Ingrowing toenails (or onychocryptosis) is a disease characterized by incision of the nail plate into the soft lateral part of the finger (roller). In this case, an inflammatory process occurs with noticeable redness, pain and swelling of the damaged area. Quite often, such a pathological phenomenon is observed on one roller of the thumb. However, there are cases when ingrown toenails are formed on both sides of the phalanx.
Reasons for the appearance
As practice shows, in most cases, this deviation begins to worry a person after an incorrect or poor-quality pedicure, when the master cuts the nail too strongly or deeply at its edges. Although the main prerequisite for the development of this disease, doctors consider a hereditary predisposition.
In addition to the above reasons, ingrown toenails can form due to regular wearing of uncomfortable, low-quality, tight and narrow shoes (especially with pointed toes). In this case, the sharp plate is subjected to pressure from the side of the shoes and cuts into a soft skin roller.
Also, deformation of the fingers (for example, with flat feet, clubfoot, etc.) of the legs, their injuries, any fungal diseases, abnormal nail growth, impaired blood circulation in the lower extremities, etc. can also lead to such a deviation.
Removing ingrown toenails at home
At the first symptoms of an ingrown nail , when the inflammation is still small, all necessary measures should immediately be taken to eliminate this trouble. To do this, you can use the following recommendations:
- abandon tight shoes in favor of more free ones;
- try to walk barefoot;
- regularly steam out your finger and try to trim the ingrown plate well;
- constantly make warm foot baths with a decoction of chamomile, the addition of baking soda and potassium permanganate;
- apply compresses with brilliant green or iodine to the damaged area.
Such procedures will help to significantly soften the tissue, which will facilitate further removal of the ingrown nail.
It is also worth noting that such a deviation is often treated with the help of traditional medicine. To do this, use completely different recipes. Let's consider some of them.
- You should take a dense fingertip, put butter in it and put on a sick phalanx. After the pains go away, you need to carefully move the ingrown nail plate and go through it with a nail file.
- To remove ingrown toenails at the initial stage of the inflammatory process, you can cut the aloe leaf, mash it into gruel, add 20 drops of water, apply to the damaged area, wrap it in cellophane and leave for 12-15 hours. In the morning, the plate softens and is filed well.
How to eliminate the disease using medical means?
If you do not trust folk methods, then the affected part of the nail roller can be regularly lubricated with local antibiotics, that is, ointments. It is also recommended to use such gels as Ichthyolum or Vishnevsky. They suck out pus pretty well, preventing the further development of the infection.
In the event that official medicine did not help you, then you should consult a specialist, namely a surgeon. But here the following question arises: "Where to remove the ingrown nail?" It is worth noting that such not very difficult operations are carried out even in small clinics. Therefore, if the disease progresses, then you should immediately go to the nearest hospital.