1. Adult Skin Problems Slideshow Pictures
2. Quiz: Can You Identify These Skin Conditions?
3. Gallery of Skin Problems and Images Collection

Medical Author:

William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

Dr. Shiel received a Bachelor of Science degree with honors from the University of Notre Dame. There he was involved in research in radiation biology and received the Huisking Scholarship. After graduating from St. Louis University School of Medicine, he completed his Internal Medicine residency and Rheumatology fellowship at the University of California, Irvine. He is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology.

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Medical Editor:

Jerry R. Balentine, DO, FACEP

Jerry R. Balentine, DO, FACEP

Dr. Balentine received his undergraduate degree from McDaniel College in Westminster, Maryland. He attended medical school at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine graduating in1983. He completed his internship at St. Joseph's Hospital in Philadelphia and his Emergency Medicine residency at Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center in the Bronx, where he served as chief resident.

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If an abscess (pus pocket) has formed, the recommended treatment is to drain the abscess by doing an incision and drainage procedure.

• Your doctor will most likely use a medicine (such as lidocaine) to numb the entire finger first and then will open the abscess using a surgical knife (scalpel).
• Sometimes packing called a wick is placed in the abscess to allow it to continue to drain when you go home and to keep it from closing up and reforming the abscess. The packing is usually left in for 24-48 hours.
• In extreme cases, infection can move under the fingernail and need partial or complete nail removal. Unless there is extensive cellulitis, antibiotics are usually not necessary.
• Your doctor may or may not take a culture of the drainage to check for the type of bacteria involved in the infection.
• After your doctor has drained the paronychia, warm soaks are still recommended. Usually, antibiotics are only prescribed if the infection involves more of the finger than around the nail bed. It is important to follow up with your doctor in 24-48 hours to be sure that the infection is healing properly.