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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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Suggest Treatment For Skin Infection On Fingers

So I normally get infections in my fingers quite often (usually from pulling out hangnails), but after a day or two the skin will break, the pus will leave, and everything is great.However I just got an infection and something is a bit different. The finger is red and swollen near the nail, like a normal infection. However, my entire finger has gotten swollen (visibly larger than the same finger on my other hand) and it hurts the infected part when I to bend it more than a little bit.Will this go away in a few days or should I see a doctor?
Mon, 2 Feb 2015
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General & Family Physician,  's  Response
Hello,
Welcome to HCM.
I understand your concern.
First, careless paring of hangnail is not at all advisable. As you are doing it quite often, result is in front of you in form of paronychia (infection around nail).
Now, you have already developed the abscess and it is swollen & painful. You need to visit a doctor and need to undergo incision & drainage followed by clean dressing. It involved putting a nick where the pus is accumulated the maximum and drainage of the same followed by breaking of all pockets of pus.
If you don't do this now, than it may further swell and as a rule, this will be quite painful as nail bed is surrounded by tight tissue compartments and pus accumulation in this space will lead to stretching of them and lots of pain.
Hope this will be helpful.
Do ask if any further question is there.
Take care.
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Suggest Treatment For Skin Infection On Fingers

Hello, Welcome to HCM. I understand your concern. First, careless paring of hangnail is not at all advisable. As you are doing it quite often, result is in front of you in form of paronychia (infection around nail). Now, you have already developed the abscess and it is swollen & painful. You need to visit a doctor and need to undergo incision & drainage followed by clean dressing. It involved putting a nick where the pus is accumulated the maximum and drainage of the same followed by breaking of all pockets of pus. If you don t do this now, than it may further swell and as a rule, this will be quite painful as nail bed is surrounded by tight tissue compartments and pus accumulation in this space will lead to stretching of them and lots of pain. Hope this will be helpful. Do ask if any further question is there. Take care.