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Paronychia / nail infection

I just can't put my finger on it but it's a nail-biter

Another common nail dilemma is infection around the nail folds and cuticle, called paronychia.  You'll notice redness, swelling and sometimes white pus under the skin surface over a few days and is usually due to injury of the skin around the nail due to trauma (manicures, pedicures, nail-biting, hangnail-picking).  The pain and swelling can happen pretty quickly.

Most of the time the best treatment is doing a warm water soak for 10 minutes 3-4 times per day followed by an antibiotic ointment like polysporin.

Here is some more information for you about paronychia and how we treat it.

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