Common habit causes Aussie woman's finger to 'triple in size': 'Don't do it!'
Gabi Amoils, 23, had to rush to the emergency room after developing an infection.
Gabi Amoils says she was slightly bored on a date at the start of the month when she started to distract herself by picking at the skin beside her fingernail. It's a common habit of hers and she's mindlessly done it for years, but never did she imagine it would land her in the emergency room a week later.
"My finger just got worse and worse. It was actually becoming quite debilitating...and so painful," she told Yahoo News. The 23-year-old Sydney woman explained her finger started to swell until it felt she was carrying a "big fat rotten tomato" on her hand.
"It was massive, it was like a pimple because it had this whitehead and redness around it," she said.
After an unsuccessful round of antibiotics from her GP, Gabi returned to the doctor who immediately referred her to the emergency room. Doctors there removed "two millilitres worth of pus" from it.
"It was disgusting," she said, explaining she had been suffering with an infection called paronychia. It occurs when bacteria enters broken skin near the cuticle and nail fold and usually heals within 5 to 10 days.
🚰 Aussies warned over common household mistake spreading deadly disease
🏥 Woman dies suddenly after 'unknown bug attacks her organs'
Common infection can have dire consequences if left untreated
Gabi explained her finger has since returned to normal after treatment, although she did have to trim excess skin from her finger after it was enlarged. However, paronychia could have dire consequences if not treated quickly and can cause long-term damage to the nail. In rare situations, bacteria can go deeper into the finger and lead to bone infection.
One US woman was told she was lucky to dodge amputation after her nail-biting habit resulted in a severe case of paronychia. A woman from the NSW Central Coast was rushed into surgery with the infection after she went to a nail salon in 2020.
Gabi has urged others to avoid her fate with one simple message on nail picking — "Just don't do it!" she said.
"Do not pick your nails. And if you do, go to the doctor right away! Don't leave it like I did."
Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.
You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.