What is the difference between a felon and a paronychia?
Paronychia is the most common. Felons are a different and less common but also important infection of the fingertip. Conditions which can look like paronychia and/or felon include herpetic whitlow, candida infection, reactive arthritis, and psoriasis in children. In adults other diseases such as cancer and gout occur.
What does a paronychia look like?
If your child has paronychia, it’s usually easy to recognize. Look for: an area of red, swollen skin around a nail that’s painful, warm, and tender to the touch. a pus-filled blister.
How do I get rid of paronychia on my fingers?
If you have acute paronychia, soaking the infected nail in warm water 3 to 4 times a day can help reduce pain and swelling. It should heal up in a few days. If the infection is very painful, doesn’t get better with home care, or has a pus-filled abscess, you may need to see your doctor.
What does chronic paronychia look like?
Chronic paronychia usually causes swollen, red, tender and boggy nail folds (Figure 4). Symptoms are classically present for six weeks or longer. Fluctuance is rare, and there is less erythema than is present in acute paronychia.
What does a finger felon look like?
What does a felon finger look like? A felon finger will look red and swollen. You may notice a red bump on the tip of your finger. Later, a pus-filled bump may appear.
Can a paronychia turn into a felon?
A paronychia may cause pain, erythema, and swelling, but the tenderness and swelling are typically greater on the extensor side of the digit. A paronychia may progress to a felon. If the swelling and pain spread to the DIP joint or proximally, consideration for tenosynovitis or a septic joint should be made.
Which ointment is best for paronychia?
Commonly Used Medications for Acute and Chronic Paronychia
| Drug | Typical dosage | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Antibiotics (topical) | ||
| Bacitracin/neomycin/polymyxin B ointment (Neosporin) | Three times daily for five to 10 days | Overgrowth of nonsusceptible organisms with prolonged use |
| Gentamicin ointment | Three or four times daily for five to 10 days | — |
Can finger felon heal on its own?
A felon finger cannot heal properly on its own and therefore requires adequate evaluation and treatment. If left untreated, the infection can spread deeper into the finger and cause several complications. In some cases, the swelling can block the blood supply and result in tissue death (necrosis) of the finger pad.
Will a felon infection go away on its own?
A felon finger cannot heal properly on its own and therefore requires adequate evaluation and treatment. If left untreated, the infection can spread deeper into the finger and cause several complications.
What does a felon look like?
How do you treat a felony finger infection at home?
In some cases, if recognized early, a felon finger can be treated at home. A conservative approach is to treat the felon finger by soaking it in warm water and elevating it for about 10–15 minutes, three or four times a day. Elevation by resting the finger above the level of the heart can also prove beneficial.
What are paronychias and felons?
Paronychias and felons are pesky finger tip infections that the everyday emergency and urgent care practitioner should expect to come across on a regular basis. A working knowledge of initial management options, incision and drainage techniques, and complications of the untreated infection is essential!
What is a felon finger?
A felon finger infection, commonly referred to as felon finger, is a painful infection affecting the soft tissue located on the pad of the finger, also known as the fingertip pulp. Felon finger often develops as a result of trauma (e.g. cut or scrape) to the soft tissue of the fingertip.
Can a felon cause a fingernail infection?
Infection within them causes intense pain and swelling of the fingertip that a patient usually will not ignore for long. More serious than your run-of-the-mill soft tissue infection, a felon has the potential to compromise blood flow to the distal fingertip through compression via edema from pus formation.
What causes Paronychia finger infections?
A finger infection caused by paronychia usually involves the tissue at the edges of the fingernail. Bacteria cause most types of finger infections. The exception to this is the herpetic whitlow, which is caused by a virus. How the infection starts and is found in a particular location is what makes each specific type of infection unique.