Abscesses, nails & minor skin procedures

An abscess or boil is a collection of pus under the skin. Small ones may settle with warm compresses, but a larger, tense abscess usually needs to be opened and drained. The doctor numbs the area with a local anaesthetic, makes a small cut to let the pus out, cleans it and applies a dressing.

The same applies to a paronychia, an infection in the skin fold beside a fingernail or toenail, and to painful blood trapped under a nail after it is crushed. Our Sengkang clinic is open 24 hours, so these can be seen as soon as they become painful.

A painful or infected ingrown toenail is examined and any infection treated first. Where suitable, the edge of the nail digging into the skin can be removed under a local anaesthetic injected at the base of the toe. For nails that keep growing in, the nail root at that edge can also be treated to reduce the chance of it coming back. The doctor explains the options, the healing time and the possible side effects before you decide.

An injured nail is checked for a broken bone and damage to the nail bed. We can arrange repair of selected nail-bed injuries with a partner hand surgeon, and complex injuries are referred to a hand specialist.

A doctor first examines the lump or skin spot to decide what it is likely to be and whether it is suitable for removal at the clinic. Small epidermoid cysts and selected superficial lipomas (soft fatty lumps) can be removed under a local anaesthetic.

Where a skin spot needs a diagnosis, a small sample (biopsy) can be taken. Removed tissue is sent to a laboratory where appropriate, and the doctor goes through the result with you. Lumps that are large, deep, fast-growing or suspicious are referred to a specialist.

Warts may be treated by freezing (cryotherapy) or with other local treatments. Warts can come back, and more than one session may be needed. Skin tags that catch on clothing or jewellery, bleed or are uncomfortable can be removed.

Keloids are raised, thickened scars. Selected keloids may be treated, for example with steroid injections into the scar, to help flatten and soften them. The doctor confirms the diagnosis first, explains what treatment can realistically achieve and its possible side effects, and does not treat a spot that looks suspicious without further assessment.