Ingrown toenail: treatment of underlying causes, symptoms and photos
We often can encounter a problem called "ingrown nail." It is characterized by the ingrown nail into the skin of the toe. Admittedly, this moment is quite painful and is accompanied by infection and inflammation in the site of the ingrowth.
Most often, this problem character for the big toe. The damage can occur on both the legs. The nail always grows into the skin tissue of the feet with the outside of the finger.
The main reasons
There are a number of reasons in which you receive the ingrown nail. Below are the main ones:
- Not properly trimmed nail. When cutting corners, you can create a kind of "springboard" for the start of the ingrowth of the nail.
- Narrow shoes, sneakers, shoes. Frequent and prolonged use too tight shoes, nail plate be pressed into the skin tissue and we get ingrown nails;
- The effects of trauma, which affected nail;
- Abnormal condition of nail bed;
- The deformation of the plate can cause certain diseases;
- Flat feet;
- Genetic predisposition.
Symptoms
As a rule, all the symptoms which characterize an ingrown toenail, go on increasing together with the promotion of the nail plate in the tissue of the skin. The first case arises some discomfort with prolonged walking, plus there is pain sensation in the finger. When exposed to the finger the pain increases.
The area of ingrowth is red and maybe a little bit inflamed, which will result in swelling. Gradually the pain will increase, and wearing virtually any Shoe will be excluded.
If you neglect the problem along with the pain can start the process of suppuration, and this is a development of bacterial infection. The danger lies in the fact that without starting treatment already with the appearance of all signs of suppuration, there is a huge risk that the disease will spill over into a chronic condition.
The inflammatory process at the moment of complications can affect not only just the thumb, but spread to the entire foot, striking a large area of soft tissue. It is possible in rare exceptions to diagnose the development of such diseases as "periosteum", and inflammation of the bone. That is, as we can see, complications from ingrown toenail can be quite substantial and dangerous.
In addition, in the process of inflammation, to the already existing bacterial infection can join in a fungus that will destroy the nail plate. Lose is called onychomycosis and it over the nailloses strength and starts to crumble, this problem requires urgent treatment.
Without proper treatment, the disease can indeed pose a threat, because in addition to discomfort, the long duration of the disease is able to attach more dangerous infectious diseases, which we can talk more about inflammation of a profound gangrene which threatens not only the fingers but also feet.
Treatment of ingrown nail
As a rule, the choice of method of treatment always depends on how ingrown the nail and how is itself a disease, but rather, inflammation.
Warm baths are effective enough to treat, if we apply them at an early stage of the problem. Bath can be taken three to four times during the day, lowering her leg with a damaged finger for 10-15 minutes. In lukewarm water mix salt and potassium permanganate.
Treatment with topical ointment Vishnevsky, if the finger began to give signs of suppuration. It is designed to suppress the spread of the infection and draw out the purulent accumulation. In this case apply the ointment you need for the night.
Aloe leaves are used to treat many skin ailments such as Ingrown nails can be removed and surgically. This removes the ingrown portion of the nail is cleaning the damaged area of the finger and its disinfection. This intervention is performed under local anesthesia. After surgery struggle every day to change the dressings until full recovery or until a new nail plate.
Applies a modern method of laser correction of the nail plate. With the help of a laser is corrected as the nail and the nail wall. The adjustment process takes about half an hour, and that's enough to completely get rid of the problem. It is important to note that the rehabilitation period in the case of the laser procedure takes less than one week, which is two times faster than conventional surgery. And the probability that the ingrown nail will appear again — is extremely low.
Prevention
Preventive measures to prevent the appearance of ingrown nails are reduced to three simple rules:
- The nail needs to be cut correctly;
- The rejection of overly narrow shoes;
- Personal hygiene of the feet.