Paronychia
Paronychia — or more commonly felon or whitlow — is a bacterial or fungal infection of the nail folds. The infection usually starts when the cuticles have been compromised either by a person compulsively picking them, or through trauma. This allows pathogens (bacteria, fungus, etc.) to enter the skin under and around the nail bed and cause infection.
Several types of pathogens can cause Paronychia:
- Herpes Simplex — especially prevalent in dentists who treat patients with cold sores, where the herpes virus spreads to the nail folds
- Tuberculosis — especially prevalent in prosectors (medical technicians in charge of dissections)
- Nail Fungus — yeast (candida) is probably the most common pathogen to cause Paronychia
In rare cases, Paronychia in association with a scaly rash elsewhere on the skin can indicate a case of lung cancer.
I wish I could stop. I’ve never seen a site like this and hope it can help me out. I’m tired of picking.
Hi annetteraymer1 – do you have fungus? I sure do. I have a yellow-ish muck that’s building up in my cuticles. Ick!
Hi jblow – I’ve had your experience several times in the past. Wasn’t sure if it was fungus or just a very bad reaction to picking/biting every last bit of the cuticle on that finger. Once I finally realized the damage I’ve done and how disgusting it is to even look at it, and painful, I left it alone and within a week or so it would scab and fall off. Just don’t play with it. Put a bandaid and neosporen to help it heal. I still do it from time to time and get extremely upset and what I’ve done. What a never ending process of disappointment.