The nail has grown into the toe. Possibility of self-treatment

A toenail growing into soft tissue causes severe discomfort. It hurts unbearably and makes it difficult to move. Usually onychocryptosis is formed on thumb. If you periodically worry about an ingrown toenail, doctors will tell you how to treat it. They recommend methods of official and traditional medicine.

Inaccurate nail trimming is the main cause of onychocryptosis.. But there are other factors. These include:

• fungal diseases in which the nail plates are deformed;
• tight shoes;
• deformation of the finger joints or feet;
• impaired blood circulation;
• genetic characteristics;
• swelling on the feet;
• excess weight;
• neglect of hygiene;
• injuries;
• diabetes.

It is possible to treat an ingrown toenail at home if it has penetrated shallowly into the tissue, there is no infection with pus discharge, and pain occurs when walking and wearing shoes.

Symptoms

Treatment of ingrown toenails begins after the cause of the defect has been established and the symptoms of the disease have been dealt with. When ingrown nail plates appear, the following signs appear:

• at the site of ingrowth, the skin turns red and swells;
• appears strong pain during palpation and movement;
• exudate and pus form in the lesion;
• an abscess occurs, it leads to an increase in skin temperature and an increase in pain;
• the nail thickens, flakes, and loses its shine.

When onychocryptosis turns into chronic condition, the finger is deformed, the periungual fold is injured. The soft tissues in the affected area grow. The plate cuts into the deep layers of the epithelium.

Stages

If onychocryptosis is not treated, it will go through several stages of development. The problem of what to do when a nail has grown into a toe is solved depending on the severity of the condition:

1. In the first stage, the patient suffers from pain, inflammation and swelling. The defect can be corrected at home, following the doctor’s recommendations.
2. At the second stage, the plate breaks its integrity skin, the damage becomes infected. Blood oozes from the wound and purulent exudate comes out.
3. When treatment is not carried out, the plate thickens and loses correct form, epithelial tissue grows. At the third stage, only surgery can help get rid of onychocryptosis.

In patients with diabetes mellitus or other pathologies, dangerous complications arise:

• osteomyelitis;
• gangrene.

Radical treatment

An advanced case cannot be cured in the usual home conditions. The nail plate must be removed. For this purpose, a suitable surgical method is used:

1. The nail is excised completely or partially under local anesthesia. At the same time, the overgrown tissue is removed.
2. The defect is removed using a minimally invasive technique. Damaged tissue is excised using a radio wave knife.
3. A laser is used to remove ingrown toenails. The beam removes injured tissue and growth area nail plate. After such an operation, onychocryptosis does not occur again.

For patients who have undergone surgical intervention, appoint:

• painkillers;
• local anti-inflammatory drugs in the form of ointments and gels (bandages are made with them).

Application of special devices

If the condition of the defect allows you to do without surgery, it is recommended to use devices to straighten the nail plate. The devices are fixed on the nail. Metal brackets and plastic plates do not cause discomfort, do not restrict movement, and do not reduce activity. The devices allow you to do a pedicure and apply nail polish.

But they do not exclude the development of relapse. After some time, the nail may grow back into the toe.

Treatment at home

Home is where most people choose to receive treatment. True, there are diseases that cannot be cured without hospitalization. If an ingrown toenail occurs on the big toe, it is most often treated on an outpatient basis.

You can cure it yourself initial stages onychocryptosis until a purulent infection joins or the disease develops into a chronic form.

Typically, the following procedures are done at home for ingrown toenails:

For onychocryptosis the following are contraindicated:

Traditional medicine methods

Simple things can help you quickly solve the problem: traditional methods. To combat ingrown toenails, foot baths and applications are used.

Baths

Warm solutions soften tissues, facilitate removal of the deformed plate, disinfect, and relieve inflammation. For treatment prepare:

Steamed nail plates are pliable. They can be cut without any problems, removing deformed areas and ingrowths is easy and quick.

Applications and compresses

Dressings with plant extracts relieve inflammation, suppress the development of infection, and help release and remove ingrown toenails:

Treatment algorithm at home

During treatment, the following scheme is followed:

1. Take 20-minute foot baths. Do them 3-4 times a day. They reduce swelling and reduce pain intensity.
2. Treat the finger with antiseptic solutions. Raise the edge of the nail plate and insert dental floss under it. Cut off the ingrown tip.
3. Dressings are made with local preparations containing an antibiotic. They disinfect and suppress inflammation.
4. Wear loose comfortable shoes. In summer, shoes with open toes are worn.
5. If it hurts too much, they drink analgesics and apply ointments with anesthetics.

The toenail will not grow in if you do it in time. hygiene procedures, wear comfortable shoes, do a neat pedicure. When discomfort, pain and other symptoms of onychocryptosis occur, treatment begins immediately. In advanced conditions, visit a doctor.

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Many people suffer from this seemingly trivial illness.

It would seem like a small thing, the nail has grown in, and not the whole one, but only the edge. But the body, mistaking this for a foreign body, sends there “ white blood"for phagocytosis to occur. As a result, the sent cells die, forming pus.

Constant aching pain is not so bad; it can end in phlegmon, gangrene, and best case scenario amputation of a finger, or even an entire limb. And when diabetes mellitus This is a total disaster.

Why does a nail grow, how to avoid it, and what needs to be done to forget about such a painful inconvenience? Let's start in order.

Causes

Ingrown toenail (onychocryptosis) is a disease that is quite common in everyday life. With this pathology, the edge of the nail grows into the outer or inner edge of the nail bed. What reasons contribute to the occurrence of this pathology? There are several of them: 1. heredity, 2. incorrectly selected shoe size, 3. fungal infection, 4. injuries, 5 improper trimming of nails.

What is meant by heredity? The fact that the predisposition to ingrown nails is inherited, due to an innate genetic feature of the direction of its growth, or there is longitudinal and transverse flatfoot with a curvature of the big toe on the outside.

If a person wears tight shoes with sharp nose, and his profession involves prolonged standing or walking, due to the constant pressure of the edge of the leg on the surrounding cushion in the form of a skin fold, ingrown toenail disease can also occur.

A fungal infection that affects the nail itself, making it thick and rough, injuring the nail fold, or affects the epidermis of the nail fold, causing felon.

As for injuries, this cause refers to the occurrence of illness after frostbite, bruises, cuts, as well as finger injury (including due to improperly selected shoes).

Improper nail trimming is the most common reason occurrence of this disease. By cutting your nails too short and cutting off deep corners, a person ultimately has a 100% guarantee that he will have this problem in the near future.

Symptoms of the disease

There are many sensitive tissues in the fingertips nerve endings, and ingrown toenails, especially when walking in tight shoes, makes itself felt by sharp pain, sometimes causing a person to limp. Growing into the surrounding soft tissues, side edges the nail plate irritate and damage them until ulcers form, accompanied by the growth of granulation tissue - the so-called “wild meat”. And this, in turn, increases the pressure of the nail on the tissue, even accompanied by suppuration. Not only does the smile on the patient’s face disappear, but even at night the touch of a sheet to the sore toe causes pain, from which the person immediately wakes up.

The constant inflammatory process leads to the fact that the nail loses its normal shine, thickens on the side, and sometimes peels off. And in patients, for example, with diabetes mellitus or obliterating endarteritis, these phenomena can lead to the development of foot phlegmon or gangrene.

We treat ourselves

What needs to be done to fix this problem? At the beginning of the development of the disease, you can try to get rid of it at home. Treatment at home may be successful enough to prevent surgery. Wash your foot, including the affected area, twice a day with soap. Keep your feet clean and dry all day long. Do not wear high-heeled or narrow shoes - if possible, wear sandals until the ingrown toenail gets rid of it.

Try lifting the corner of the nail that is cutting into the skin. Then take a small piece of cotton wool or gauze and roll it between your fingers to make a small swab. Then place the pad between the nail and the skin to keep the nail elevated. This will cause pain, but this manipulation is an important part of home treatment. After each foot bath, try to move the tampon further. Change your tampon every day. Getting rid of an ingrown toenail so that it no longer cuts into the skin using this method can take 7-15 days.

But you should immediately know that all these manipulations are very painful! Therefore, before placing a tampon, you need to soften the nail by applying cow oil to the sore finger - in the form of a compress for 3 days. And remember: if your finger is very inflamed, do not try to take hot baths or a warm compress, this can instantly lead to phlegmon. You can take acetaminophen or ibuprofen for pain relief. If you do not see improvement after three days, contact your doctor.

Medical intervention

If the doctor does not detect an acute infection, a conservative method of treating the ingrown toenail will most likely be required. It consists of warm baths, special shoes and frequent nail cleansing. Sometimes doctors recommend using splints. Several types of tires can be used. They vary in type, but all protect the skin from the sharp angle of the nail. Some of the most common types of splints include cotton swabs, plastic strips, plastic tubes, and various resin adhesives.

Sometimes your doctor may try bending or cutting the nail toward the center to change the shape of its growth. A piece of hard plastic may be glued to the nail to help it grow more evenly. If there is a formation around the inflamed area of ​​skin extra fabric, the doctor may remove this tissue for more fast healing. If there is an infection, it is necessary surgical removal parts of the nail or the entire nail and drainage of fluid from the abscess. The surgery is performed in a doctor's office or emergency room.

Simple rules

As you know, it is easier to prevent any disease than to treat it. Therefore, to avoid the occurrence of ingrown toenails, do not wear tight narrow shoes, do not cut your nails too short, cut them, especially the nail on the big toe, straight, without any curves. Do not cut the nail at a deep angle, damaging the natural edge of the nail.

And of course, try to let your toes breathe as much as possible. In the summer, whenever possible, give your bare foot the opportunity to come into contact with Mother Earth. Then you will forget not only about the ingrown toenail, but also, thanks to earth massage, about many other diseases.

Folk remedies

Traditional medicine is good because its recipes have been tested by time and people. Official medicine, in conjunction with folk medicine, recommends treating an ingrown toenail in two stages. The first part of the treatment should be aimed at freeing the ingrown corner of the nail from the finger, procedures are carried out daily, usually for about 2 weeks, until the corner of the nail grows to a safe length. Do not cut off the freed part of the nail under any circumstances! If you have not severely developed an ingrown toenail, treatment folk remedies will eliminate onychocryptosis forever, but the healing process lasts up to 6 months, so be patient.

Tea mushroom. Infuse the kombucha until acetic acid is present and apply a piece of its pulp to the ingrown toenail. Cover the top with plastic wrap, bandage it and leave it until the morning. By morning, the nail will soften and can be easily trimmed.

Soda solution. Soak the ingrown toenail for about 20 minutes. warm water, add 1 tablespoon of soda to 3 liters of water. Then try to bring out the edge of the already more flexible nail, take a piece of toothpick or elastic paper and bring it under the edge of the nail, leave it overnight, securing it with a bandage or bandage.

Butter. Soak the nail in soda solution and apply a piece of butter, cover with a napkin and then with film, and bandage your finger. After 24 hours, remove the bandage, again steam the ingrown nail in a soda solution, lift the edge of the corner of the nail and place a piece of cotton wool soaked in butter under it. Cover with a napkin, film and bandage. This procedure should be repeated daily for two weeks until the nail grows back.

Aloe. Cut a fingernail-length piece of aloe leaf in half lengthwise. Hold over the fire, cut each half upwards and place the softened leaf on a piece of cloth on the ingrown nail (you can simply peel the aloe, chop and slightly dilute the mass with warm boiled water), cover with film, bandage and leave overnight. Try to bring the edge of the nail out in the morning.

Honey with onions. Peel a medium onion, chop and mix with a tablespoon of honey. Soak the nail in a soda solution and apply a honey-onion compress overnight, wrap the finger in film and bandage it. In the morning, try to bring the edge of the nail out.

Onychocryptosis or, as people say, an ingrown nail is the process of ingrowth of the nail plate into the epidermis of the anterior or lateral periungual fold. The diagnosis is characterized by redness, inflammation, swelling and painful sensations V problem area. Onychocryptosis involves the toenails: more often on the right than on the left, but sometimes on both sides. The disease is recurrent. In the absence of therapy, it provokes deformation of the keratin plate, the growth of the so-called wild meat(excess skin around the nail), suppuration, bleeding, infection, and then tissue necrosis, up to gangrene or phlegmon of the foot. The disease is especially dangerous for children, pregnant women or patients with diabetes - anyone for whom surgical intervention is not recommended.

To many, such a problem as an ingrown toenail seems like a trivial disease - well, an ingrown toenail, well, it hurts a little, and it will go away. What could be dangerous here? This is the insidiousness of the disease: in the first stages it does not cause any particular inconvenience and seems quite harmless. But a careless attitude towards one’s own health leads to the fact that many patients have to undergo surgery to remove the nail 10–20 times. A running form The disease can lead to amputation of the affected finger or even the entire limb. Let's take a closer look at the stages of onychocryptosis, the causes of its occurrence, therapeutic methods, as well as how to treat the affected nail plate at home.

Pathogenesis and causes of ingrown toenails

Conventionally, the course of the disease can be divided into 3 stages:

1. The first stage – the appearance of initial clinical signs

Accompanied by slight swelling around the ingrown nail. There may be pulsation and redness. When walking and pressing on the tissue, pain and bursting sensations occur.

2. Second stage – penetration of infection into tissues

The body mistakes the sharp edge of a nail cutting into the skin for a foreign body and sends leukocytes to the problem area so that phagocytosis occurs - the process of absorption of foreign particles by cells. The result is the death of white blood cells and the accumulation of pus.

3. Third stage - formation of wild meat

The granulation tissue grows, the nail plate cuts deeper and deeper into the skin. The edges of the nail are almost impossible to free from the tissues without surgical intervention. The inflammatory process moves from the acute stage to the chronic stage.

The last stage is the result of a fairly long period of inactivity for the patient - from several months to several years. Therefore, in the treatment of onychocryptosis, the stage of the disease is of great importance. The earlier therapy is started, the more conservative methods can be used, and the treatment will take less time.

Medicine identifies several reasons that provoke the occurrence of the disease:

• Wearing ill-fitting, tight and narrow shoes, as well as shoes with high heels

The load is distributed incorrectly and falls exclusively on the forefoot. Compressing the foot with tight shoes causes the nail to literally dig into the periungual fold.

• Improper nail cutting

This cause accounts for more than 90% of cases of onychocryptosis. The nail plate should be trimmed strictly in a straight line, without cutting off the corners. The length of the nail should not be shorter than the soft part of the fingertip, and the plate itself must be filed after cutting. All these actions are aimed at preventing the sharp edges of the nail from injuring the soft tissues.

• Onychomycosis or fungal nail diseases

They cause deformation: changing the shape and thickening of the nail, which also contributes to ingrowth.

• Genetic predisposition

Excess soft tissue in the area of ​​the periungual ridges is usually inherited from parents to children.

• Orthopedic pathologies or injuries

For example, hallux valgus, flat feet, or changes in the shape of the toes as a result of other diseases and injuries.

Treatment of ingrown toenails

1. Conservative method

Relevant only at the beginning of the disease. Involves regular foot hygiene - steaming the feet in warm water twice a day using a weak (pale pink) solution of potassium permanganate, sea or table salt, soda. As well as proper pedicure and wearing something comfortable, it is advisable during treatment open shoes. High-heeled shoes are not recommended for women.

After steaming, the ingrown fragment of the nail plate is carefully lifted and a turunda is slipped under it - a flagellum made of cotton wool or gauze. This may cause some discomfort at first, but over time the nail usually begins to grow properly. Under no circumstances should an ingrown corner be cut off.

2. Orthonic method

This involves the use of corrective plates or staples that lift the edges of the nail and help change its growth. Usually the whole process takes from several months to six months. This method is preferable because it is painless, quickly relieves the main clinical signs, practically does not cause relapses and has no rehabilitation period. The weaker sex is impressed by the fact that wearing staples and plates does not interfere with the coating of nails with varnish.

3. Laser method

Laser removal of ingrown toenails. Allows you to quickly and painlessly remove the problematic part of the nail. The advantages of the procedure include the absence of relapses, pain and trauma. The disadvantages are the possibility of deformation of the edge of the nail or the appearance of a independently growing section of the nail plate next to it.

4. Radio wave method

Little known, but no less effective than laser. The method is based on the evaporation of the problem area of ​​the nail and the surrounding granulation tissue under the influence of radio waves. Advantages - absence of bleeding and scars, quick recovery, sterilizing effect, which eliminates the possibility of postoperative complications.

A doctor who treats onychocryptosis is called a podiatrist. He specializes in foot diseases and has the skills of a dermatologist and surgeon.

5. Surgical method

Modern technologies make it possible to cure ingrown toenails without surgery, so surgical intervention is practically not used. Moreover, this method does not guarantee the absence of relapses. Although, previously this was the only remedy for treating the last stage of onychocryptosis.

The operation is performed on an outpatient basis after local anesthesia. A fragment of the nail plate or the entire ingrown nail is removed. The procedure is accompanied by bleeding and sometimes some pain. The rehabilitation period involves regular dressings and antibiotics.

Treatment of ingrown toenails at home

6. Steaming foot baths

• using decoctions of medicinal plants that have an anti-inflammatory effect: pharmaceutical chamomile, calendula, St. John's wort, yarrow;
• with sea or table salt;
• with soda or a weak solution of potassium permanganate.

7. Steaming compresses at night

• with butter - fill the fingertip with softened butter and put it on problem nail. The compress can be secured on top with a gauze bandage.
• with chopped aloe – a finely chopped aloe leaf is laid out on a piece of gauze, applied to the inflamed area and secured with a bandage.
• with honey and onions - one large onion should be fried in butter and mixed with a tablespoon of honey. The mixture is also applied to the nail overnight.

8. Method of cutting the nail plate

Many of those who used this method were actually able to get rid of an ingrown toenail. The essence of the method is that in the middle of the nail plate, from the base to the edge of the nail, a cut is made to approximately two-thirds of the thickness of the keratin layer. The cut can be made with a coarse-grained manicure file. Feels like - if a burning sensation appears when cutting, the thickness of the cut is quite enough.

The procedure is repeated every 2-3 weeks, depending on the rate of nail growth. Usually, within 5–6 months, the nail plate changes shape, becomes level, and ingrowth is no longer observed.

An ingrown toenail can be treated at home only in the first stages. If the disease progresses or there is no effect of treatment, you should urgently consult a doctor. In cases where there is a proliferation of granulation tissues, purulent inflammation or swelling of the limb, a prompt visit to a medical facility can not only become the key to successful treatment, but also save your life.

Improper nail care, wearing too much narrow shoes leads to the development of a disease such as onychocryptosis, or a more popularly known condition - an ingrown nail. In most cases, the nail grows into the big toe, which causes a lot of discomfort to the person.

Many who are faced with this problem do not realize the complexity of the disease, do not take measures to eliminate it, and turn to specialists only when the nail is deeply embedded in the skin of the finger, the symptoms are pronounced, and a large inflammation or abscess forms on the finger.

In such cases, without surgical treatment getting by is quite difficult and almost impossible. You can prevent all kinds of complications and progression of the disease by early stages when there is slight discomfort in the area of ​​the finger, and when pressing on the skin near the nail, slight pain appears.

If the inflammatory process is minor, and the first signs of an ingrown toenail are noticeable immediately, the disease can be stopped at home using simple and proven methods of traditional medicine, which have been able to get rid of onychocryptosis for decades.

Treatment of ingrown toenails at home using folk remedies is necessary at the first symptoms or to prevent relapses of the disease. There are quite a few ways to remove an ingrown toenail.

Most of the products used for procedures to remove nails are found in every home and do not require significant financial costs.

It is important to remember that folk remedies will be effective only at the beginning of the disease. If inflammation affects the deep tissues of the skin near the nail or purulent foci of the disease are noted, folk remedies will not bring the desired result.

Onychomycosis in the early stages of ego development can be cured with iodine, using various herbal plants, essential oils, vegetable oil, soap solution, ordinary kitchen salt and other means.

Let's look at several recipes using improvised means to remove an ingrown toenail.

Aloe for the treatment of onychomycosis

An ingrown toenail can be softened and removed using a paste of aloe leaves. To prepare the recipe, you will need 1 aloe leaf, which needs to be washed and crushed to a smooth paste. Then ready mixture you need to put it on the nail, wrap it in plastic, put it on warm sock and leave overnight. In the morning, you need to wash off the paste from your toe and try to lift the ingrown toenail to trim it. If it was not possible to soften the nail, you can repeat the procedure or take a bath with sea salt.

Salt baths for ingrown toenails

A fairly effective and common way to remove an ingrown toenail. To prepare, you will need regular kitchen or sea salt in the amount of 1 tablespoon. The salt should be diluted in fairly warm water and the nail should be soaked for 15 - 20 minutes. It is recommended to carry out this procedure once a day for 3 to 4 days. Water will help soften the skin around the finger, and salt will reduce inflammation, relieve swelling, and make the nail softer. Such procedures can be used for both children and adults.

Butter for ingrown toenails

A simple and convenient method to treat onycocryptosis with butter. To carry out the procedure, it is enough to take a small amount of butter, apply to the nail, bandage with a sterile bandage for the whole night. Butter will help soften the nail and trim it in the morning. You can do this procedure every day until the ingrown toenail is completely removed.

Soap bath

A good result for an ingrown toenail can be obtained by using soap bath. To prepare, you will need to dissolve a small bar of soap in hot water Soak your feet in the prepared solution for 20 minutes. After the procedure, you need to dry your feet and treat them with any disinfectant (you can use iodine 1:1 diluted with water). Then you need to try to lift the nail a little and put a piece of sterile cotton wool under it. This action will allow the ingrown nail to come out of the skin and reduce pain.

You need to do this procedure until the edges can be trimmed.

Lemon for ingrown toenails

Lemon zest and a small amount of vegetable oil will help get rid of the problem. To prepare, you will need to grind the lemon zest, add 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil, mix and apply to the affected toe. You need to put a clean one on top gauze bandage and secure firmly. You need to keep the compress for several hours. In cases where the nail has entered deep into the skin or small wounds are observed, it is better to refuse this procedure.

Onions and honey for onychocryptosis

You shouldn’t use onion itself for an ingrown toenail, but you can mix it with honey. To prepare such a compress, you need to take a small onion, chop it in a blender, mix it with a teaspoon of honey, mix and apply it to the nail for 8 hours. After the time has passed, you need to wash off the paste and try to lift the edges of the nail. If it was not possible to soften it, you can repeat the procedure. As in the case of lemon, you should not make a compress if there are wounds on the skin.

Treatment of onychocryptosis with lard

To get rid of an ingrown toenail using folk remedies, you can use lamb lard and laundry soap. To cure the disease and soften the nail, you need to grind the lard, heat it a little, add soap shavings, mix and apply to the sore toe for 5 - 6 hours. Place a clean cloth on top and wrap your finger in polyethylene, then put on a warm sock. After time, the nail plate can be slightly raised and the edges trimmed.

Milk compress for ingrown toenails

You can also treat an ingrown toenail with a milk compress. To prepare it, you need to soak cotton wool in warm milk and apply it to your finger for 3 – 4 hours. Wrap the top with foil and put on a warm sock. After 4 hours, you need to remove the compress, wash your feet and trim your nails.

Iodine for onychocryptosis

Onychocryptosis can be treated with iodine, which disinfects the skin well and prevents the development of all kinds of complications. In addition, wild meat can be treated with iodine. During treatment with iodine, you need to take several ordinary threads, moisten them with iodine and stretch them under the nail. Such procedures need to be done several times a day.

Propolis tincture for ingrown toenails

If a nail grows into your finger, you can get rid of it using propolis tincture, which not only has an antibacterial and antimicrobial effect, but also allows you to heal the nail faster. When using propolis, you can make compresses at night, you can wash your sore finger with it, or you can soak a cotton swab in the tincture and place it under the nail. Both adults and children can treat their nails with propolis until the pain goes away and the nail plate itself lifts and is trimmed.

The disease develops as a result of pathological changes in the nail, its matrix and surrounding soft tissues. It is accompanied by a complex clinical symptoms And functional disorders. Before the age of 30, the disease is more common in men. An ingrown toenail occurs in 3-10% of the population and is one of the reasons for contacting a surgeon or podiatrist, as well as specialists in beauty salons. In an outpatient setting, they usually have to treat an ingrown toenail.

A chronic disease, prone to relapse even after surgical treatment, causes a lot of suffering and represents an important socio-medical problem, the relevance of which is confirmed by the presence large number conservative and surgical treatment methods (more than 200), which often turn out to be ineffective. Even incomplete statistics indicate a trend towards constant growth. Ingrown nails rank second in the structure of inflammatory and purulent diseases after injuries complicated by infection.

Clinical manifestations

The disease can affect any toes, but, as a rule, it is the big toe of the right foot (in right-handed people), sometimes the big toes of both feet. More often, the outer edge of the nail plate grows into the soft tissue, less often - both edges. Localization on thumbs brushes. There are three degrees of severity of the disease after the nail grows into the finger:

1. I degree - mild pain while walking, inflammatory reaction of the soft tissues of the cushion in the form of slight swelling and hyperemia (redness).
2. Stage II is associated with an increase in the acute angle of the nail plate and its further ingrowth into the roller. This leads to increased redness and swelling of tissues, the appearance of purulent inflammatory process and ulceration.
3. III degree - the formation of bloody-purulent granuloma (excess granulation in the form of a reddish nodule that bleeds easily). In the case of a long-term chronic course of the inflammatory process, under the influence of the pressure of the granuloma and the enlarged (as a result of edema) lateral fold, the nail plate bends and becomes thicker and duller.

When inflammation spreads to the soft tissues of the posterior ridge, paronychia (purulent inflammation of the transverse ridge, which is adjacent to the base of the nail), felon of the finger, phlegmon, lymphangitis (inflammation lymphatic vessels), erysipelas, osteomyelitis of the nail phalanx, attachment of papillomavirus or, malignant formation. The severe course of the disease often leads to loss of ability to work.

Predisposing and contributing factors

Some researchers consider the cause of ingrown nails to be a hereditary predisposition, which is expressed in the genetic determination of the size and shape of the fingers, the width of the nail plate and its relationship with soft tissues nail apparatus of the finger. There have been many cases of ingrown toenails among members of the same family and the disease passing from one generation to another. Some experts consider this pathology as a polyetiological (multi-cause) disease, which is the result of the influence of many factors. The main ones:

• poorly ventilated, excessively narrow, high-heeled or insufficiently supportive shoes;
• improper treatment of nails with cutting out their corners;
• transverse flatfoot, accompanied by a significant deviation of the direction of the big toe outward or inward;
• wide fingers with pronounced nail folds, convex nails, the lateral edges of which curve sharply almost at a right angle;
• congenital foot deformities, including excessive length of the first toe;
• excessive human mobility, heavy dynamic or static loads and excess body weight, especially in the presence of functional weakness of the ligamentous-muscular apparatus of the feet; all this contributes to the flattening of their arch and development hallux valgus deformity(deviation inward) thumbs as a result of muscle-ligamentous imbalance;
• pathological growth of nails after direct trauma, frostbite, fungal infection, changes in nails with psoriasis, ;
• congenital longitudinal thickening of the nail plates in the form of a scallop (congenital onychia), crossing of the fingers;
• nail dysplasia, which can develop in some diseases internal organs(heart, lungs), diabetes mellitus and metabolic disorders - nails like watch glasses, pincer-shaped, curled, etc. (read also:).

Methods of treatment and prevention

Due to insufficient knowledge of the etiology and pathogenesis, the disease, the relapse (exacerbation) of which, according to various authors, ranges from 2 to 50%, is difficult to treat. Treatment of ingrown toenails is carried out comprehensively, depending on the degree and severity pathological process, as well as the reasons that contributed to its occurrence. Existing methods are divided into:

1. Conservative.
2. Orthopedic.
3. Surgical.

Conservative methods

Their main goal is to combat purulent-inflammatory processes and reduce the intensity pain in the affected area of ​​the finger, preventing its injury and creating conditions for the unhindered growth of the nail plate. For this, lotions with antiseptic solutions, hot foot baths with potassium permanganate or anti-inflammatory infusions of plant origin (calendula), Levomikol, antimicrobial drugs, for example, Baneocin in the form of ointment or powder containing neomycin and batitracin are used. The drug penetrates deeply into nail bed, has an effective antimicrobial effect in the absence of a negative effect on the processes of epithelization (healing) of the wound.

All this is combined with the displacement of inflamed soft tissues overhanging as a result of edema, the application of gauze rolls and/or placing under the sharp edge of the nail plate (if possible) gauze strips or thin rolls soaked in ointment or a solution containing antiseptic components. During the treatment process, it is necessary to periodically trim the nail correctly, observing antiseptic measures and using loose shoes.

Read about self-treatment of ingrown toenails.

The use of conservative treatment is usually ineffective. After it, frequent relapses occur again. Therefore, it is justified only on initial stages illness, as well as in cases where the patient refuses more radical methods or impossibility for any reason to use them.

Basic rules for pedicure

Trim the nail correctly without rounding the edges

If inflammation occurs:
1. take a bath with antiseptic or herbs;
2. lift the edge of the ingrown nail with a gauze roller;
3. add a remedy.

Orthopedic techniques

They are characterized by great diversity and different options have been used for a long time. The principle of their action is to gradually extend and increase the radius of curvature of the nail plate by changing the direction of tension. As a result, the edges of the ingrown nail are raised and separated from the tissues of the nail fold, which helps reduce pressure on them and reduce the degree of ingrowth. Pre-hard areas of the nail are treated with a softening compound.

For orthopedic treatment, custom-made metal springs or brackets, identical to braces, are used. IN last years Correction of ingrown toenails with plates is often used . Flat leaf springs, made of polymer materials, are adapted to the curvature of the nail using a drill and glued to it with their entire surface using special glue. It is possible to apply nail polish on top of such plates. They are changed once a month. The entire treatment process takes 3-4 months.

After orthopedic treatment, frequent relapses of the disease are also possible. The optimal way to prevent them is a combination of surgical methods with plate correction.

1. Application of Goldspang Plate
2. Installation of the Fraser Bracket
3. Correction with Podofix Plate

Surgical removal of an ingrown toenail

This method has received the most recognition. There are many variations of it. The basic principle is a marginal wedge-shaped resection of a section of the nail or the entire nail plate with simultaneous electrocoagulation of the matrix (growth zone). Methods used:

• classic or traditional - using a scalpel;
• laser removal of ingrown toenails;
• radio wave method.

Surgical removal

In the first case, the operation is highly traumatic, long period healing (over many weeks), persistence of pain, hypersensitivity fabrics even with slight pressure, which makes it difficult to use regular shoes. As a result of such seemingly radical treatment, relapses were noted in 47% of cases or more.

Wedge resection of an ingrown nail.
1. Before surgery
2. After healing

Laser use and radio wave therapy

The effectiveness of the surgical method increases significantly when performed laser removal ingrown nail, in which its evaporation and tissue dissection is less traumatic. Due to the photocoagulating effect, there is no bleeding, which facilitates the overview of the surgical field and, therefore, reduces the duration of the operation.

The laser allows you to accurately and carefully remove areas damaged by granulation, minimally damaging neighboring areas. In addition, the CO2 laser destroys fungal spores, has a pronounced bactericidal effect and minimal damaging effect. These properties contribute to faster (2 times) healing, reducing the frequency and risk of complications compared to classical surgery. Relapses occur much less frequently.

Ingrown toenail removal is also used. radio wave method using the Surgitron apparatus. Some experts consider its advantages (compared to laser) to be higher accuracy and controllability of the effect, as well as the absence of thermal damage to neighboring tissues.

The most effective is the combined use of conservative, orthopedic and modern surgical treatment methods.

Prevention of the development of the disease and its complications

It mainly consists of correct selection shoes and nail care. Shoes should not restrict the movement of your toes. It is necessary to cut your nails not too short and without cutting off the corners, so that their edge forms a straight line and protrudes slightly above the soft tissues.

In addition, it is recommended not regular, but monthly with the help of devices and tamponing. The duration of the procedure is about 1 hour. Its essence lies in the processing of nails and nail folds with tools and cutters, after which a special lint-free capolin fabric is placed between the nail and the side roller to cushion and lift the edge of the nail.

In some cases, for the purposes of prevention and after surgical treatment, the use of orthoses, i.e., special devices designed to correct the foot and toes and reduce the load on them, may be recommended.

Comprehensive treatment and correct use Preventive measures can permanently relieve or completely cure ingrown toenails.