Paronychia

A superficial infection of the skin surrounding the nails, caused by staphylococcus bacteria or fungi is known as Paronychia. This nail disorder can arise anywhere around the U shaped line where the fingernail may not have a protruding edge or if the edge of the nail is covered by skin. Paronychia can be both a mild infection and may also be linked with a small abscess. This collection of pus beneath the skin can persist for months or more.

Types of Paronychia

• Acute Paronychia: develops as a sudden and painful area and causes swelling, warmth and redness around a fingernail or toenail. It is usually associated with an injury to the area. This may lead to an infection with a mixture of bacteria that invades the skin where it has been damaged; some possible reasons for this damage are overaggressive manicuring, biting the edges of the nails or the skin around the nails, picking at the skin near the nails or sucking on the fingers.
• Chronic Paronychia: is a gradual process and much more difficult to get rid of it may start in one nail fold but can spread to several others. Each affected nail fold becomes swollen and gets raised above the nail. It may be red and tender and sometimes a little thick pus may ooze out from under the cuticle.

Causes and risk factors

Paronychia is a fairly common superficial infection of the skin around the nails and is usually caused due to injury to the area from biting off or picking a hangnail, or from manipulating, trimming or pushing back the cuticle. Fungal Paronychia may accompany fungal nail infection. This condition is found in diabetic persons and those working for prolonged periods with their hands in water.

Symptoms of Paronychia

Skin lesion located in the skin around the nail, often at the cuticle or at the site of a hangnail or other injury that are painful and accompanied by bacterial or gradual fungal, or mixed infection that can be acute or chronic are major signs of Paronychia setting in the finger or cuticle may swell up, discoloration and distortion take place and changes to the nail may occur.

Treatment of Paronychia

The health care expert will base his/her diagnosis on the skin lesions sighted on the hands of the afflicted person and treatment goals include steps taken to eliminate the infection and relieve the symptoms.

• If bacterial Paronychia has set in, the person is required to soak hands in hot water 2 or 3 times per day to reduce inflammation and pain. Topical or oral antibiotics may be prescribed and in severe cases of Paronychia, the doctor may cut and drain the lesion with a sharp instrument.
• If the infection is Fungal Paronychia, the treatment includes using topical or oral antifungals and ensuring that the hands are kept dry or topical drying agents are used as specified by the health care experts.

The good news about Paronychia is that it is usually superficial and responds well to treatment with very rare chances of complications.