What should I do if my child has paronychia?

Paronychia is a very common disease. This disease has no gender or age restrictions. Whether it is the elderly or children, men or women, they may suffer from this disease. This disease is not too serious. It is mainly caused by the nail growing into the flesh, causing inflammation of the paronychia. Therefore, patients are advised to be careful when trimming their nails. So how should paronychia in children be treated?

1. Systemic treatment: Acute paronychia should be treated effectively as soon as possible to prevent nail bed damage. Broad-spectrum antibiotics that cover both aerobic and anaerobic bacteria, such as amoxicillin/clavulanic acid, can be used for treatment. If symptoms do not improve within 48 hours, surgical treatment should be adopted.

2. Surgical treatment: For acute paronychia, when the infection is superficial and localized, incision and drainage can be performed. If the infection is deep, under local anesthesia, lift the proximal 1/3 of the nail plate and place a drainage strip under the proximal nail fold to drain the secretions. Chronic paronychia secondary to ingrown toenails can be treated by simply removing the nail plate.

3. Local treatment: topical azole antifungal drugs or topical clarithromycin solution, combined with anti-inflammatory treatment, such as topical medium- or high-potency glucocorticoid ointments. For patients who fail conventional treatment, surgical treatment or low-dose superficial radiotherapy can be used. Drug-induced pseudopyogenic granulomatous paronychia can be treated with daily application of 2% mupirocin/clobetasol propionate ointment.

The folk remedies for treating paronychia include:

1. Add 1 gram each of green tea leaves, black sesame seeds and fine salt to a little saline solution and mash into a paste. After routine skin disinfection, apply the medicine to the paronychia. Change the medicine once a day and use it continuously for 2 to 4 times. Do not let the affected area get wet during the application of the medicine.

2. Take equal parts of Coptis chinensis and Rhubarb, pick them clean, dry them, grind them into powder and set aside. Before use, mix it with vinegar (if used for children, the vinegar can be diluted), apply it to the affected area, and change it after cleaning every day.

3. Remove the thorns from 50 grams of fresh cactus and mash it into a paste. Add 2 grams of salt and 6 to 8 drops of safflower oil. Mix well and put in a container for later use. Prepare on the same day. During treatment, apply an appropriate amount of the above ointment to the affected area and bandage it with gauze, changing the dressing once in the morning and evening every day.

4. Wash an appropriate amount of fresh verbena, mix it with a little salt and mash it, apply it to the affected area and bandage it. Change the dressing once a day. Generally, the symptoms will be relieved in 1 to 3 days and the disease will be cured in 5 days. Verbena can clear away heat and detoxify, reduce swelling, relieve blood stasis and discharge pus, has inhibitory effects on many kinds of bacteria, and has rich medicinal sources.

The above article introduces some methods for treating paronychia in children. Of course, these methods can also be used to treat paronychia in adults. There is no age limit for treatment. When we experience nail pain, we should try to go to the hospital for treatment. If we delay it for too long, it may cause damage to the gums, which will not be good for the repair of the nails.