Detached Fingernail - Nail Problems Message Board

CHERI K · 02-05-2008, 07:31 AM

My 14 Year Old Son Caught His Middle Finger In A Skateboard Wheel And The Entire Fingernail Bent Back And Is Detached. At The Present Time It Is Just Laying On The Bed Of The Finger, Though It Is Hanging On By The Base Where The Fingernail Grows In. It Is To Painful To Tough Or Even Attempt To Pull Off. I Clean It And Bandage It Several Times A Day For The Last 2 Days Since The Occurance. Will The New Nail Force The Old One To Fall Off Naturally Or Should This Be Removed By A Physician.
Thank You Cheri/ New Jersey

Marti · 02-05-2008, 06:51 PM

Have him soak it in cold water twice a day to help alleviate the pain. After soaking, dry it as best you can and then apply a drop of peroxide. The nail will not reattach, so he may want to have it cut off by the doctor, but get rid of the pain first. The new nail will not "fall off" as long as it is attached at the base. As the matrix produces new nail plate cells, it will push the 'bad' nail off, but this can take from 3-6 months depending on his genetics for nail growth.