What to do if your finger breaks near the nail?

First home first aid for detecting an abscess on the toe

Causes of an abscess on the toenail:

• careless use of pedicure tools at home;
• wearing open shoes or walking barefoot;
• splinter;
• tearing off burrs;
• ingrown toenails caused by improper trimming at home or improperly selected shoes;
• fungal infection of the skin on the legs in the toes area;
• insufficient hygienic care of nails, including in children;
• interaction of feet with aggressive chemicals.

Staphylococcal, streptococcal, and fungal infections lead to the development of periungual felon. Suppuration occurs due to penetration of pathological microorganisms through microcracks or wounds. Most often, the toenail gets cut on the big toe due to rubbing it with shoes that are smaller than required.

When a limb just begins to break out, treatment at home is important in the first few days.

Its goal is to stop the pathological process on the toenail. It is necessary to stop the abscess at the initial stage, which is manifested by swelling and redness of the skin. This will reduce the risk of complications after treatment.

If your toe breaks out near the nail, actions at home are aimed at stopping the development of the pathology. To localize the infectious focus and prevent the progression of inflammation, the following is required:

1. Treat the area near the toenail with an antiseptic immediately when swelling is detected. If your finger begins to tear due to a splinter, before resorting to traditional methods of treatment, the foreign object is removed from the wound.
2. After completing the antiseptic treatment of the foot at home, the nail should be kept for 15 minutes in a weak solution of potassium permanganate.
3. After blotting the area of ​​the abscess with a bandage, lubricate your finger with an ointment with anti-inflammatory properties or a cream containing an antibiotic.
4. Apply a sterile bandage to the leg. If your big toe breaks, do not wear closed shoes: there is a risk of inflammation developing with pus penetrating into the tissue.

When treating felon at home, doctors recommend changing the bandage on the nail before going to bed. If the symptoms worsen: severe swelling, pus appears, pain intensifies, you should consult a doctor.

What is paronychia and its causes?

Nail paronychia is a dermatological disease. The ICD-10 code for paronychia is L03.0, that is, cellulitis of the fingers. As a rule, the disease manifests itself as an acute inflammation of the skin of the finger in the nail bed area. In rare cases, a chronic form occurs, which is associated with professional characteristics, for example, frequent contact with active chemicals.

The main reason for the development of acute paronychia is the introduction of infection into small wounds and hangnails around the nails, which in some cases turns into a purulent stage. An abscess with purulent contents can lead to nail loss. Without proper treatment, inflammation continues to affect the soft tissue around the perimeter and deep into the finger until purulent melting of the nail phalanx.

Paronychia pathogens are fairly common infectious agents:

• Streptococcus;
• Staphylococcus aureus;
• Various fungal infections.

In addition to injuries and chemical irritants, exposure to high temperatures on the skin contributes to the development of infectious lesions. Even minor burn surfaces are constantly attacked by various infections and many of them reach their target, which is why burns often fester, especially with extensive lesions.

Paronychia can also become a complication of other diseases, such as eczema, psoriasis and even syphilis. In this case, felon is considered chronic.

Ways to Drain Pus from a Toenail

Treatment of pus from an ingrown toenail at home requires a combination of local remedies with systemic medications and traditional methods.

The first methods involve the use of baths, lotions, compresses and ointments for abscesses. The use of folk remedies at home is acceptable at the initial stage. Further treatment must be coordinated with a doctor.

If your toe breaks out next to the nail, you cannot refuse drug treatment. Advanced pathology requires surgical intervention.

Ointments

The problem, when a toe breaks out near the nail, is treated at home with medication. Doctors recommend the local use of anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial ointments - they help relieve swelling, remove pus in a simple form of periungual panaritium, heal tissue, and relieve pain after surgery.

If necessary, medications containing antibacterial and antifungal components are prescribed for treatment.

If an abscess occurs on the leg, it is necessary to treat the finger and nail at home with Levosin, Streptonitol, Vishnevsky's liniment, Fastin, Levomekol, Clotrimazole.

As an analogue to pharmaceutical drugs, for treatment you can prepare an ointment according to a folk recipe:

1. Melt 40 grams of beeswax (40 grams) in a water bath.
2. Add 2 tsp to the liquid product. juice from aloe vera leaf.
3. Stir the mixture until smooth.

To treat an abscess on your finger at home, you need to generously lubricate your toenail. Apply a sterile bandage over it.

The procedure is repeated several times during the day. The compress is kept on the finger for at least 2 hours.

Baths

At home, treatment of periungual felon on the leg can be carried out using baths. They disinfect the wound and help relieve pain.

When treating an abscess near the nail, the following types of baths are used:

• antiseptic. At home, it is prepared from chamomile, calendula, and string. Dry herbs are combined in equal parts. Brew 3 tbsp. l. collecting 1 liter of boiling water. Insist for half an hour. Dip the foot with an abscess on the toe into the infusion. The procedure is repeated several times during the day;
• soda with iodine. Add 2 tsp to 1 liter of water. baking soda and 10 drops of iodine. To treat an abscess near the nail, keep the foot in the solution for 20 minutes;
• saline. This is the most effective method of treating suppuration on the extremities at home. Dissolve 5 tbsp in 1 liter of boiling water. l. table or sea salt. Duration – no more than 20 minutes. The finger is dipped in hot salt water several times during the day to draw out the purulent contents of an abscess on the leg;
• milk and curd. To prepare the product at home, add 2 tbsp to 1 glass of fresh milk. l. cottage cheese. A limb with an abscess is lowered into the bath. The duration of the procedure is 15 minutes. Repeat three times during the day.

It is recommended to carry out a water procedure for the treatment of a periungual abscess on the finger at home once every 3 hours.

Compresses

Treatment of an abscess located near the nail plate on the toe at home can be done by using compresses to draw out the pus from the toe.

Effective folk recipes:

• honey-rye dough. Mix the ingredients into a mass. Apply a piece to the sore area on the leg. Fix the top with a bandage;
• paste from aloe leaves. The ingredient crushed at home is applied to the abscess and nail, covered with a sterile bandage;
• grated onion or beets. The treatment agent is applied to the finger and secured with a bandage. At home, the mixture is removed from the foot after 2 hours;
• compress with eucalyptus oil. In 1 tbsp. l. sunflower or olive oil dissolve 2 drops of eucalyptus ether. A bandage folded several times is impregnated with the substance. Apply it to the inflamed area next to the toenail. Secure with a sterile bandage.

Possible complications

Advanced paronychia

The development of complications is excluded with proper and timely treatment of the inflammatory process. But if help is not provided in time, the redness around the nail spreads into the surrounding tissues. In this case, a purulent lesion develops, which already requires surgical intervention. If in this case the patient does not consult a doctor, then there is a threat of infection of the entire hand, and further upward - to the wrist joint, forearm, and elbow joint.

Depending on the spread of the purulent lesion, there is a significant threat of developing pandactylitis and gangrenous lesions, which is already fraught with partial amputation of soft tissues or complete amputation of the limb to a certain level.

What not to do at home if your toe is suppurating

The appearance of an abscess on a finger cannot be ignored. If an inflammatory process on the leg occurs in a child, it is better not to treat it at home. It is forbidden to pierce the site of the abscess with a needle and squeeze out the contents - you can cause an infection under the nail.

When applying a compress to treat an abscess at home, it is unacceptable to wrap it in plastic wrap.

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Do not heat a finger abscess near the nail or use hot water for baths. Steaming an abscess on the leg can cause the spread of bacteria and infection into the blood.

Before treatment with pharmaceutical drugs at home, it is necessary to test for an allergic reaction.

Disease prevention

Preventive measures consist of several simple procedures:

• Thorough hand washing after contact with chemicals;
• Using only sterile instruments during manicure;
• Use of protective hand creams;
• Treating cracks and hangnails on hands with disinfectants.

Even through a small wound, an infectious agent (staphylococcus, streptococcus) can penetrate into the thickness of the skin and begin to develop rapidly. Therefore, it is very important that when cracks and scratches appear, treat them with alcohol or iodine and apply a bandage that will prevent penetration and development of infection.

In what cases is home treatment contraindicated?

If there is any suspicious symptom: change in color or size of the abscess, you should consult a doctor. You cannot treat suppuration on a finger at home if:

• increased pulsation and pain around the source of inflammation are felt;
• the abscess area grows: the leg near the nail festers, meat appears out;
• heaviness is felt when lifting the limb;
• swelling on the leg in the toe area increases, swelling appears;
• severe redness occurs;
• the mobility of a finger with an abscess is limited.

The main preventive measure for the appearance of an abscess on the foot in the toe area is compliance with hygiene standards, timely cutting of the nail plate, and wearing comfortable shoes. At the first symptoms of felon, you need to take all necessary treatment measures to stop the lesion at home.

The article has been reviewed by the site editors