OK, so I’ve got this dead nail on my big toe. It died from a boot/sock interaction problem on a long hike several weeks ago. Now it’s black, and just begining to seperate from the skin at the base of the nail.
What is the recommend proceedure from this point? Do I yank the sucker (Vice-Grips?), slowly work it loose, wait till it falls off naturally? It’s only the second dead toenail I’ve had in 20 years of hiking so I don’t have much expertise here.
Any advice is appreciated.
“Do I yank the sucker (Vice-Grips?), slowly work it loose, wait till it falls off naturally?”
It’s your preference, but I would opt for the latter.
I’ve had the glory of losing several big toe toenails over a long period, either from show/sock interactions, broken toes, or whatever else. (I believe that my repeated experience stems from the fact that my big toes have a distinct upward tilt, thus leaving them vulnerable.) I will pass on to you what I have learned.
DO NOT YANK THE PUPPY OFF!! The problem with that is that you may also yank off/damage the “root” (my word) from which your toenail grows, in which case your toenail won’t grow back. (This has not happened to me, but has been the unanimous opinion of trainers, podiatrists, etc., after all of my various incidents. The same danger, although somewhat lessened, exists from slowly working it free. You want to keep the nail on the toe until the new one has started to grow.
The best thing to do is to cut back the blackened nail as far down on the toe as you can safely/(sorta) painlessly do it. Put a bandage around it to keep what’s left on the toe. As it gets looser, cut more back. Try to cut it square - that will lessen the possibility of it getting caught on something and being partially yanked free (NOT a good feeling).
Have fun with it. My toenails have grown back with all sorts of weird colors and odd textures, although they eventually returned to normal each time.
Sua
Oh Thank God! I thought that I was the only one that has had this happen. I get the dreaded big black toe of death every time I start running again. It is really not so bad. The advice given above is good. Cut back, do not yank! Whoever gave you that advice has got to be a fricking fool.
What I have done the last three times this has happened is to drill a small hole with a sharp needle or some other tool right in the middle of the nail. This should release any pressure that has built up. After 2 days to a week, the toe nail should lift right up like a hinged desk top. At that point, just cut it back as far as you can and repeat if necessary. There does not need to be any pain in this procedure, If you find it really painful, you are doing it wrong.
Please note that the toenail will not simply grow from back to front to fill the void. Rather, the new nail will rise from hardened skin created evenly from the nail bed to fill the void. The whole process will probbaly take well over a year.
I’ll give another recommendation to leave it be until it falls off by itself.
Five months ago my 2 year old partially amputated the tip of her finger in the hinge side of a door. The doctor removed the nail to sew her finger back together and then poked a hole in it so she could sew it back on to the finger. The reason she gave for doing so was that it would encourage the nail to regrow.
In her case, it did indeed grow back, and very soon we will have to trim it for the first time.
I thank you. TEBTOD, loath as it is to make public statements, thanks you as well.
I know this from experience. Five years ago, I rented a house in the Hamptons with some friends and during a particularly wild party, someone threw a full can of beer at me. I had my hand on the wall and the beer smashed into my thumb. Two days later, the nail was completely black.
My doctor told me that I should not pull the nail off. He said I should trim off any pieces of the nail that might snag on something, but to let it fall off on its own. Pulling the nail off may damage the nail bed and prevent the nail from growing back normally. Of course, I thought I knew better and I yanked the sucker off. Now, my thumbnail has this odd shape to it. It’s not really noticeable to anyone but myself, but I wish I had listened to the doctor’s advice.