If paronychia symptoms worsen or pus develops, what should you do?

• A. Call your doctor.
• B. Continue service and cover with bandage.
• C. Treat with more nail products.
• D. Ignore and hope it improves.

Answer: (A)

Recognizing when a nail infection has worsened means understanding that paronychia can quickly become more serious and needs medical input. If symptoms worsen or pus develops, a doctor should assess the area to confirm the infection and decide if antibiotics or other treatment are needed. Early medical care helps prevent the infection from spreading to surrounding tissues or causing complications like cellulitis or damage to the nail matrix.

So, the best action is to call the doctor for advice or an appointment. Continuing to service the client or simply covering the area with a bandage won’t treat the infection and could allow it to worsen. Adding more nail products won’t help and might irritate the area. In practice, stop working on the affected finger and advise the client to seek medical care promptly. Seek urgent care if spreading redness, increasing pain, or fever develops.