Cutting out an ingrown toenail. Mechanical removal of the nail at home. What to do if an ingrown nail occurs in a baby, a small child

I also had an ingrown toenail problem. Now it's gone because I use one interesting method, which was advised to me by my colleague, a podiatrist (foot specialist).

But first, an overview - what traditional medicine offers in similar cases. How to cure an ingrown toenail at home.

Doctors claim that Lately the number of women seeking treatment or removal of an ingrown toenail is steadily increasing. And to blame for the problem of ingrown nails, oddly enough, fashion trends and canons of beauty. The desire to have a small, graceful, beautiful leg forces us to wear tight, often not comfortable shoes. In addition, the cause of an ingrown nail can be an improperly performed pedicure, less often - inflammatory processes or trauma.

It makes no sense to describe the very concept of an ingrown nail, it is clear to everyone - changing shape, the nail presses on soft tissues, as it grows, causing at first just a feeling of slight discomfort, then pain appears. If measures are not taken, treatment is not carried out, the nail grows further, creating serious walking difficulties, swelling, inflammation of the soft tissues, and already last stage- purulent inflammation.

Of course, only masochists can bring themselves to a state of literal restlessness, but we preach timely treatment ingrown nail and now consider how best to do it.

Let's say right away - if the nail has grown deep and carries serious pain, go to the surgeon, let him do the operation and cut off this area. Most effective tool treatment of ingrown nails today is considered laser correction, it allows you not to remove the nail plus guarantees fast healing usually no more than 3 days. In addition, it is laser therapy that is most effective in fungal infection nails, because heat beam allows for a good antifungal sterilization of the nail bed.

If you only have the first stage with the characteristics of redness, slight pain, you can try to deal with the problem yourself. So, traditional medicine with an ingrown nail recommends taking baths with furatsilin, this disinfects the fingers and removes inflammatory process. If you cut the nail, it is important to cut it straight, without corners and roundings, so there is a better chance that it will grow evenly.

If the pain is strong, before cutting for several days in a row, make lotions with fir oil, it will remove the inflammation, and soften the nail. Also, for the treatment and softening of an ingrown nail, healers recommend using kombucha - you need to exfoliate it and wrap the sore finger and the nearest area with one, a film and two socks on top - plain and woolen, in two or three days the fungus will soften the nail, and your mini-operation will be less painful .

When an ingrown toenail is cut off, care must be taken to ensure that it does not grow back. To do this, the nail is slightly lifted and a thin cotton or gauze pad is placed under it, soaked in healing ointment or oil - sunflower, castor or olive. And, of course, it is worth abandoning fashionable pointed boots or shoes until the problem of ingrown nails is finally eliminated.

For women's magazine Arabio.RU
Ekaterina Beautiful

And now my way. You need to take a triangular file, wipe it with alcohol and carefully cut a hollow on the nail, along the nail, from the very top to the white line. Saw through not for good, but about two-thirds.

It will turn out like a little book in which the edges of the nail (page) will tend to rise up. As a result, gradually, the edges of the nails themselves will crawl out from under the skin.

It happens that the question of how to remove an ingrown nail at home on its own takes a person by surprise, because the toe burns with fire, and the skin at the edge of the nail turns red and the feeling of pain is growing. In this case, it is worth knowing what needs to be done to remove discomfort and prevent development dangerous disease called onychocryptosis.

What is an ingrown toenail

Tight shoes bring a lot of inconvenience. Often it can be the cause of onychocryptosis. It is possible to understand that a person has acquired this disease when painful symptoms and wound festering occurs. This is the stage when you need to remove an ingrown toenail. It is impossible to delay when the first signs of onychocryptosis appear, since every lost minute can lead to the need surgical intervention.

The edge of the nail plate, with prolonged close contact with the skin of the finger, digs inward and begins to deepen into the nail bed. There is a gradual growth. At the same time, the human body "defines" the corner of its own nail plate as a foreign body and tries to get rid of it - the inflammatory process begins. At the edge of the nail that has stuck into the skin, redness is first observed, then swelling appears. From that moment on, a person feels pain at the site of inflammation.

If no measures are taken at the initial stages of the disease, pus forms in the inner integument of the skin of the nail fold. Suppuration is very dangerous, because an infection can get into the blood. The area of ​​injured skin is bluish in color. Chronic onychocryptosis can lead to osteomyelitis or gangrene of the leg.

Why do nails grow

When wearing narrow shoes, on high heels, the forefoot is exposed heavy load. If these factors affect long time, may form hallux valgus big toe. It twists with outside a lump is formed, which increases the likelihood of acquiring onychocryptosis. In addition to improperly selected shoes, the causes of onychocryptosis can be:

• genetic predisposition;
• improper cutting of the nail plate;
• toe injuries;
• excess weight;
• professional activity;
• some diseases.

Some professions force a person to be on his feet for a long time. Inconvenient, improperly selected shoes can provoke the formation of onychocryptosis. This disease can be a consequence of diabetes mellitus due to impaired blood circulation and insufficient work of leg muscles. The nail plate is easily injured in diabetes mellitus, and the microcracks that form on the skin heal for a long time. Excess weight a person can exacerbate this problem because the pressure on the legs increases, leading to swelling of the extremities.

With flat feet, the tendons are weakened, which contributes to the sagging of the muscle tissues of the legs. This position of the foot leads to an additional load on it and an increase in pressure on the toes, often provoking onychocryptosis. Fungal diseases of the feet are often the cause of infection skin nail roller. The nail plates affected by the fungus exfoliate, deform and often go deep into the skin for thumb legs, less often on other toes. There are cases of this disease on the little toes and fingers of the upper extremities.

How to treat an ingrown toenail

Onychocryptosis should be treated independently at home immediately after the first symptoms appear. It is necessary to carry out all the necessary hygiene and procedures, carefully remove the part of the nail plate that has stuck into the skin, treat with antiseptics until the wound heals. Feet must be kept clean at all times to prevent infection. If the feet are infected with a fungus, it is necessary to proceed with the appropriate treatment at home. It is impossible to use decorative varnish for the listed diseases.

Ingrown toenail removal

If there is no result from the measures taken for self-treatment of onychocryptosis, it is urgent to contact a surgeon. There are several ways to quickly remove an ingrown toenail during surgical treatment:

• with a scalpel;
• laser;
• radio wave method.

Each of these methods is used depending on the complexity of the course of onychocryptosis, the frequency of relapses of the disease, general condition the health of the patient, the list of contraindications for use, the desire and financial capabilities of the patient. Operation by any of the above methods involves rehabilitation period, therefore, it is not necessary to bring the disease to surgical intervention due to their own negligence and non-observance of elementary hygiene standards.

Removal at home

If a person feels constant pain at the edge of the nail plate and when pressed, the pain intensifies, and onychocryptosis is determined by the symptoms, an ingrown nail should be urgently removed. When the form of this disease is not running, you can relieve pain by resorting to self-treatment at home. The main thing is not to be negligent about the manifestation of the first symptoms of the disease.

If there is still no suppuration of the roller, it is necessary to steam the leg in a bath with soda, salt and laundry soap. To do this, it is necessary to dissolve half of the bar in 2-3 liters of hot water laundry soap so that when it dissolves, a white solution is obtained. Add a handful of baking soda and sea salt. Wait for the water temperature to become acceptable, and steam the affected area. The procedure should last 15-20 minutes.

Good result treatment will give a hot bath from medicinal herbs. It is necessary to pour 2 tablespoons of chamomile, calendula, St. John's wort into a container, pour boiling water. Let the solution infuse for 30 minutes. Then it must be filtered and topped up with hot water from the kettle. You need to steam for 20 minutes. Try to push the skin away from the inner edge nail bed and treat an ingrown toenail with antiseptics.

How to cut an ingrown toenail

You can move the inflamed area of ​​the skin with an antiseptic-treated toothpick or other sterile instrument. Scissors with sharp rounded ends, pre-treated with alcohol, carefully remove the edge of the ingrown nail. Then treat this area with any antiseptic (hydrogen peroxide, iodine, brilliant green).

At night, apply a compress with ichthyol ointment to the inflamed area to prevent suppuration. You can remove the bandage with ointment after the wound has healed. If nail plate thick, and immediately after steaming, its ingrown edge cannot be removed, you need to move the skin of the nail fold. Then insert a piece of bandage moistened vegetable oil, into the space between the skin and the nail so that the ingrowth process does not continue.

Compress from butter placed on the nail plate will help soften it. Wrap a finger with a compress with plastic wrap, bandage it and put on a fingertip on top, and on the leg - warm sock. If after 12 hours it was not possible to soften the ingrown nail, you need to wear a bandage with a compress for longer. Then steam the sore finger again and remove the edge of the nail plate, which creates pain. Surgery to remove an ingrown toenail is inevitable if part of the plate is torn out without steaming.

Resection of the nail plate

It is not uncommon for self-treatment of onychocryptosis at home to repeat the ingrowth of the edge of the nail plate into the skin of the finger. How can an ingrown toenail be removed in a hospital? When a patient consults a doctor with onychocryptosis, he may be prescribed a resection of the nail plate - its partial or complete removal by surgery. The operation is performed under local anesthesia. Depending on the complexity of the course of the disease, resection can be:

• Wedge-shaped (partial) - when it is necessary to remove the edge of the plate at an angle.
• Mixed - when you need to remove not only the edge of the plate, but also part of the matrix (nail root).
• The entire nail plate - you can remove it quickly, but there is no guarantee that a new one, growing back, will not dig into the skin again.
• Complete removal of the matrix. This method of solving a problem is resorted to in extreme cases, when all other methods are ineffective. In this case, the nail plate will never grow again.

laser removal

It is impossible to get rid of the problem safely if there is an inflammatory process, especially suppuration. The surgeon examines the problem area and determines the condition of the nails on other fingers. Conducts necessary treatment antiseptic drugs to relieve inflammation. If there is a fungal disease, prescribe the appropriate treatment. Takes additional tests for the presence allergic reactions patient on pain medication.

There are several ways to quickly remove an ingrown toenail with a laser, depending on the degree of onychocryptosis. They can remove only an ingrown nail, part of the nail plate with a portion of the growth zone, or the entire nail along with the matrix. After local anesthesia, the patient undergoes laser correction. The laser beam acts through a special tunnel and bloodlessly "burns" the nail plate or part of it, while disinfecting and cauterizing the wound.

Not all people are shown to treat onychocryptosis with a laser. There are the following contraindications for laser resection:

• poor blood clotting;
• intolerance to the used anesthetics;
• the presence of diabetes in the patient;
• old age sick.

Surgical laser treatment can be performed on an outpatient basis. The operation takes 15-20 minutes. The advantages of laser correction include:

• High efficiency surgery - about 1% of relapses of onychocryptosis;
• Laser exposure accuracy - this technology does not damage healthy tissue of the finger;
• Short postoperative period. The healing of the operated area is very fast.
• Good aesthetic look. Correction with a laser looks visually neater than with a surgical scalpel.

Removal by radio wave method

Onychocryptosis can be cured with a radio wave method - orthonyxia, this is a high-precision method of non-surgical treatment. It is possible to remove ingrown areas of the nail plate and excess overgrown roughened skin tissue of the nail fold by directed action of radio waves. During this operation, healthy tissues of the finger are not affected, it is not necessary to suture the cut tissues of the nail fold, as with the usual surgical method.

The advantages of this method include:

• negligible chance of recurrence of the disease;
• no complications after surgery;
• fast wound healing process (up to 7 days);
• the procedure takes up to 5 minutes;
• the ability to remove only the ingrown part of the nail.

Not all people are suitable for this method. surgical operation. There are a number of contraindications to its use. For the correction of an ingrown nail by the radio wave method, doctors will not undertake when:

• the patient's diabetes;
• chronic hepatitis;
• infectious diseases;
• heart failure.

The main disadvantage of this method is the possible incompetence of the doctor who performs the operation. If the power of exposure to radio waves is incorrectly calculated, the result will be undesirable: if the power was insufficient, a relapse of the disease is possible, if more than necessary, the nail will deform. It is worth finding out how experienced the surgeon will be performing the operation in order to avoid unpleasant consequences.

Prevention of onychocryptosis

Each person should be attentive to their body and prevent the manifestation of onychocryptosis in the following ways:

• wear loose comfortable shoes;
• wearing shoes with high heels alternate with the use of shoes with medium and low heels;
• warn fungal diseases feet with preventive methods;
• with a predisposition to the disease, use special staples that will be installed by a podiatrist;
• conduct a daily hygiene care behind the legs;
• do a professional pedicure.

Ingrown toenail (according to scientific this problem called "onychocryptosis") manifests itself in the germination of the nail plate into the skin, accompanied by an inflammatory process. More often than not, this problem affects thumbs legs.

With ingrowth, redness first appears, but in the future, it can develop to swelling and suppuration. Eventually, the toe can grow in size and interfere with walking.

According to experts main reason ingrown nails is a hereditary predisposition, therefore, if any of the close relatives had this problem, sooner or later the person will most likely also face the question “How to cut nails? ". An ingrown nail also occurs after frostbite, finger injuries, or when the nail is cut too short.

If the ingrown toenail is on initial stage you can take several warm foot baths with a solution of potassium permanganate and soda, and then trim the ingrown nail as carefully as possible. When the ingrown nail has become neglected and the finger begins to fester, it is necessary to apply special means disinfectants that draw out pus and prevent the further development of inflammation, such as Vishnevsky's Ointment or Ichthyolka.

The ointment should be applied to the bandage and applied to the skin at the site of the ingrown nail, wrap the resulting bandage with polyethylene to prevent the ointment from spreading. For better fixation, wear a sock. It is recommended to do dressing in the evening. In the morning, you can get confused about cutting off the ingrown nail, and then re-bandage it.

You can also use aloe leaves peeled from the top skin for treatment. This procedure, as well as manipulations with Ointment Vishnevsky, it is better to do it before bedtime (after all, this time of day is best time when you can cut your nails, because the leg is at rest), and in the morning also try to remove the ingrown part of the nail and apply a bandage with an aloe leaf.

Folk advice associated with steaming the legs can be applied only in the absence of suppuration and bleeding. Finally, you can resort to the help of official medicine. For example, go to the first-aid post for surgical care. The specialist removes the ingrown nail, cleans and disinfects the wound and applies a bandage, although after these manipulations you will often and regularly return to the surgeon for dressings, which are done before the nail grows again.

The newest and rather expensive way to eliminate the problem of an ingrown nail is laser correction of the nail fold, which consists in removing the skin around the nail with a laser, however, after this type, soft tissues are tightened for a long time. In addition, as practice shows, laser nail treatment does not always lead to desired result, and after a while, the ingrown nail forms again.

Many doctors and cosmetologists believe that the most effective and sufficient in a simple way how to cut an ingrown nail is to gently file it with a nail file to about half the thickness with visual control, continuing the manipulation until the nail bed begins to look through the thinned part.

After this operation, the nail "stretches" to the middle, begins to gradually acquire normal view, and will not ingrown around the edges. Given the rate at which the average nail grows, sawing should be done once a month, when the untreated part has grown to a sufficient size.

The untreated part should also be cut off by about half the thickness, and the part of the nail that has been processed with a manicure file is quite a bit - it has already become quite thin as a result of past manipulations. The notorious laser treatment can be used instead of sawing, but it's more troublesome and more expensive.

Finally, you can bring a few folk remedies, problem solving ingrown nail. You can take a napalok, which is put on an injured finger over a bandage and stuffed with cow butter for several days in a row, put on a problem finger before going to bed. After the nail softens, lift the corner of the nail by placing a piece of gauze under it and bandaging the finger. It is also recommended to use lamb fat, tying it to the nail for several days.

Finally, I would like to give a few tips that you should follow in order to prevent ingrown nails. Shoes should be worn that fit well, are well ventilated and are spacious enough. You should not wear high heels, no doubt, this advice will not appeal to many women, but it is worth remembering that high stilettos contribute to the problem of ingrown toenails and a number of other health problems.

Therefore, even if it is impossible to completely abandon high-heeled shoes for a fashionista, it is necessary to at least limit its use, for example, alternating wearing high-heeled shoes with wearing shoes without it.

Women and men should not wear shoes with pointed nose and, if possible, avoid periods of too long continuous standing or walking. It is also worth following the rules of hygiene - use only your own towel for your feet and wash your feet regularly before going to bed. In swimming pools and other similar places, it is worth walking in appropriate shoes, such as slates, it is absolutely unacceptable to wear someone else's shoes.

Pedicure should be done carefully, and you should not cut the edge of the nail too much. IN last resort it is better to turn to professionals and go to a pedicure salon, where everything will be done in the best possible way.

An ingrown toenail is a serious problem, the importance of which we very often underestimate. It seems to many that the consequence of such a nuisance is only aching or cutting, very severe pain, which increases with the progression of ingrowth. Meanwhile, much more serious complications after ingrowth are possible: suppuration, infection and tissue death when phlegmon or gangrene develops. Ingrown poses a particularly serious danger in case of a disease diabetes.

Most often, the nail grows due to prolonged mechanical compression of the finger, for example, as a result of wearing a narrow, tight shoes. There are also frequent cases of injury and infection after hygienic manicure or due to injury. Other reasons for ingrown nails are also possible:

• hereditary predisposition (due to the anatomical features of the structure of the fingers and the growth of the nail plates);
• flat feet;
• overweight;
• improper nail care, in particular, improper cutting;
• wearing poor quality, tight or not right size shoes;
• fungal infections;
• finger injuries (bruises, cuts, frostbite).

Can you remove an ingrown toenail at home?

Ingrown toenails are medically known as onychocryptosis. This is extremely unpleasant and, as we have already found out, far from harmless. disease state, causing severe pain and human discomfort. As a result of ingrowth, inflammation, suppuration, the formation of ulcers and the growth of granulation tissue occur.

An ingrown nail must certainly be removed, and many are interested in whether it is possible to do this at home. Of course, it is better to consult a surgeon with this problem, and this is explained by several arguments:

• exists high risk infection in the inflamed area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe skin;
• the procedure for removing an ingrown nail causes pain and discomfort, and therefore not everyone can carry it out on their own;
• in case of acute inflammation and infection of the finger, self-treatment can lead to deterioration and negative consequences;
• modern methods of removing an ingrown nail (in particular laser surgery) allow you to quickly and painlessly eliminate the problem.

Nevertheless, if the situation is not acute, the infectious process does not progress, the nail has grown shallowly and there is no pronounced inflammation, then you can try to remove the ingrown edge yourself.

It is possible to get rid of an ingrown nail at home, but most likely it will take more than one day (at least two weeks on average). To do this, follow the sequence of necessary procedures:

1. Spend warm bath for feet by adding to water baking soda(at the rate of 1 tablespoon of soda per 3 liters of water) to steam the feet.
2. Wipe your feet dry.
3. Lift the edge of the nail that has grown into the skin (this will cause pain).
4. Place a swab or flagellum prepared in advance (you can use part of a toothpick) from a bandage or cotton wool (it should correspond in thickness to the space between the nail and skin) soaked in vegetable oil between the nail plate and the finger. This will fix the nail in an elevated state.
5. After each water treatment the tampon must be advanced deeper, raising the nail as much as possible.
6. Daily cotton tourniquet must be changed to a new one.
7. When the nail rises high enough and grows to a sufficient length, carefully cut it with thin scissors with narrow ends, having previously disinfected them, but not very shortly.
8. Soften the sharp corners of the cut nail with a special nail file.
9. At the end of the procedure, the inflamed area can be treated with Vishnevsky ointment or fir oil (it has an anti-inflammatory effect).

You can soften the skin in the ingrown area before carrying out the described manipulation by applying a butter compress for 3 days or more. ethnoscience recommends his other recipes for softening the nail plate before cutting off the regrown part:

• prepare the gruel by mixing a tablespoon of honey and a chopped medium onion until smooth. Apply the mixture to the ingrown nail, wrap with a film and bandage and leave until the morning. After softening, try to gently remove the ingrown edge;
• put a piece of pulp on your finger kombucha, previously infused to the state of acetic acid. Reel mushroom cling film, and on top with a bandage. Put on warm socks and leave the compress until the morning;
• peel the aloe leaf from the hard skin, chop the resulting pulp and dilute the minimum amount warm water- apply to the ingrown nail at night. You can also simply cut a leaf of aloe along, slightly warm it over the fire (the side where the skin is) and apply the pulp to the ingrown nail, wrapping it with a cloth and film.

All described compresses should be carried out after pre-soaking the nail in soda solution. For disinfection, you can also use a solution of Furacilin or a weak solution of potassium permanganate.

You should also know that with severely inflamed skin on the finger, in no case should you carry out warming procedures - baths, steaming, compresses, because you can greatly worsen the condition! As we have already said, the removal of an ingrown nail at home can only be done if the affected finger is in a satisfactory condition, when onychocryptosis has not yet started.

In addition, you should keep your toes clean: wash them with soap at least twice a day. Keep your feet clean and dry at all times.

Until the ingrown toenail is removed and healed, avoid wearing tight or heeled shoes. It is best to walk at this time in a comfortable, maximum open shoes. If necessary, you can take painkillers, for example, Ibuprofen.

If after 3 days from the start home treatment after all efforts, the condition does not improve (and especially if it gets worse), then you should consult a doctor for professional help.

1. You can not wear tight squeezing shoes - this contributes to ingrowth and deformation of the nail plates.
2. Trim your nails correctly, evenly and without rounding, without removing deeply into the corners of the nails and without cutting them very short. It is incorrect circumcision that is the most common cause their ingrowths.
3. Maintain foot hygiene by removing dirt and dead tissue from the fingers in a timely manner.
4. Avoid sweating around the toes and feet, and do not wear synthetic socks.

Failure to comply with the recommendations described in our article can cause not only ingrown nails, but also other complications: their coarsening, delamination, deformation, dullness. Therefore, it is worth preventing the appearance of such problems, avoiding factors predisposing to their appearance.