Parnochyia: Part 3

Medical Treatment

The treatment of a paronychia requires drainage of pus. This can be easily done in the physician’s office and takes less than 15 minutes. The entire finger is numbed and an incision is made on the side of the nail where the infection is most obvious. This will immediately relieve pain, redness, and swelling.

To ensure that all the pus is drained, some physicians may insert a small piece of gauze or wick in the incision. The wick will keep the wound open and allow pus to drain. This packing is left for about 24-48 hours. The finger should be soaked in warm water the next day and the wick replaced.

In some severe cases of paronychia where the infection has involved the fingernail, one may require partial or complete removal of the nail. In the majority of cases, antibiotics are very rarely required once the pus is drained. It is not necessary to obtain cultures from the fluid that is drained. However, some physicians may obtain cultures if the infection is severe.

After drainage, one should continue with warm soaks. Healing takes anywhere from 5-7 days and in a few weeks the finger and nail will be normal

How to prevent paronychia?

Paronychia usually starts because of trauma to the skin near the nail. So to prevent a paronychia:

- avoid traumatizing your finger nails
- avoid the habit of biting your nails
- wear rubber gloves if your hands are constantly
in contact with water
- if you are a diabetic, ensure that your blood sugar
levels are under control
- if you work in a dirty environment, wash hands frequently
- wear protective gloves if you frequently deal with harsh
chemicals

Paronychia is an easily treated infection and the outlook is excellent.

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