What To Do When My Nail Is Halfway Falling Out

And then you lost a toenail. It happens. And unfortunately, ladies are often the ones who endure from such trauma, too.

Blame both ill-fitting shoes (walking to and from the office in four-inch heels!) and preparation for total or half-marathons, says podiatrist Brian Fullem, the author ofThe Runner's Guide to Healthy Feet and Ankles: Uncomplicated Steps to Prevent Injury and Run Stronger.

Why? A constant boxing between your toes and the end of a shoe tin can injure your blast and even crusade blood blisters, forcing the smash away from the peel, he says. (Brusque-as-possible nails pre-long runs can help sidestep this.)

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Only if information technology's already a lost crusade (read: buh-goodbye toenail)? Consider this your plan:

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Your first step is to employ pressure to the area until the bleeding subsides, says Meredith Leigh Ward, D.P.One thousand., a podiatrist at Moore Foot and Talocrural joint Specialists in Asheville, Due north Carolina, who suggests following this with an antibody ointment and a Band-Assistance. You can reapply those 2 things daily after a shower until the skin opening has closed (about i to two weeks, she says).

Super sore? One time your bandage and Neosporin are on, soak your foot for x minutes in warm h2o and Epsom salts, suggests Fullem. "This will help draw out some of the soreness."

Related: 7 Types of Bumps and Blemishes You Should Never Try to Pop

If there's no drama, but the nail is all the way off

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"Oftentimes, afterward repeated micro-trauma, the nail may fall off without whatever bleeding or open skin lesion underneath, which tin be left lonely," says Ward. Band-Aids and Neosporin are good options here, as well, for an added layer of protection against infection.

If you've got a blister, to boot? Fullem suggests sterilizing a needle with alcohol and draining it.

Watch a hot doc explain why your feet are peeling:

If the nail's kind of but not all of the way off

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Repeat later on us: Don't. Pull. It. Off. Doing so can cause avoidable pain too as unnecessary additional trauma.

Instead, trim the loose nail as short every bit you can and so that it doesn't snag on a sock or shoe (ow!), says Ward.Likewise: Don't tape it back down. As Fullem puts it: "Information technology will non re-attach."

Unfortunately, you'll merely take to practice your patience for this one. "Each smash is a separate entity which takes six to nine months to grow," he says. Yous'll start to encounter a new blast growing in in near 6 weeks.

Related: 8 Weird Things That Tin can Happen to Your Fingernails—and What They Say Near Your Health

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If yous detect an uptick in hurting, red streaking up your toe, swelling, or whatsoever evil-smelling drainage, it's time to make an appointment with a podiatrist, as those are all signs of infection.

Says Fullem: "The nail sits very close to the bones of our toes, and if an infection starts in the skin surrounding the nail information technology can easily travel to the underlying os and cause a astringent infection if left untreated."

Cassie Shortsleeve Freelance Author Cassie Shortsleeve is a skilled freelance writer and editor with almost a decade of experience reporting on all things health, fitness, and travel.