After a torn nail, from a matrix or a partial tear, are you wondering what are the correct actions to take and what to do with a torn nail? Below are our tips to help you respond well and achieve fast, even painless regrowth.
Nail Tear: Is it Serious?
Have your nails been completely or partially torn after a hand or foot injury? Depending on the severity of the shock, the consequences may vary. To understand better, we have to consider the purpose of the nail: its main function is to protect the distal phalanx. Therefore, when the nail is impacted, it is necessary to check whether the phalanx is damaged, because if the trauma is severe, cracks or fractures will occur very quickly.
But this is not the only use of nails: it helps to recognize small objects and their grasping, it also aids in walking (for the nails of the feet), it scratches, and has the possibility of defense, and of course it has an aesthetic dimension.
Therefore, the severity of nail tearing depends on the affected function. If left untreated, the injury can result in a fracture or broken bone with severe pain and deformity of the finger. If the damage is only superficial, causing the hematoma to drain quickly, leaving the stroma (the white part under the skin, which is the base of the nail) intact, then the discomfort can only be aesthetic.
Regardless, remember to sanitize immediately after a shock and for several days, and watch your nails carefully. Consult your doctor if there is a foreign object under the nail, if the nail breaks out after hematoma, or if there is visible and persistent inflammation.
How to deal with torn nails?
When pulling out the nail, it can be pulled out completely or partially. If the nail looks completely torn off, check to see if the nail matrix is still there. If not, go to the hospital immediately. However, before going to the emergency room, some good responses must be followed to treat a torn nail: clean the hands or feet thoroughly with soap and water, disinfect with a colorless and alcohol-free disinfectant, and finally, if a nail is found, remove it compression.
If your nail has healed, it can be put back in place after a local anesthetic. Otherwise, the surgeon will be able to give you a prosthesis, which first protects the finger and then falls off as the new nail regrows.
Now, what to do with a partially torn nail? Well, it’s important not to rip off what’s left, even if part of it exceeds. In fact, the more nails are left, the more the underlying bone and tissues under the nails are protected. The nail will be able to grow back naturally thanks to the protection of the matrix. If the nail fragments are hanging down or what’s left looks weak, a stitch or two in the emergency room can help hold the nail in place and ensure good growth.
Finally, to know what to do with a torn nail, it is necessary to distinguish between a nail that tears during the shock and one that falls off a few days after the shock. If the nail is torn off during the electric shock, it will be more painful and the sequel may be greater. Nails can also fall off after a few days of electric shock.
In fact, the tissue under the nail, which has many small blood vessels, bleeds after trauma. If this bleeding is less than 25% percent of the surface of the nail, don’t panic, it will fade. If the blood is severe, the nail may fall off after a few days and fall off completely. To prevent the nail from falling out, it is necessary to see a doctor as soon as possible. The doctor will drill two small holes in the nail to allow blood flow and prevent the nail from falling out.
How can I recover well?
For rapid and aesthetic regeneration, the first step is important: whatever the type of injury, it must be cleaned and disinfected immediately. If the nail matrix is damaged, the nail may not be able to grow back, resulting in deformed, painful, and unsightly fingers. This is why surgery is necessary when the matrix is ​​damaged! If the matrix is not reached, placement of a prosthesis, a few stitches or simply good regular cleaning is enough to ensure good regrowth of the nail.
Regardless, you’ll have to be patient: fingernails take an average of 3 to 6 months to fully reshape, and toenail 12 to 18 months. The duration of regeneration will depend on your general health, but also age: regeneration is faster between the ages of 20 and 30.
