Finger injuries are quite common, and they are not always caused by merely cuts. Some people have ever experienced inflamed finger around the nail bed, which is really painful. Although often assumed to be something less serious, this inflammation might develop into a more severe infection, which limits finger motions and may trigger fever and other inflectional symptoms.
Why can finger around nail be infected?
Inflamed finger around the nail bed is caused by either bacterial or fungal penetration. Infected area around the nail often happens to fingers and the big toe, and is less experienced in the other toes. In medical term, the health problem is coined as paronychia. Paronychia occurs when the skin around the nail is damaged or irritated, through which bacteria and fungi can enter the body. This bacterial or fungal infection causes the body to respond by releasing white blood cells to fight the intruders. Inflammation is the natural effect of this natural immune fight. Most commonly, finger skin irritation or injuries which lead to paronychia are triggered by:
- Pulling off a hangnail.
- Clipping a nail too short or injuring the nail bed while clipping the nail.
- Sucking on a finger or biting off a nail.
- Improper manicure and pedicure techniques.
- Excessive and frequent contact between fingers and water.
- Irritation induced by chemicals, such as nail polishes and nail glue for artificial nails.
Paronychia is commonly signed by painful sensation on the finger skin around the nail. This infected skin area is usually tender when touched. In its initial stage, paronychia can be self-cared at home. However, chronic paronychia might cause discoloration of the nail bed, which can be fatal, and might require medical attention.
Home treatment for paronychia
For mild paronychia, home treatments commonly work very well. You can do self-care using some home treatment for this infection, as long as the problem does not show any signs of worsening infection, such as fever, foul odor, excessive drainage, and elevating pain. If you are suffering from acute paronychia, try treating it using one of these proven-effective home remedies:
Soaking the infected area in a warm water for several minutes will promote better blood supply onto the area. This will make the inflammation go down and thus, improve the condition. Add a teaspoon of salt into a bowl of warm water and soak your infected finger for 10 minutes. You can also use the hairdryer to perform the heat treatment. Cover the finger with a cloth and warm the area with low-temperate hair dryer for 3 to 5 minutes. This should minimize the caused pain and will be beneficial to be performed before bed time.
Antibiotic ointment will eliminate infesting bacteria and fungi which cause the infection. Clean the infected finger first and apply a thin layer of this ointment onto the affected area. Do this three times a day until the inflammation and pain subsides. You can also apply the warm compress before applying the ointment.
Paronychia-induced infection will worsen when exposed to water, as the sensitive area of the infection can break. Thus, it is important to keep the finger away from water while healing. Be sure you pat it dry once it has contact with water. Paronychia which is induced by a contact with water commonly happens around the toenail. Make sure you dry it perfectly and prevent the toe from being too moist to prevent paronychia.
When to see a doctor
In most cases, paronychia can be fully healed at home. However, chronic cases might require medical attention. Go to the doctor if your infection develops into pus-filled abscess located on the nail bed beneath the nail. The doctor may give you medications to minimize the caused pain. Antibiotics is among the most common ones. A procedure of getting the drainage out by breaking the affected skin with a scalpel might also be done for more severe infection. This will be important if the problem has influenced not only the finger skin, but also its ability to do the motions. Good hygiene will be necessary after each healing treatment in order to prevent future infection.