Care for toenail falling off

[mamamary]

This is a new one for me. My toenail on the big toe came off today. It was kinda weird looking ever since leaving my nail polish on too long Anyway, the whole nail didn't come off completely - maybe 3/4 and what is there now is normal looking. So I have a dr. appt. next Friday so I was looking online to see if it is recommended to keep the nail area covered or any other advice and I see all different answers. It feels ok and sorta looks ok so just checking to see if anyone has been through this. Thanks. Otherwise I guess I will call back to talk to the dr. directly.

 

[ronandannette]

This is a new one for me. My toenail on the big toe came off today. It was kinda weird looking ever since leaving my nail polish on too long Anyway, the whole nail didn't come off completely - maybe 3/4 and what is there now is normal looking. So I have a dr. appt. next Friday so I was looking online to see if it is recommended to keep the nail area covered or any other advice and I see all different answers. It feels ok and sorta looks ok so just checking to see if anyone has been through this. Thanks. Otherwise I guess I will call back to talk to the dr. directly.

Sounds like you've got fungus and you're actually lucky if the infected part has detached and what's left is "normal". Usually this is a very hard condition to get rid of. There's tons of home remedy advice if you google it. First thing your doctor is going to tell you is to leave the polish off until the healthy nail grows back. He may also offer you a prescription drug but apparently those are very hard on the liver and not necessarily much more effective than something you could try at home.

 

[mamamary]

Sounds like you've got fungus and you're actually lucky if the infected part has detached and what's left is "normal". Usually this is a very hard condition to get rid of. There's tons of home remedy advice if you google it. First thing your doctor is going to tell you is to leave the polish off until the healthy nail grows back. He may also offer you a prescription drug but apparently those are very hard on the liver and not necessarily much more effective than something you could try at home.

Yes I'm so glad the remaining nail is "normal". Def. keeping the polish off. I would not want a prescription that would be bad for my liver.

 

[slo]

Did it fall off due to trauma or an unknown reason?
One of my big toe nails has fallen off 3 times due to trauma - drives me crazy!
After it falls off I just leave it and let it regrow back out.

Good luck with this - it stinks that it happened over summer time

 

[shoney]

Spring 2014, mine peeled up and was hanging half on. (The left side of the right big toe) I was scared. I love my toes!
I went to the Podiatrist and she took a nail clipper and clipped off all that was unattached. Told me to leave it uncovered. She said it was completely normal and happens often. It had a slight fungus (nail was slightly yellow there). She told me to leave polish off for a while. She said it is always a good idea to let nails remain unpolished for short periods.
She gave me a script for an anti-fungal but told me not to fill it unless I needed it.

It was fine.

Moral of the story: I wasted $20 on the copay! I think they billed the insurance $300. Wow!

good luck...hope yours is as simple as mine..

 

[mamamary]

Did it fall off due to trauma or an unknown reason?
One of my big toe nails has fallen off 3 times due to trauma - drives me crazy!
After it falls off I just leave it and let it regrow back out.

Good luck with this - it stinks that it happened over summer time

I think it was because I kept nail polish on the toes sooooo long. When I finally took the polish off the nail was an odd color and texture. I'm assuming maybe a fungus. I didn't do anything about it at the time and today giving myself a pedi the nail just pretty much came off. Glad there is still new nail growth there. No nice polish for me for now.

 

[mamamary]

Spring 2014, mine peeled up and was hanging half on. (The left side of the right big toe) I was scared. I love my toes!
I went to the Podiatrist and she took a nail clipper and clipped off all that was unattached. Told me to leave it uncovered. She said it was completely normal and happens often. It had a slight fungus (nail was slightly yellow there). She told me to leave polish off for a while. She said it is always a good idea to let nails remain unpolished for short periods.
She gave me a script for an anti-fungal but told me not to fill it unless I needed it.

It was fine.

Moral of the story: I wasted $20 on the copay! I think they billed the insurance $300. Wow!

good luck...hope yours is as simple as mine..

Not sure if I would go to the dr or not but since i have to go anyway I can get the toe looked at. I think my copay for this specialist will be $50 but like I said I'm going anyway.

 

[Luv2Run]

I wouldn't mind paying a copay for peace of mind. As a runner, I have lost several toenails in the process of finding the proper running shoes for my feet. I still currently struggle with one of my toes, and am working on regrowing the nail with the help of an OTC fungicide. I think if it hurts or feels inflamed, that's when it's time to go to the doc to make sure there's not a serious infection that could spread.

 

[sonnyjane]

I wouldn't mind paying a copay for peace of mind. As a runner, I have lost several toenails in the process of finding the proper running shoes for my feet. I still currently struggle with one of my toes, and am working on regrowing the nail with the help of an OTC fungicide. I think if it hurts or feels inflamed, that's when it's time to go to the doc to make sure there's not a serious infection that could spread.

I lost two nails when I was running in highschool. The area underneath turned purplish black and the nails fell off completely. They both grew back after a little bit but there was nothing still attached, they just fell clean off. I just left them alone.

 

[tvguy]

I had a couple fall off after trauma (foul balls that hit my toes while umpiring Little League and drove the steel toe protector back into my toes). It was a little scary at first, but the doctor said no big deal. They both grew back, but with deep ridges. I know some women just paint the skin with nail polish until the new nail grows in.