveness of this method is not high, a high percentage of repeated ingrowth of the nail has been clinically confirmed. The reason for this is the size of the periungual fold, which has increased due to inflammation. Based on this, in order to improve the quality of surgical intervention, in addition to removing the plate, resection of pathological granulations that developed during the inflammation process is performed.

This is how it happens: a scalpel is used to make a rounded incision in the lateral area, removing part of the skin, and the resulting edges are sutured. Due to this, the periungual fold is strained and leveled. This provides a guaranteed basis for stable remission of the pathology.

Treatment after removal of ingrown nail

The operation has been completed, but we should not forget that the postoperative period is also important. After all, the speed of wound healing and the likelihood of developing an inflammatory and purulent process depend on how scrupulously the doctor's recommendations are followed.

Treatment after removal of an ingrown nail is, first of all, careful treatment of the wound with antibacterial ointments (lamisil cream, levomekol) and daily dressing. For the period when the patient experiences pain, the doctor prescribes painkillers (analgesics).

Analgin. The drug is injected into a vein or muscle, and is also taken orally in tablet form. It is taken after meals. The dosage for adults is 0.25 - 0.5 g two to three times a day, for children - at the rate of 5 - 10 mg per kilogram of weight.

If the pain is very severe, injections are prescribed: adults - 1 - 2 ml two to three injections per day, children - 0.1 - 0.2 ml of solution per 10 kg of body weight.

To avoid irritation, do not administer subcutaneously.

The drug is not prescribed to patients with disorders in hematopoiesis, bronchospasm and individual intolerance to the components.

Paracetamol. The medicine should be taken after meals with plenty of water in a single dose: for adults - 0.35 - 0.5 g three to four doses per day, but the daily amount should not exceed 3 - 4 g.

For children aged 9–12 years – daily dose 2 g.

For children from three to six years old – calculated as 60 mg per kilogram of the child’s weight, but no more than 1–2 g. The dosage is divided into three to four doses.

The drug is contraindicated for people with kidney and liver problems, as well as inflammatory processes occurring in the rectum.

During the healing period of the wound, especially in the first day after the operation, it is necessary to provide maximum comfort and rest to the injured leg. On the second day, you can already move, but strictly observe all hygiene rules (so as not to infect the site of the operation through dirt and moisture). As a rule, four to six weeks and the wound is completely healed.

Treatment of ingrown nails in children

The skin of small children is quite delicate and any wound is perceived as very painful. Therefore, when a child wears tight and uncomfortable shoes, begins to limp and complain of pain in the leg, it is worth taking a closer look. The cause of children's complaints may be an ingrown nail. And if an infection gets into the place of injury, then a purulent process begins to develop: the skin turns red and becomes inflamed, a light inclusion filled with liquid appears, the swelling grows.

You should not self-medicate, it is better to immediately consult a pediatric surgeon. He will open the abscess and clean the wound, apply a bandage. If the pathology has not gone too far, you can hold the baby's leg in warm (but never hot) soapy water. Perform the procedure two to three times a day for ten minutes. Blot the leg with a towel and apply antibiotic cream to the sore spot (it should be prescribed by a doctor). After that, try to carefully trim the problem area.

If this does not work yet, you need to try to lift the corner of the plate and put a sterile gauze or cotton tourniquet under it. The amount of gauze should be small enough to lift the plate a little, changing and moving it deeper several times a day. This procedure can be done when the baby is sleeping, if he does not allow this to be done when he is awake.

A small dose of pain medication (such as acetaminophen) may be given if your child is fussy because of the pain.

During this period, it is better for the baby to wear sandals or other more comfortable, spacious shoes.

Antibiotics for ingrown toenails

If the case is neglected and the inflammatory process is already progressing, suppuration occurs, the antibiotic for an ingrown nail comes first in the treatment. In this case, both injections into the defect area and ointments with antibiotics are used (tablets will not help in this case).

Gentamicin (aminoglycoside antibiotic). The solution is administered intramuscularly at a rate of 3 mg per kilogram of the patient's weight. If necessary, apply two to three times a day.

Later, they switch to the ointment form of gentamicin. After removing necrosis and purulent masses, the ointment is taken two to three times a day, applied as a thin film to the wound. If the affected area covers a significant part of the nail, the daily dosage should not exceed 200 g. The duration of the treatment course can only be determined by a doctor.

Levomekol (antibiotics - levomycetins). The ointment of the drug is used externally only. A small amount of the drug is applied to a sterile cloth and applied to the site of the ingrown nail. The napkin is changed daily until the affected area is completely clean. The introduction of antibiotic ointment for an ingrown nail is also allowed with a syringe. Preliminary, the ointment must be heated to a temperature of 36 ° C and injected into the purulent cavity with a medical syringe.

Side effects and contraindications include only allergic reactions and individual intolerance to the components of the drug.

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What to treat an ingrown toenail with?

Everyone should know the basic rules of fingernail and toenail care since childhood. Nails should be cut straight, without touching the corners of the nail plate. This, oddly enough, can be called preventive measures to prevent ingrowth. What to apply to an ingrown nail? This question arises immediately upon identifying this problem.

But in addition to the ointments that the pharmaceutical market offers us, we can offer an effective remedy prepared by hand.

So, it is necessary:

1. Mix in equal proportions (one tablespoon each) finely chopped garlic, aloe leaves and onion, as well as butter.
2. Add one teaspoon of beeswax to the resulting mixture.
3. Heat without bringing to a boil for three minutes.
4. Cool.
5. Treatment of an ingrown nail consists of applying the resulting mass to the wound.
6. Cover the ointment with a fresh cabbage leaf on top (the leaf can be beaten a little).
7. Wrap it lightly with a bandage.
8. Wrap up and keep warm.
9. Change the bandage periodically.
10. Continue this procedure until the corner of the nail moves away from the skin fold.

Cream for ingrown nails

Ointment or cream for ingrown nails is a matter of terminology. If the inflammatory process has already begun, it is necessary to use antibiotics, anti-inflammatory and antifungal creams. Antibiotics include Levomekol cream, described above. Antifungal drugs include Lamisil cream.

This cream is applied once or twice a day to the previously cleaned and dried skin surface in the area of pathology. With a normal course of treatment of an ingrown nail, a positive effect is observed after three to five days, but the treatment course should be extended to one and a half to three months. The drug is highly tolerable, but is still contraindicated for use by people suffering from individual hypersensitivity to terbinafine, and should also be used with caution for the treatment of children under 12 years of age.

Nizoral is a cream (antifungal drug). The medicine, just like the previous one, is applied in a thin layer to the site of the ingrown nail once or twice a day. The course of treatment is prescribed by the attending physician.

Ortofen (ortophenum) is an anti-inflammatory cream.

The dosage of the drug is determined strictly individually by the attending physician in light of the observed clinical picture of the disease. The cream is applied in a dosage of two to four grams (depending on the area of the lesion) three to four times a day. It is advisable not to fix it with an occlusive dressing.

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Cost of ingrown toenail treatment

In many ways, the price of treating an ingrown nail will depend on the stage of the pathology, as well as the chosen location and method of treatment. As an example, the price of resection of an ingrown nail using a laser method will cost approximately 1200 UAH. This includes: anesthetic, resection of pathological tissue, cleaning of the cavity.

You want to look stylish and fashionable, but often model shoes (narrow toe, high heel) can bring a lot of trouble later. First of all, shoes should be the right size and comfortable, and only then fashionable and stylish. But if the pathology already exists, it is necessary to start treating the ingrown nail as soon as possible. This will not only allow you to quickly stop the problem, but also save energy and money. Pharmacology and medicine in this sense offer a fairly wide range of medications and treatment methods.