Nail Problems and Injuries

Self-Care

Home treatment can help relieve pain, prevent infection, and promote healing. Try these tips to help relieve pain from an injury to the nail.

• Apply ice, and prop up the injured nail.

  Do this as soon as you can after the injury.

• Trim a torn or detached nail, and tape the nail in place.
• Try to drain blood from under the nail if you have pain.

  Do not drain blood from under your nail if you have diabetes, peripheral arterial disease, or an immune system problem, or if you think a bone is broken.

• If you have an ingrown toenail, try soaking your toe.

  You can also use a small pad of wet cotton. This helps the ingrown toenail heal on its own.

• Trim a hangnail.

  You don't want the hangnail to tear your skin.

• Take off an artificial nail if you are having problems with it.
• Try gloves or lotions to protect weak, brittle, or splitting nails.
• Watch for any signs of a skin infection around a nail.

Caring for a torn or detached nail

Home treatment often helps relieve pain, promote healing, and prevent infection. Treatment may involve removing the nail, keeping the area dry to prevent infection, and waiting for a new nail to grow. The infection or skin condition that caused the separated nail will also need to be treated.

• File any sharp edges smooth, or trim the nail. This will help prevent catching the nail and tearing it more.
• Trim off the detached part of a large tear, or leave the nail alone.
  • Cover the nail with tape or an adhesive bandage until the nail has grown out enough to protect the finger or toe.
  • If you trim off the detached nail, you will have less worry about the nail catching and tearing.
  • If you leave the detached nail in place, it will eventually fall off when the new nail grows in.
• Use scissors to remove the detached part of the nail if the nail is partly attached.
• Soak your finger or toe in cold water for 20 minutes after trimming the nail.
• Apply a thin layer of petroleum jelly, such as Vaseline, and cover the area with a nonstick bandage.

To prevent infection:

• Soak your foot or hand in a solution of 1 tsp (5 mL) of salt dissolved in 4 cups (1 L) warm water for 20 minutes, 2 or 3 times each day, for the next 3 days. Reapply petroleum jelly, and cover with a fresh adhesive bandage.
• Keep the nail bed dry, clean, and covered with petroleum jelly and an adhesive bandage until the nail bed is firm or the nail has grown back. Apply a new adhesive bandage whenever the bandage gets wet.
• Watch for signs of infection such as increasing heat, redness, pain, tenderness, swelling, or pus.
• Remove an artificial nail if it separates from the nail bed. If you leave it on, the long, artificial nail can tear the nail bed.

Have a doctor trim your nail if you:

• Aren't comfortable trimming the nail yourself.
• Have diabetes, peripheral arterial disease, or an immune system problem. These problems may cause reduced blood flow and loss of feeling in the feet. Untreated nail injuries can lead to infection, foot ulcers, and other serious problems.

Treating a nail infection

Try home treatment if you think you have an infection in the skin around your nail.

• Soak your foot or hand 2 to 3 times each day.

  Use a solution of 1 tsp (5mL) of salt dissolved in 4 cups (1 L) warm water. After soaking, apply a thin layer of petroleum jelly, such as Vaseline, and a bandage.

• Do not try to remove any part of the affected nail.
• Remove an artificial nail if you think you have an infection around or under a nail.

When to call for help during self-care

Call a doctor if any of the following occur during self-care at home:

• New or worse signs of infection, such as redness, warmth, swelling, pus, or a fever.
• Symptoms occur more often or are more severe.

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