A broken or detached toenail is a normal and sometimes painful condition encountered by many individuals throughout their lives. Detached toenails are normally safe to cut, and within a year and a half, they will generally grow back.
The consequence of an injury or infection may be a detached toenail. In order to ensure that the toenail grows properly again, fungal infections or injuries may need additional medical care. What to do when a toenail falls off and how to treat toenail injuries will be covered in this article. You may also know what a detached toenail does and when to see a doctor.
Things You Should Know And May Do
In the first case, by using a file to remove rough edges, cleaning the nail bed, covering the area with a bandage, carefully clipping partially attached nails, and avoiding the removal of any remaining nails, individuals may try to begin treatment on the toenail.
Trim off the loose portion so that clothing, carpeting, or something else won’t catch it and tear more. To make an even edge, use a clean pair of scissors or nail clippers and snip along the line of the tear. You can skip the trimming if the nail has cracked off from side to side—without leaving a rough tip.
It may prevent the nail from growing back properly, or at all if the underlying cause is not treated. Up next are causes of toenail injuries and how to treat them.
Causes And How To Treat It Properly
An individual may be advised to seek medical attention when the toenail starts to fall off. A toenail falling off has several causes. That includes infections from fungi, burns, and psoriasis. Medication may be needed for an infection.
Fungus Infection
Fungal infection is among the potential causes of a nail falling off. For several reasons, fungal infections may grow and are more likely to happen when the skin or nail is broken. On many parts of the body, including between the nail and the nail bed, the fungus can develop. When this happens, a person runs the risk that the toenail will fall off.
However, before a nail detaches, there are some signs a person should look out for. White or yellowish discoloration of the nail, a foul smell, a thicker toenail, an irregular toenail shape, and brittle or easily broken nails are symptoms of fungal infection.
It is tricky to treat fungal infections. You may put topical creams, oral antifungal medications or sometimes a combination of the two may be needed on the toenail. An individual may need surgery to extract the nail and prevent it from growing back in serious cases.
It is always better to avoid toenail fungus than to treat the infection. By keeping the feet dry, keeping the nails trimmed, changing socks regularly, disinfecting nail clippers after use, and wearing shoes in damp community areas, such as gym locker rooms, a person may avoid toenail fungus.
Injury
Injuries are a prevalent cause of slipping off a toenail. A bike or car crash, dropping a heavyweight on the toe, touch sports, and stubbing the toe on a hard floor are common injuries.
The toenail will look black or purple when injured when blood pools under the nail, which is called a subungual hematoma. The blood puts pressure on the nail that, after several weeks, may break off.
An individual should seek medical attention on their toenail if the hematoma covers more than a small portion of the nail, or there is severe pain or throbbing. Another thing that your doctor can do is alleviate the pressure under the nail from blood pooling. By making a small hole with a needle that helps the blood to drain, a doctor may be able to relieve the pressure.
They can give you antibiotics and probably a tetanus booster shot to help prevent infection. Furthermore, you might require an X-ray. They can tape it to the next toe for help while it heals if you’ve broken a bone in the toe.
A doctor would be able to numb the area, stop bleeding, and treat the nails. If it’s removed but in good shape, that may require washing, trimming, and placing the nail back in place. Your artificial nail is more secure than a bandage and will protect the nail bed.
In certain cases, at home, an individual may treat the injury. Effective methods of treatment include lifting the foot, soaking the area in cold water, constantly applying fresh bandages, taking anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen, washing the area with antibiotic ointments, and cutting off jagged nail tips.
To avoid further injury, it is important to wear well-fitting shoes and socks and maintain nails well-trimmed.
Psoriasis
Psoriasis is a serious autoimmune condition that causes the skin of a person to appear with scaly, red patches. This disease causes the body to overproduce skin cells that collect in patches.
It is always mild when psoriasis occurs under the nail and causes minor problems. The buildup of skin cells, however, can act in the same way as blood-forming under an injured nail. The pressure can eventually cause the nail to fall off.
By soaking the nail in warm water, a person may begin treating psoriasis. To further relieve the symptoms, a doctor would typically prescribe additional medicated creams. One of the choices you may also take is phototherapy (light therapy).
Conclusion
You will help your nail develop back normally by having the right care promptly. It depends on how much has been ripped off and where it’s still attached, and how you can treat it.
If the tear is not too far down into your foot and the nail is still connected to the nail bed, and if any bleeding stops easily, and it doesn’t hurt much and if the toe itself looks fine, you can take care of a torn toenail at home. It can take up to 18 months for a toenail to develop back fully, depending on which toe is affected, and how much of the nail is damaged.
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