A specialist can remove the nail using surgery, apply treatment with a keratolytic patch, or laser. After removing an ingrown nail affected by fungus, the doctor will tell you the rules for caring for your finger. For example, apply cream or ointment 1-2 times a day, apply dressings, and move around as little as possible. In order to prevent such a scenario from developing, it is necessary to pay due attention to the hygiene of your feet.
Ingrown nails into the big or other toe are onychocryptosis. With this disease, the sharp edge of the nail grows and digs into the periungual fold, which causes inflammation of the soft tissue of the finger and suppuration.
Treatment of onychocryptosis at home can be carried out only at the initial stage and provided that there is no suppuration and the nail has grown slightly. To do this, you need to steam your leg, and then try to remove the ingrown edge at home. If the disease is advanced, the person will be prescribed surgical or other removal of the ingrown toenail.
This procedure is prescribed if treatment of the fungus at home (special varnishes, ointments, etc.) does not live up to expectations. The specialist removes the damaged nail if there is a risk that it will affect healthy nail plates.
The doctor removes the fungal nail and thoroughly cleans and disinfects the exposed skin affected by pathogenic microorganisms. After some time, a new, healthy nail grows. After such manipulations, the specialist will give recommendations on how to care for such a finger after removing the mycotic nail.
It is impossible to do without this procedure if the nail is deeply ingrown into the periungual ridge of the big toe. At this stage, the patient is no longer helped by treating the affected area with various antiseptic agents, baths, or cutting the nail plate independently.
That is, this nail continues to dig deep into the skin. In addition to the fact that a person feels severe pain, there may be piercing of the soft tissues of the finger until there is blood, followed by suppuration. As soon as such changes are noticed, it is necessary to seek qualified help. After a visual examination, the degree of progression of the pathology will be assessed, then complete or partial excision of the nail will be done.
In modern medicine, the following methods of treating fungal nails are used: laser removal or solving the problem using radio waves.
When choosing a treatment method, the patient can choose based on what suits him best: the speed of healing after nail removal, the cost of manipulation, and the amount of medications needed.
This procedure involves evaporating the overgrown edge by exposing it to high temperature. The specialist performs it in a hospital setting using local anesthesia, the whole process takes up to twenty minutes.
After the intervention is completed, the patient does not feel any pain at all, because the laser does not affect healthy tissue. This almost halves the patient’s recovery time compared to surgery. Laser removal in the future prevents the risk of improper growth of a new, healthy nail.
This method has been used for several decades. Surgical removal of a nail occurs in several stages: the patient is given local anesthesia, then the surgeon carefully cuts the skin of the big toe over the affected area. Using a scalpel, the ingrown segment and part of the matrix of the horny plate are removed in order to prevent the possibility of ingrowth in the future. After the operation is completed, the resulting wound is treated with antibiotic solutions.
For 14 days, the patient should bandage the finger, apply ointments and try to move less during these two weeks. The prescription of additional drugs will be individual. Full recovery is observed after a month, if you do not forget to carry out the previously mentioned procedures in a timely manner.
Less gentle and at the same time affordable is the patch. It is often used to treat fungal nails at home. You can buy it at any pharmacy; you don’t need a doctor’s prescription. The process occurs according to the following scheme: you need to seal healthy skin with a regular plaster to protect it from the effects of the main composition (keratolit) of the plaster.
After this, apply the plaster mass in several layers and seal it. After 2-3 days, the patch can be removed, the affected parts of the nail plate can be removed and treated with an antifungal agent. The procedure is repeated until complete recovery.
The complex of preventive measures includes maintaining personal hygiene in various public institutions and keeping shoes clean. So, regardless of the seasonality of shoes, they need to be washed and disinfected every 2 days. Therefore, a person should have at least 2-3 pairs of shoes.
If your feet constantly sweat, you should wash them with laundry soap and use a deodorant. Under no circumstances should you wear someone else's sneakers, sneakers, boots, or slippers. When purchasing, be sure to wear stockings on your feet; this will protect your nails from infection with fungus and further prevent surgical and other interventions.