What is a subungual callus and what are the ways to treat it?

How to remove subungual callus?

A callus under the nail is a rather unpleasant pathological process that occurs when shoes are worn incorrectly. When a callus appears, a person experiences not only inconvenience, but also pain.

What it is?

A callus is an area with keratinized epithelium that has been layered for a long time and does not peel off.
The problem can appear anywhere near the nail and cause discomfort when walking. This applies to a greater extent to women; they often develop this pathology. It is characterized by dense epidermal tissue in the distal part of the finger. The formation can appear anywhere on the nail. Once formed, it causes pain when walking and putting on shoes.

Surgical intervention

Surgical removal is used for large tumors . It is performed under local anesthesia and includes several stages:

• determining the exact size of the tumor;
• drilling a hole in the nail plate at the site of the lesion;
• piercing keratinized tissue using special instruments;
• injection of a solution that completely dissolves rough skin;
• When the soft tissues under the nail plate begin to recover, nail plate prosthetics is performed.

Note! This procedure is carried out only after a preliminary medical examination.

How does it appear on the thumb and other fingers?

The formation of a callus begins with the appearance of a small bubble , which everyone knows about when putting new shoes on their feet. If you do not pay attention to the pain and continue to wear such shoes, then active layering of the epithelium will begin, which occurs in several stages.

Reference . At first there is a slight pain. Changing shoes and using special creams can solve the problem. But if measures are not taken, the situation will worsen, and the epithelium will deepen into the lower layers. Severe pain and bleeding are reasons to consult a specialist.

In addition to uncomfortable shoes, the following phenomena can affect the formation of calluses:

• A foot deformity that causes the bunion in the big toe to protrude. This may be a hereditary pathology or acquired.
• Poor hygiene. The nail plate may be very short, which causes rubbing of the soft tissues.
• Fungal infections of the nails can lead to deformation.

Improper nail care is the main reason for the development of keratinization . The stratum corneum of the epidermis thickens due to increased pressure. The nail itself can compress the soft tissue. This happens due to improper trimming of its edges.

Regardless of the reasons for the formation of a callus, when it appears, it is necessary to exclude the provoking factor and begin treatment.

Preventing calluses

To ensure that the leg is protected from the occurrence of keratinized areas, one should not forget about preventive measures. These include:

• Wearing comfortable, quality shoes,
• Proper foot care
• Using cream to moisturize the skin of the feet.

To prevent subungual callus from forming, it is recommended to use silicone pads. They will help relieve pressure on your toes and prevent skin friction.

A callus under the nail brings a lot of inconvenience, so treatment should begin at the first symptoms of the disease. This will help avoid surgical treatment and preserve the aesthetic appearance of the toes.

How to get rid of it: treatment options

At the initial stage of callus formation, you can cope with the problem yourself, or you can turn to specialists.

Reference . At home, subungual callus should be treated only at the initial stage of its development, and only specialists can deal with advanced cases.

What can you do at home?

At home, treatment is exclusively symptomatic and helps only in the initial stages. Before starting any therapy, it is necessary to minimize the negative effects of provoking factors. If the reason is wearing uncomfortable shoes, then you should refuse them. This is necessary to prevent the patient's condition from worsening. Then you can begin the therapy itself.

The following are effective methods:

• Herbal baths. A collection of anti-inflammatory herbs such as linden, calendula, chamomile are mixed with baking soda. Next, pour boiling water over the resulting mixture, and when the optimal temperature is reached, dip your feet in it. It is necessary to keep your feet in the water until it cools down.
• Moisturizing creams will help soften the nail plate and relieve pain.
• If the callus spreads beyond the nail plate, you can adjust its shape with pumice. This will reduce the pressure inside and reduce pain.
• Dissolve 1 tablespoon of salt in 1 liter of warm water. Place your foot in the bath for thirty minutes. It will help eliminate pain, burning and swelling in the finger. After the procedure, the skin should be moisturized with cream.
• Add the juice of one lemon to three liters of hot water. Place your foot in the bath for thirty minutes. After the procedure, additional lemon juice is applied to the nail and lubricated with moisturizer.

Important! The use of any folk remedies in the treatment of calluses must be agreed upon with a doctor.

By medicinal methods

Collomak gel is considered a popular medicine. It is used to treat foot fungus, but also shows good results when removing subungual callus. To do this, you need to put the gel in the subungual space a couple of times a day. Thanks to the exfoliating effect of salicylic acid, rapid relief is achieved, and the formation itself becomes smaller in size.

Surgical removal

If, after home and drug therapy, the callus does not go away, the pain does not disappear, but only intensifies, then only a medical professional or a good pedicurist and manicurist can help.
Therapy in this case is quite complicated, but this is the only sure way to permanently get rid of the keratinized area that causes discomfort. You should not try to remove the callus yourself .

The vessels in the nail area are close to the surface, and one wrong move will cause severe bleeding and damage the nail. And unsterile instruments will lead to the development of infection.

Subungual callus is removed in several approaches:

1. First, the doctor determines the size of the formation, then makes a small hole on the surface using a special tool.
2. Using a small drill, the specialist pierces the affected area of ​​skin until the patient experiences mild pain.
3. A substance is injected into the hole, completely corroding the callus.
4. After the tissue has healed, the specialist performs a nail prosthesis. Using acrylic or gel, its integrity is recreated.

The procedure is quite painful, so it is performed under local anesthesia. If the formation appears again, then a repeat visit to the hospital is inevitable. If the cause of the tumor is not shoes, but a foot deformity, then the doctor prescribes surgery to remove the bone.

Today there are many ways to get rid of subungual callus. For this, doctors use a diamond bur. During this procedure, it is not necessary to remove the nail. It is enough to lift the plate and drill out the resulting callus with a tool.

Drug therapy

The disease can be cured with medication only at the beginning of the keratinization process, while the callus is only slightly noticeable, and the unpleasant sensations have not developed into pain. Necessary measures include changing shoes to more comfortable ones, softening creams and herbal baths.

If the moment is missed, therapeutic pharmaceutical drugs can only temporarily relieve the pain. For this purpose, Collomak is used in the form of drops. It must be used with extreme caution, as it is aggressive towards living skin. Used as prescribed by a doctor. Twice a day, the liquid is applied to the keratinized area, being limited to it as precisely as possible.

An alternative to drops are callus patches that are similar in action (Salipod, URGO, Gehwol). They are less comfortable because they are noticeable and can cause discomfort when putting on shoes. However, their action is less aggressive, and therefore they are considered safer and can be used without specialist advice.

Preparations against formations under the nail

There are various drops and ointments, as well as patches soaked in special solutions that help remove the formation. They contain acids or other components that dissolve keratinized tissue, soften it, thereby facilitating further removal of the formation.

The most common means, besides Collomak, include:

• "Solcoderm";
• "Doufilm";
• salicylic ointment;
• "Salipod" patch.

To eliminate negative consequences, consultation with a specialist is recommended. It is better to prevent any disease than to treat it.

There are many effective ways to remove calluses, but it is better to prevent pathology.

• Wear only comfortable shoes that meet hygienic requirements. There is no need to save on your health. Buying the wrong shoe size just in pursuit of beauty is a dangerous decision.
• Use moisturizing foot cream. It nourishes the tissues and prevents them from becoming rough.
• Several times a week you need to use devices to exfoliate excess keratin from the surface of the skin of the feet.
• Soft silicone pads provide additional cushioning and help prevent excessive contact between your fingers.

Medicine today can easily deal with calluses. There is no need to start the process; you should treat yourself or consult a doctor. Particular attention should be paid to the selection of shoes, as they play a key role in the issue of skin damage to the limbs.

Reasons for appearance

The most common places for calluses are the thumb and little finger. The phenomenon has the following reasons:

1. Genetic predisposition or acquired change in the foot. It appears as a rounded bone.
2. Inadequate nail length.
3. Inconvenient shoes: ill-fitting, tight, made from low-quality fabric.

Let us consider in detail each of the provoking factors.

Wrong shoes

Specific hygiene requirements apply to shoes and boots that are used daily. Shoes perform a protective function, protecting limbs from adverse environmental factors. It is very important that it is of high quality, made of special materials, and matches the anatomical shape of a particular person’s foot.

Primary requirements:

• optimal material;
• lightness, comfort when wearing;
• anatomically shaped insole;
• water-repellent properties;
• unchanged shape after moistening and drying;
• The inner surface should not stain the skin of the feet when worn.

When purchasing, pay attention to the size. By choosing something that is not yours (for the sake of beauty), you risk earning many problems, and a callus is not the worst of them.

Incorrect nail length

Too long a nail interferes with movement, clings to the toes, and becomes rough at the end. In addition, during the cold season, the nail plate of the lower extremities suffers from a lack of vitamins and microelements, which worsens its appearance and can cause various diseases.

Trimming to the very root is one of the extremes in the issue of regulating the length of the nail. In addition to painful sensations, delicate skin left without protection will quickly become covered with a hard callus, and the sharp edges will rub neighboring fingers. The nail may begin to grow into neighboring tissues. This phenomenon is especially typical for the thumb and little finger.

Foot deformity

It can be congenital, acquired or a consequence of birth pathologies. When parents buy beautiful, but low-quality shoes for their children, they run the risk of discovering curvature of the distal parts of the foot. The toes fall behind each other and converge at a pathological angle.

This picture opens up the possibility of scratching the skin with a nail, indentation, and ingrowth.

Traditional methods

Treatment with home recipes cannot completely eliminate the problem if it is advanced. But if a callus is noticed in time, it makes sense to use folk remedies:

1. Foot baths. For 2 parts chamomile, take 1 part string and linden leaves. In total, take 50 g of herbs per 1 liter of boiling water. Pour 2 tablespoons of soda into the broth and try to steam your feet in as hot water as possible. When the skin softens, remove the callus with a pumice stone.
2. Tie a slice of lemon with pulp overnight. The result is similar to the effect of a bath.

1. If painful sensations appear, cut the aloe leaf in half and tie it overnight. The plant relieves inflammation well, softens tissues, and relieves pain.
2. Place the resin of a coniferous plant on the steamed skin. Change it 4-5 times a day.
3. You can use coltsfoot juice. Steam the skin of your feet, make compresses with the juice, or simply lubricate it throughout the day as often as possible.

After each procedure, you should lubricate your foot with moisturizer. High-quality children's ones are well suited.

Can it be cured at home?

You cannot cure a callus on your own. But you can soothe the pain and relieve inflammation.

To eliminate painful sensations, you need to make a herbal foot bath. Mix 2 tsp. chamomile and linden infusions with 1 tsp. infusion of the string, fill it all with hot water and add 2 tbsp to the solution. soda

You can keep your feet in this bath until the water cools down. This procedure will soften the callus, make it more pliable, and eliminate pain.

The same effect can be achieved if you apply softening and soothing creams to your feet every day.

If the callus protrudes beyond the edges of the nail, it is recommended to treat it with pumice after a shower. Thanks to this procedure, part of the skin will come off, the pressure on the callus will decrease, and the pain will decrease.