Indications for removing an ingrown toenail in a child
For certain reasons, a child may experience an ingrown toenail.
This pathology is accompanied by unpleasant sensations and pain .
If the baby is not treated, suppuration and inflammation are possible, so action must be taken as early as possible.
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Ingrown toenail on a child's big toe - photo:
An ingrown nail is the ingrowth of part of the nail plate into the lateral edge of the nail fold tissue . The outer edge of the big toe is most often affected. If ingrowth occurs, the finger becomes very red and hurts. Swelling occurs and an inflammatory process is possible.
This happens much less often on the hands.
Usually, parents notice the disease at a late stage, when the nail has already grown into the tissue of the nail fold.
The child cries, complains of pain in his finger, and finds it difficult to move. Over time, pus may appear .
The main causes of the disease are:
- Wrong selection of shoes . Shoes that are too tight and narrow can put pressure on your baby's feet and lead to ingrown toenails.
- Insufficient or improper care of the child’s nails . If parents do not take care of their baby’s nails or cut the nail plate incorrectly, illness may occur.
- Lack of vitamins. If the baby does not have enough vitamins, the nail plate becomes uneven, which increases the risk of pathology.
- injury . If a child hits his finger hard or injures it, it is quite possible that an illness may occur.
- Flat feet, club feet . They often cause ingrown toenails.
In newborns, the disease occurs due to improper cutting of the nail plate.
If parents cut the nail unevenly and used scissors that were too large, there is a risk of injury to the nail fold. A nail cut unevenly, at an angle, can grow into the skin.
Also, parents often put booties on their babies that are too tight , socks that squeeze the baby’s feet and toes and lead to pathology.
In older children, the disease appears due to improperly selected shoes and injured fingers. An active child can hit a leg or injure a finger, which will lead to pathology.
It is also very important to choose the right shoes. Parents choose shoes that are too tight for their children, which squeeze their toes. The likelihood of ingrown toenails increases.
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If the pathology is not treated, negative consequences may occur:
- abscess . The nail plate becomes suppurated and becomes very inflamed. The pathology is treated surgically;
- lymphadenitis . The inflammation increases in size through the lymphatic vessels. This leads to severe swelling of the affected area and redness. Serious medications are prescribed to treat the patient;
- osteomyelitis of the nail phalanx. The purulent infection penetrates very deeply, to the bone. Urgent surgery is necessary; drugs are powerless in this case;
- gangrene of the finger. Irreversible tissue necrosis occurs. For treatment, doctors amputate the nail phalanx.
Timely and correct treatment will avoid complications and keep the baby healthy.
You can learn about the causes and treatment of ingrown toenails from the video:
Home treatments
How to treat ingrown toenails in children? The following methods may help:
- to give your child foot baths every day before bed To do this, mix a liter of warm liquid and 10 g of baking soda in a basin. If there is no soda, you can take table salt in the amount of 10 g. The components are mixed, the baby’s legs are lowered into the basin for thirty minutes. The water should remain warm all this time. If the water begins to cool, add warm water to the basin. The procedure is performed once a day, before bedtime.
- Treating a child butter. To do this, soak a cotton pad with this product and apply it under a slightly raised nail for thirty minutes, then remove the cotton pad. The procedure is performed every day: morning and evening.
An excellent remedy is baths using laundry soap . To do this, a small piece of soap is ground on a grater and diluted in water. A basin filled with warm water (about a liter) is suitable for this. The child holds his legs in the resulting liquid for twenty minutes, then the procedure stops. Perform it before bedtime. The procedure relieves swelling and inflammation.
A bath with chamomile decoction is useful . To do this, mix a teaspoon of chopped herbs and two cups of boiling water. You need to infuse the solution for an hour, then filter it and add it to the collected warm water in a basin. The baby keeps the legs in the solution for thirty minutes, then the procedure stops. It can be done twice a day.
Fights aloe . To do this, the plant leaf is washed and crushed. Juice is extracted from the pulp and a cotton pad is soaked in it. It is applied to the affected area at night. In the morning, the cotton pad is removed. The procedure is performed every day.
Lemon zest is used to treat illness To do this, mix a teaspoon of lemon zest and the same amount of vegetable oil. The prepared medicine is applied to previously steamed skin (it is recommended to take a warm bath with chamomile decoction before the procedure). The mixture is applied to the affected area, secured with a cotton pad and adhesive tape. The compress is left overnight and removed in the morning. The procedure is performed every day.
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Medications
What to do, what medications can be used?
To treat the patient, doctors prescribe the drug Nogtinorm . It is made in the form of a balm. First, the patient's legs are steamed in a bath. The affected area is gently wiped with a towel. Balm is applied to the nail and nail fold. It is quickly absorbed. The procedure is carried out twice a day.
Uroderm cream will help you recover . It is applied to the nail, to the skin underneath and around it. Next, the patient needs to put on socks for one hour. The procedure is carried out morning and evening for three days. Then the use of the cream is stopped to avoid complications in the child.
Doctors prescribe ichthyol ointment . It is applied at night to the affected area, secured on top with a cotton pad and adhesive tape. In the morning the medicine is removed. The procedure is carried out every day.
Vishnevsky ointment fights pathology . The medicine is applied to the affected area, secured on top with a cotton pad and adhesive tape. The bandage is left overnight and removed in the morning. The product is used for severe inflammation and pus. As soon as the nail comes out of the nail fold, it is cut off.
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Removal and its consequences
Nail removal is prescribed only as a last resort, if medications and folk remedies are powerless . The doctor prescribes complete or partial removal of the nail. There are three methods for removing nails:
Surgical method. The most difficult. The patient is given an anesthetic. The doctor literally cuts out the affected area, then places stitches in the treated area.
Laser method. Appeared relatively recently. The affected area is removed using a laser. The disadvantage of this method is the long recovery of the patient; a burn to the nail fold is possible.
Radio wave method. First, the patient is given an anesthetic, then the affected area is removed and the wound and its edges are treated with radio waves. The method appeared not so long ago, is actively used in many clinics, healing occurs relatively quickly.
If the affected area has been completely removed, there is no recurrence of the pathology. The patient recovers in two to three weeks.
After recovery, he does not deny himself anything and leads his usual lifestyle. However, we must not forget about wearing loose, non-tightening shoes. You need to remember to take care of your nails regularly.
If the lesion was not completely removed, the pathology may recur. This occurs infrequently, since the methods for eliminating the painful area are effective, the affected area is completely eliminated.
This disease causes considerable harm to the child and is accompanied by severe pain. With timely and proper treatment, the baby will recover quickly and avoid complications.
Dr. Komarovsky about children's nails in this video:
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