Monday, May 10, 2010

What can I do about a fingernail that was smashed and eventually fell off?

I smashed my pinky finger about 2 months ago pretty good. It turned black (dark red from blood) but stayed attached for 2 months. There was a healthy portion going long ways on it, so it didn't fall off at first. But there was a big lump in 1 part, so i trimmed it down. After I trimmed it down, i realized it was basically hollow where the dried blood had been. I tried to leave it alone but seeing that I could pick the blood out made me anxious to do so. i ended up cutting the 'dead' part of my nail off totally and getting out the dried blood. But now 80% of my fingernail is gone and there is only a slightly tougher layer of skin where it used to be. I have a small bit of new nail that had grown in for the first 2 months, but what should i do with the rest of my nail? What can I do to make it grow faster/stronger? Is there any chance of infection even though there is absolutely no area that is broken open any more? Should I trim off the healthy part so it doesn't get snagged?What can I do about a fingernail that was smashed and eventually fell off?
You should have gone to the doctor for this instead of trying to treat it yourself. Leave it alone and let the new nail grow out. No there is nothing you can do to make it grow any faster. It could take a year or more after a trauma like that. Just trim the corners so they don't snag and tear it down into the quick (middle of the nail bed). No, if it's not open any longer there is no chance of infection. Just let it be.What can I do about a fingernail that was smashed and eventually fell off?
Leave it alone and it will grow back
That happened to me a couple of times. It takes a long (long) time for the nail to grow back. Keep it trimmed so it doesn't catch on things. My nail looks fine now except for a little ridge. It does have more of a roundness than it used to but nobody would ever notice that but me.
This recently happened to me during cross country. My nail was constantly rubbing against my sneaker while i was running. It is slowly but surly growing back. The only thing that you can really do is wait for it to grow back, and make sure it doesn't get infected!
Leave it alone if you can, put a bandaid on it if you want, that will keep it from getting snagged on anything. Nothing will make it grow faster but eating gelatin will make all of your nails stronger. If there is no broken skin, then there is almost no chance of infection. Keep it clean anyway.
Your nail will grow back - it just takes time. It happened to me and a new nail came through even nicer and stronger than the one before.





Keep it filed so it doesn't catch on anything.
Your doing fine, It'll grow back. Protein seems to help nails and hair grow faster and stronger.

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