Nail plates can grow into the surrounding roller not only in adults. Some parents are perplexed to find that their newborn baby has grown a nail. What to do? How to help the baby? Parents wonder why this happened. After all, it is known that a similar question concerns people who wear unsuitable shoes, and in this case, the baby has not even made attempts to stand on his feet. Moreover, such a problem still occurs among children: it disturbs the baby, causing him not only discomfort, but also real pain. Therefore, he cries, refuses to eat and does not sleep well. It is important to identify the pathology in time, find out the causes of its occurrence and provide qualified assistance. It should be borne in mind that the disease can be acquired, due to improper care of the nails of the baby, and congenital. In the latter case, even in the womb, pathological changes in the nail plate may occur, as a result of which the child is born with an ingrown nail (or more than one).
Causes of the disease
The reasons can be both external, depending on the illiterate parental hygiene of the child, and internal. As mentioned earlier, the disease can be congenital. In this case, heredity is usually blamed if for some family members the nail plate grows down, damaging the skin. Typically, such an anomaly is characterized by symmetry when the nail grows into the skin on both sides.
The problem may also be associated with the pathology of the metabolic processes of the baby. In addition, a bacterial infection or a lack of vitamins can be a provoking factor.
Sometimes ingrown toenail in young children occurs due to improperly selected shoes. It sounds strange, but some parents even put on shoes for babies, which constrain the leg, squeeze fingers, provoke the emphasis of the nails in the fabric of elastic booties. In kids, the nail plate is very soft, it quickly lends itself to any mechanical impact, so even too tight socks can deform it.
Illiterate cutting of the marigolds often leads to the disease. When the procedure occurs too often, the nails may begin to grow. It is also not recommended to cut them too short. Sometimes parents can’t carefully trim their baby’s nails because of their anxiety and restlessness. As a result, an uneven cut is formed, sharp tips lead to mechanical irritation, and subsequently to the possible ingrowth of the plate into the skin. Therefore, a nail file in a set for children's manicure is a mandatory attribute. It has a mild abrasive, so its use is able to minimize the morbidity.
An ingrown toenail in a baby on the foot often occurs due to attempts by parents to give it a rounded shape. At the same time, they cut the corners of the nails, while it is considered correct to leave a straight line.
Stages of the development of pathology
It is clear that the baby will not be able to say where and how it hurts. He expresses his emotions by crying. Therefore, the signal that the baby has formed an ingrown nail can only be his anxiety and the bruising of the legs (arms). Therefore, if up to a certain point everything was in order, and then the child began to show anxiety, then it is worthwhile to carefully examine the baby's body for a problem.
If the ingrown nail in the baby was caused by hereditary causes, then the problem is found even in the hospital, when the doctor examines the baby. It is noteworthy that the pathology can be of varying degrees of complexity. Depending on this, the specialist prescribes specific therapeutic measures aimed at restoring the health of the plate. If the disease is ignored, it begins to progress. In this case, symptoms can occur in stages.
- Initially, a small swelling of the lateral ridges appears. When you press on them, pain intensifies, which can be understood by the sharp cry of the child: when the doctor or parents try to examine the leg or handle, the baby instinctively pulls the limb and cries.
- In the absence of therapeutic effect, the roller blushes noticeably. The tumor becomes pronounced, pus may even appear. Again: if you try to put pressure on the finger, then the baby begins to cry a lot. It is worth considering that the child is constantly worried about aching pain, so he is capricious and behaves restlessly even without touching the focus of pain.
- At the last stage of the development of pathology without medical intervention, there is a strong inflammation of the soft tissues and their decomposition.
Symptoms and manifestations
It is easier for parents to detect an ingrown nail in a baby on the handles. On the lower extremities, the problem becomes apparent when the skin is already inflamed. It is sometimes difficult for parents to understand what exactly happens to their beloved child. The baby cannot say that it hurts. He just cries and is naughty. But observant parents notice that anxiety intensifies when a sore finger is touched. Also, some children are trying to get a problem spot, remove a sock or, conversely, try to remove the leg away. If this behavior is noted, it is important to immediately inspect all fingers. If redness or swelling is found, consult a specialist.
It is known that children’s nails grow on the legs more often than on the handles. This is explained by the fact that sliders, socks, booties and even shoes are usually worn on the lower extremities. Therefore, it is difficult to notice the development of the problem in time.
How to treat an ingrown nail in a baby?
If the disease does not begin to be treated on time, then the inflammatory process quickly moves to the surrounding tissues of the skin. In order not to aggravate the situation, it is important to seek medical help in a timely manner from a qualified doctor. The progression of the pathology can be of varying severity, so the doctor may offer treatment depending on the nature of the tissue damage and the severity of the situation. So that it does not come to surgical intervention, you need to act immediately.
Surgery
Treatment of an ingrown nail of a newborn may require surgery. There may be several treatment options. The choice is left to the specialist and the baby's parents.
The surgical method consists in a small operation using local anesthesia. The plate can be completely removed, but can only partially correct its shape. Surgical manipulation consists in the traditional technique, in which the doctor dissects the inflamed area of the skin with a scalpel and removes the part of the nail plate that does not grow correctly. Next, a sterile dressing is applied to the resulting wound. It is important for parents to monitor the condition of the baby's nail and its growth in the future.
As in any surgical process, this method has its pros and cons. The obvious advantage is that the problem is solved quickly and radically. The disadvantages include the need for anesthesia, the likelihood of psychological trauma in the baby and pain in the postoperative period.
Laser correction
Only a doctor can tell how to treat an ingrown nail in a baby. Here you can not engage in amateur activity and diagnose pathology yourself. Modern treatments suggest less traumatic surgery, which undoubtedly reassures parents. Now doctors often use a laser instead of a scalpel, which makes the intervention in the child's body almost bloodless.
To begin with, a general examination and the delivery of appropriate tests are carried out, and only after the operation is scheduled. For its use, local anesthesia is used, and with the help of a powerful laser beam, the problem area is removed. Next, a sterile dressing is applied.
The procedure has many positive aspects:
- one hundred percent positive result is guaranteed;
- after surgery, relapse is usually not observed;
- the infant does not experience discomfort during the operation;
- after the intervention, the child does not feel discomfort, as after surgery with a scalpel.
However, the laser procedure has its negative features:
- the nail may subsequently grow abnormally;
- fungal infection sometimes develops;
- the cost of such an operation is slightly higher.
Despite the presence of shortcomings, the laser procedure is considered one of the most effective and safe.
How can I help at home
Of course, few parents want to expose their baby to surgical intervention, but if the baby has grown a nail on her arm or leg and the stage has started, then surgery remains the only possible way to stop the pathology. If the problem only arose and the parents identified it in a timely manner, then it seems possible to get rid of it with the help of improvised means, but without fail with prior consultation with a doctor. To do this, steam the place of damage and cut off the sharp end of the nail with small nail scissors. The lesion is further treated with alcohol. Herbal and other baths are recommended for steaming.
Solution for steaming a finger with a damaged nail
To make the steaming procedure for the baby the most comfortable and effective, you can use auxiliary products in the form of herbal decoctions. The herbs themselves can be picked up and used fresh or purchased at the pharmacy for their dried-up fees. To prepare a decoction, pour 6 tbsp. l herbs of chamomile, calendula, mint, burdock or nettle with two liters of boiling water. The resulting drug must be put in a dark place and allowed to cool for 40-60 minutes. After that, it is filtered, the temperature is checked with your own hand and the baby is allowed to dip a handle or leg with a problem nail into the container. During the procedure, it is necessary to distract the child, talk to him gently, so that the steaming time is at least 10 minutes.
Next, the limb is removed, wiped dry and the painful part of the nail disturbing the child is trimmed. It is important after that to put a cotton wool soaked in brilliant green or iodine at the treatment site in order to prevent infection. At the end of the manipulations with steaming and cutting the nail, clean socks are put on the legs, and special “scratches” are put on the handles.
Salt compresses
For any conscious parent, it is extremely unpleasant for a child to find a focus of his painful sensations. But if, nevertheless, the nail has grown in the baby, what should I do? As an alternative to taking medications, salt compresses are put forward before visiting the pediatrician. For example, if the problem was discovered in the evening, the reception time of the stationary doctor is over, and self-diagnosis and self-treatment by the parents are unacceptable, it makes sense to use a salt compress. It has the effect of relieving unpleasant pain, has a beneficial effect on the skin, softening it and minimizing swelling. To prepare the solution, you need to stir 1 tbsp in a glass of hot water. l table salt. Next, you need to wait until the water gets a temperature comfortable for the child, and then dip the handle or leg of the child. It is noteworthy that even pus can be removed from the wound using this method, since it allows the formed pustules to open.
Traditional medicine recipes
Traditional medicine often surprises with its healing recipes. In the case of purulent abscesses in the area of the ingrown marigold, she also has her own specific recipes aimed at relieving inflammation and bringing skin tissues back to normal. One of them is the so-called garlic-onion therapy. To prepare the product, you need the following ingredients:
- one onion head;
- clove of garlic;
- one leaf of aloe;
- ghee (butter possible) - 1 tsp;
- beeswax - 1 tsp.
Chop onion, garlic and aloe leaves, add oil, wax and put on a stove where it is necessary to boil the mixture for about five minutes. So that the pulp does not burn, it should be stirred regularly, preferably with a wooden spoon. Then the container is removed from the stove, and the contents cool. The resulting mixture should have a thick consistency, which should be rubbed into the skin around the nail at the baby on the arm or leg. It is necessary to smear very thickly, top with a cabbage leaf and bandage. If the problem is on the leg, then wool socks are preferable. On the hands you can get by with “scratches”. If the procedure is carried out for several days in a row, then the problem of inflammation and ingrown nail usually goes away.
Nevertheless, it must be taken into account that the use of traditional medicine methods must be coordinated with a pediatrician or a pediatric doctor. Self-medication in this case is unacceptable.
Preventative measures
If an ingrown nail on the hand of a baby was discovered, and the problem is acquired in nature, then parents are almost always to blame for the situation. Therefore, in order to save the baby from suffering and prevent the need for surgical intervention, pediatricians advise to follow simple rules for caring for a child:
- carefully trim the baby's nails, but do this no more than once a week;
- for the smallest, use not nail scissors, but special children's nippers;
- try not to round the shape of the nail and cut it in a straight line;
- Make sure that there are no sharp edges that can injure the skin.
If you observe these precautions, then the risk of detecting an ingrown nail in the crumbs is minimized.
Timely determination of the disease and the possibility of relapse
Thus, ingrown nails in a baby can be both a consequence of a congenital anomaly, and the result of improper hygiene and care of the nail plate by the parents of the baby. If the nail is just starting the process of growing into the skin of the roller around the plate, then you can try to cope with this problem yourself, at home, using improvised means and appropriate steaming with compresses. But if the problem has reached serious proportions, and the inflammation has taken a critical form, the baby urgently needs to be shown to a specialist.
Practicing surgeons advise not to hesitate with surgery for severe swelling and severe inflammation. Otherwise, you will have to remove the entire plate. As a result, such a nail may not grow at all, and the process of restoring the general condition of the baby will be long and painful.
Sometimes the problem recurs. If relapse occurs after successful treatment, then corrective manipulations are necessary in which the doctor changes the shape of the nail itself. However, it is important to prevent such a situation, because any intervention at such a young age threatens with many side effects.