jbabcock
05-31-2009, 03:46 PM
Over a month ago I dropped a piece of Masonite on the base of my left toenail. It hurt terribly for about ten minutes and was sore for two days after that. There was some blood under the nail that turned black, but only under the cuticle. I painted my toe nails about a week after it happened and now the nail polish is starting to come off. I noticed that the black area is much, much larger than it was before and the nail is kind of puffy at the bottom, but it doesn't hurt. Should I be worried? Should I just leave it?
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Marti
06-01-2009, 09:18 PM
You damaged the nail bed when you dropped the masonite on it. The blood bruise will get bigger as the space fills up with blood from the nail bed. The point of trauma will generally separate from the nail bed, which is why the area seems to be getting larger. If the trauma was to the matrix, yes, it can seem to swell. You should have soaked it in very cold water twice a day for the first week to prevent swelling and pain. As the separated portion is pushed forward by new growth, you will see it totally separate as the lifted portion begins to grow off the free edge. When this occurs, try to keep it clean and dry so no infection can set in under the area of separation.