ylwfvr
08-18-2009, 09:25 PM
Hi there!
I was just wondering if there is any chance of a paronychia infection completely destroying a nail (ie: killing the matrix bed). I cut the cuticle on my pinky finger with my car keys on accident about 3 weeks ago, and ended up getting a pretty nasty infection in the nail fold. I treated it with peroxide and mupirocin ointment. The swelling and puss is gone, but there was a pocket of air between my nail plate and nail bed right at the cuticle that was collecting debris, so I gently trimmed it away. It looks pretty healthy, save for the fact there is nothing hard for about a 3mm span starting in my nail fold just under the cuticle. The entire lanula is gone. Is there anything i can do to further treat this, or do i just need to wait to see if it grows back?
I was just wondering if there is any chance of a paronychia infection completely destroying a nail (ie: killing the matrix bed). I cut the cuticle on my pinky finger with my car keys on accident about 3 weeks ago, and ended up getting a pretty nasty infection in the nail fold. I treated it with peroxide and mupirocin ointment. The swelling and puss is gone, but there was a pocket of air between my nail plate and nail bed right at the cuticle that was collecting debris, so I gently trimmed it away. It looks pretty healthy, save for the fact there is nothing hard for about a 3mm span starting in my nail fold just under the cuticle. The entire lanula is gone. Is there anything i can do to further treat this, or do i just need to wait to see if it grows back?
Sponsor
Marti
08-20-2009, 09:40 AM
The lunula is the leading edge of the matrix where the nail plate cells are developed. If it were completely gone, no nail would grow. The soft portion under the cuticle are new cells that have not lost their inner material yet, so they are still soft, round and plump. As they are pushed forward, they lose the inner material and become flat and hard like the rest of the nail plate. If you press on them because you can see them, you can damage them, so please leave it alone.