Something brewing by my fingernail - what's the best approach?

[SargeantAngua]

There's something red and gunky happening at the side of one of my fingernails and the finger has been getting more sore for the last couple of days. A bit red and hot but no pus to be seen. What's the best approach to sorting it preferably with a nice lot if pus since its brewing in there anyway ? I have a picture but it's not very exciting.

Ooooh you're getting a whitlow / hangnail

Paronychia

This has the potential to be excruciatingly painful. Soak your finger in salted water - that should sort it.

Yes, soak in hot salty water (as hot as you can bear without scalding!). Then apply some antiseptic cream / lotion. Repeat several times a day until it pops.

Soak it in hydrogen peroxide solution, if there is an infection it will oxidise the bacteria and you'll see it fizzing.

I'll try the hot salty water, thanks. It's a little less sore but not really progressing either way and is still red and hot (my fingers are permanently cold so it's noticeably different)

I had one on my big toe. It was excruciating, I couldn’t handle any pressure on my toe at all, even just lying in bed. One night it just exploded. The relief was instant.