Sunday, March 27, 2011

How is paronychia usually treated?

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.

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