After a torn toenail, right from the matrix, or partially, you are wondering what are the right actions to adopt and how to treat a torn toenail? Here are our tips for reacting well, and obtaining rapid, even and painless regrowth.

After trauma to your hands or feet, do you have a completely or partially pulled nail? Depending on the severity of the shock, the consequences may vary. To better understand, we must look at the utility of the nail: its main function is to protect the distal phalanges. Thereby, when the nail is impacted, it is necessary to check that there is no damage on the phalanges, because a crack or a fracture happens quickly if the trauma is violent.

But this is not the only utility of the nail: it facilitates the recognition of small objects and their handling, it also facilitates walking (for the toenails), it makes it possible to scratch, and potentially to defend, and of course, it has an aesthetic dimension.

The severity of a pulled nail will therefore depend on the functions that have been achieved. The injury can lead to a crack or fracture, with severe pain and deformity of the finger if there is no surgical management. If the injury is only on the surface, resulting in a quickly evacuated hematoma, and the matrix (the white part under the skin which is the base of the nail) is intact, the discomfort can only be aesthetic.

In all cases, remember to disinfect immediately after the shock and for several days after, and watch your nail carefully. In the event of foreign bodies under the nail, nail peeling following a hematoma, or visible and persistent inflammation, consult a doctor.

When a nail is pulled out, it can be pulled out in whole, or in part. If the nail seems to be completely pulled out, it is necessary to check that the matrix of the nail is still present. If not, get to the hospital quickly. But, before going to the emergency room, some good reflexes to have to take care of a torn nail: clean your hand or your foot well with soapy water, disinfect with colorless and non-alcoholic antiseptic, and finally, if you find it. nail, keep it in a compress.

If you have recovered the nail, it can be put back in place following a small local anesthesia. Otherwise, the surgeons may offer you a prosthesis, which will protect the finger at first, then which will fall out following the regrowth of the new nail.

Now, how to treat a partially torn toenail? Well, it is important not to tear off what is left, even if a part protrudes. Indeed, the more nail remains, the more the bones below will be protected, as well as the tissues under the nail. The nail will then be able to regrow naturally thanks to the conservation of the matrix. If any pieces of the nail are hanging down or the remaining part does not look solid, one or two stitches in the emergency room can help maintain the nail and ensure good regrowth.

Finally, to know how to treat a torn nail, you have to differentiate between a nail torn off during the shock, and a nail that fell a few days after the shock. If the nail is torn off during the shock, tearing will be more painful and the after-effects may be more severe. The nail may also fall out a few days after the shock.

Indeed, following the trauma, the tissues under the nail, which have many small vessels, bleed. If this bleeding is less than 25% of the nail surface, don’t panic, it will go away. If the area of ​​blood is larger, the nail may peel off and fall off completely after a few days. To avoid the loss of the nail, you must quickly go to a doctor, who, by drilling two small holes in the nail, will allow the blood to flow and prevent the nail from detaching.

For rapid and aesthetic regrowth, the first steps are important: regardless of the type of injury, it is necessary to clean and disinfect immediately. If the nail matrix is ​​damaged, the nail may grow poorly, deforming the finger, causing pain, and an unattractive appearance.. This is why it is essential to have surgical management when the matrix is ​​damaged! If the matrix is ​​not reached, the placement of a prosthesis, a few stitches, or simply, a good regular cleaning, may be enough to ensure good regrowth of the nail.

Anyway, you will have to take your pain patiently: the fingernails take an average of 3 to 6 months to reform completely, when the toenails take 12 to 18 months. The duration of regrowth will be conditioned by your general state of health, but also by age: regrowth is faster between 20 and 30 years.