What to Do About Toenail Trauma and Injuries

It’s late at night, you’re half-asleep fumbling in the dark, and bam! You slam your big toe into something hard. You think, “How can something so small hurt so bad?”

After the throbbing has subsided, you may be surprised to see that your toenail is black and blue and cracked down the middle the next day.

Do you wrap it up and let nature take its course, or do you call your health care provider?

While some nail injuries can be treated at home, there are some instances where you’ll need medical attention. Although your toes represent a small part of your body, a toenail injury can have a huge impact on your life.

Read on to learn more about toenail traumas, when to see a medical professional and how to prevent toenail traumas altogether.

What are common causes for toenail trauma?

Besides the rare instances where you stub your toe late at night (or during the day), most toenail injuries occur from repeated trauma.

“Athletes, runners and even hikers often get a condition called runner’s toe, which is a black toenail caused by repeated strain on your nail,” said Brett Roeder, DPM, a podiatrist and reconstructive rearfoot and ankle surgeon at Banner Health Clinic in Gilbert, AZ. “This type of trauma commonly results in blood under the nail, known as a subungual hematoma.”

[Also read “Happy Trails and Feet: 6 Tips to Prevent Blisters.”]

What type of toenail injuries can occur?

Almost everyone has somehow smashed a fingernail or toenail and later seen blood under their nail bed. A subungual hematoma is usually caused by trauma from dropping something heavy on your foot or from frequent rubbing or friction against a shoe. It occurs when the blood vessels break open under the nail, causing blood to pool. Your toenail may look like a black, blue or purple bruise.

Other nail trauma is painful and can cause your nail to accidently tear or split (lacerations), fall off completely (avulsion), or it can cause an ingrown toenail.

[Also read “Common Shoe Mistakes That Could Be Crushing Your Feet.”]

When should I seek medical attention for a toenail injury?

If the injury is minor, you may be able to care for it at home if you can stop the bleeding, the nail is not cut or torn and is still attached, a nail bruise covers less than a quarter of your nail and your toe isn’t bent or misshapen.

If blood under your toenail covers more than half of the nail area, you should go to your health care provider, urgent care or emergency room to drain the blood and relieve pressure under the nail. You should not try to drill or reduce pressure under your toenail on your own.

“If blood is not properly drained from under the toenail, you can develop infections,” Dr. Roeder said. “Occasionally, the nail may need to be removed so a deep tear can be repaired with stitches. This isn’t something you should try at home.”

For nail lacerations and avulsions, your nail may need to be removed by a health care provider. Then when the nail bed dries up, your provider may recommend moisturizer or antifungal medication  (cream) to prevent fungal infections and keep the nail bed healthy as the nail grows back in. Your provider may also prescribe antibiotics to prevent infection.

If you are unable to see your provider right away, bandage the nail and avoid trimming or caring for it on your own.

“If you have neuropathy, diabetes or any condition that affects healing or circulation, it’s important to have your provider evaluate your toenail injury,” Dr. Roeder said. “In rare situations, it could lead to toe amputation if an injury is left untreated.”

Will my new toenail look deformed?

It may take a year or more for your toenail to grow back, and the new one may not look like it did before. Any type of nail damage may lead to changes in how your nail looks. You may notice the new nail has grooves or ridges and is somewhat misshapen. This can be temporary or permanent if there was severe damage to the area where your nail starts growing.

Is there a way to prevent toenail trauma?

You may not be able to prevent certain toenail injuries from occurring, but here are a few things you can do to protect your toes:

• Buy shoes that fit properly. It may help to go shoe shopping later in the day after your feet are swollen, measuring and fitting a shoe to the larger foot and finding a shoe that has good support and enough room in the toe box (the area at the front of the shoe).
• Wear close-toed shoes around the house. Generally, open-toed shoes aren’t recommended for people with diabetes.
• Keep toenails trimmed. Keep your toenails properly trimmed with a nail clipper to reduce your risk for rubbing or pressure.
• Control moisture if you have sweaty feet. It you’re prone to sweaty feet, it may help spraying your feet with antiperspirant prior to activities.
• Purchase silicone or gel toe caps. If you’re prone to toenail trauma, toe caps can help prevent blisters, rubbing, irritation and toenail loss.

For other feet-related articles, check out:

• 10 Tips for Healthy Feet for Walkers and Runners
• 8 Things Your Feet Tell You About Your Health
• Are Over-the-Counter Insoles a Waste or Worth It?

Wellness
Primary Care
Urgent Care

Common Toenail Injuries and How to Treat Them

April 22, 2020 9:38 am
Published by Foot and Ankle Group

Although your toenails represent a small part of your body, a toenail injury can have a huge impact on your mobility and significantly alter your current way of life. Just consider the pain you experience when stubbing your toe on something as you make your way around a room at night. 

That instant, stabbing, shooting pain is just a small example of what a significant toe injury can feel like, not something to be taken lightly. The more prompt you are with your treatment plan, the better when it comes to a toenail injury. No need to let the pain get out of hand. 

Medical concept. Foot pain. Body health problem, healthy feet swollen joints or blisters, wounds on skin. Painful barefoot woman at home or office with high heels in the background

Although they are common, a toenail injury does merit prompt attention and sometimes requires nail bed repair or another medical treatment. To get you on the right track, read the following information on identifying common injuries to the nail bed and what you can do about them if they happen to you:

Common Toenail Injuries and How to Treat Them

Ingrown Toenails

This painful condition is common and can affect virtually anyone. When you have an ingrown toenail, the edge of your nail becomes jagged and the nail grows into the sides of your nail bed, causing the nail itself to painfully pierce your skin. If you leave your ingrown toenail untreated, it can eventually lead to an infection. This is, of course, not the ideal course of action. 

Look for the following signs to determine if you are experiencing an ingrown toenail:

• Foul smell in the area.
• Thick, cracked or yellowing nails.
• Warmth or heat in and around the area.
• Bleeding.
• Built up fluid in the area, could include oozing.
• Pressure under the nail.
• Redness or hardening of the area.
• Swelling.
• Pain.

How to Treat an Ingrown Toenail

At-Home Treatments: If your ingrown toenail isn’t infected, you can do the following to self-treat the condition at home:

• Soak: Soak your foot in warm water with Epsom salts to soothe and soften the area. This will also encourage the pus to drain and reduce pain.
• Combat Infection: To prevent an infection from forming, apply antibiotic lotion or antifungal to the area.
• Medicate: Alleviate swelling and pain by taking over the counter pain medication.

In-Office Treatments: If your toenail is still painful, infected, or is getting worse, it’s time to see a professional and get medical advice. In-office, your doctor will either partially or fully remove the ingrown nail. Generally, they will numb the area, perform the removal, and then give you post-operative care instructions. That will likely include some ways to prevent an ingrown toenail from occurring again, including advising you to wear the right shoes and socks, as well as trimming or clipping your nails properly and more.

Fungus

Another common condition affecting your toenails are fungal infections. These often occur as a result of another condition, such as an ingrown toenail, a toenail injury or injuries to the nail bed. Fungus will grow in the area where a nail is loose or has broken the skin. It’s also commonly associated with Athlete’s Foot and diabetes. 

Be on the lookout for these symptoms indicating a fungal infection:

• Cracked or fragile nail.
• Thick nail.
• Discolored nail of either white, brown or yellow.

You usually will not experience pain with a fungal infection, unless it becomes severe.

How to Treat a Fungus of the Nail

The easiest way to treat a fungus infection in the toenail is with antifungal treatment. This often in pill form, taken by mouth. In some cases, your doctor might opt to remove the nail in its entirety or to use a laser treatment if common treatments aren’t working.

Subungual Hematoma

This condition sounds serious but is actually pretty commonplace. This is the type of injury you experience when you drop something on your toe and it gets black and blue or falls off altogether. It occurs when the blood vessels break open under the nail, causing blood to pool. In some cases, you can even experience a subungual hematoma due to poor-fitting shoes or due to a physical activity like soccer or basketball that causes your toe to ram into your shoe. It is a mild injury, but still pretty painful.  

The following are common symptoms of the condition:

• Discolored nail.
• Feeling pressure under the nail.
• Tender or sore around the nail area.
• Blood under the nail.

How to Treat a Subungual Hematoma

At-Home: Use the R.I.C.E method for at-home treatment of this condition:

• Rest: Limit the use of your toe.
• Ice: Ice the area to reduce pain and swelling.
• Compression: Apply a wrap to the area to reduce blood flow and limit pain.
• Elevation: Keep your foot elevated to reduce swelling.

In-Office Treatment: If you don’t experience enough relief with the R.I.C.E treatment, the pain is unbearable or the injury worsens, it’s time to seek medical treatment. To treat subungual hematoma, your doctor might remove the affected nail to reduce the pressure and allow the area to heal. Some doctors might instead try to drain the blood from the area and save the nail, but still relieve the pressure and pain, by making a small hole in the nail.

Psoriasis

This is most often considered a skin condition but can also negatively impact the toenails and fingernails. Psoriasis can occur along with fungal infections, skin infections or on its own. 

The following are signs to look for that indicate psoriasis of the nail might be present:

• Damage to the nail, such as pits in the nails.
• Yellow-red nail discoloration that sort of like oil or blood underneath the nail.
• White on the nail plate.
• Furrows or lines across the nail, side-to-side.
• Skin thickening under the nail.
• Loose nail. Nail coming out of nail folds.
• Brittle or crumbling nail.
• Redness at the bottom of the nail.
• Black lines tip-to-cuticle.

How to Treat Psoriasis of The Nail

There are no at-home treatments currently available to counteract or treat psoriasis of the nail. In many cases, taking antifungal medication is the best course of action to address psoriasis. Therefore, visiting a podiatrist is wise to address this particular condition.

Your Next Step

If you are experiencing any of the above conditions or other foot-related issues not outlined like a nail bed laceration and need the expert help of a podiatrist, contact us at The Foot and Ankle Group today at 239-936-5400. We aim to get you into the office and treat you the same day, if possible, getting you back on your feet quickly!

Categorized in: Blog

How to use forms for nail extension

For nail extension with acrylic and gel, special forms (templates, blanks) are used. What are they, how to use them correctly? The material answering these questions was prepared by experienced nail masters of NailsProfi beauty studios.

Varieties

Manufacturers of goods for the nail industry offer a huge number of upper and lower forms for building. They differ in material, size, type of tip, color, design. The main thing is a window for a finger and a special square marking that allows you to form a beautiful nail plate of the correct size.

Such blanks are made from different materials:

• paper;
• plastic;
• foil;
• Teflon.

Some plastic and Teflon items are reusable. True, they must be disinfected after each client. The most popular are paper ones: they are simple, easy to use, hygienic, allow you to individually choose the length, bend.

How to use nail extension molds: tips

There are two main types of extension templates: top and bottom. They involve fundamentally different ways of staging and laying out the material. Our masters have prepared detailed instructions for you.

How to install the lower nail extension mold?

Prepared nails (sawn, cuticle removed, clean and even nail plate) are primed with a small layer of primer. Then, gently bending, the form is put on and fixed in the center of the finger. It should be located under the corners of the nail and fit snugly against it. After that, the lower ends of the workpiece are carefully fastened together without closing the hole between them. It is important to make sure that the shape and the nail form the correct natural curve; otherwise, additional time, material and effort will be required. An ideally installed template forms a cylinder that matches the size of the nail plate in diameter.

Tip! Does the paper blank seem very weak? Stick another one on top of it or strengthen with the help of its middle the place where you will lay out the material from the inside.

Before putting on the lower nail extension form, inspect them carefully. If the plates are trapezoidal or bent down, the workpieces can be cut a little to get a perfect joint and create the correct architecture. After such preparation, you can start working with gel or acrylic. After use, disposable blanks are thrown away, reusable ones are disinfected.

Tip! Can’t take a piece? Perhaps the material is not dry enough or the gel has flowed under it. Gently file the problem area without affecting the base of the nail plate.

How to place the upper nail extension mold?

Consider gel extension. First, they select a shape that is suitable in size – a little more than a natural plate. Then the nail plate is prepared – the cuticle is removed, shine is removed, cleaned, degreased. The nail is covered with a layer of base product and dried in a lamp. The required amount of modeling gel is laid out in the workpiece, slightly dried in a lamp, then carefully, without much pressure, is applied to the dried nail plate. Excess gel is moved to the free edge. Lightly pressing the shape with a finger, the master places the client’s hand in the lamp for 20 seconds, then the material is dried for the time necessary according to the manufacturer’s instructions. After drying, the template is removed by pressing on the tips, and the nail is brought to the ideal look with the help of files and buffs.

Please note! The technology of building on the upper forms has a number of advantages: saving time and material, minimum sawdust. Nails are equally even and proportional.

For a perfect result, it is not enough just to know how to properly place the nail extension form. It is important to study the technology well, to test it in practice, to use high-quality materials and tools. Experienced masters of NailsProfi beauty studios know and can do all this. In addition to a beautiful manicure, we guarantee an attentive attitude to the safety of the client, convenient location, comfortable atmosphere, affordable prices, discounts and promotional offers. You can sign up for the procedure by phone or through our website. Contact us!

6 best nail extensions in 2023: ratings, reviews, expert advice

Some people think that nail extensions are a thing of the past, but often it is the extension that allows you to achieve the desired length and shape of nails that cannot be achieved with ordinary growth. Extravagant stilettos, classic almonds, graceful pointe shoes – absolutely any shape can be chosen.

Forms for nail extension are special templates on which gel or acrylic is laid out. With the help of these templates-stands it is convenient to lay out the modeling material on the nail, creating the desired length and shape. They build up nails on the upper and lower forms, as well as on tips (special plastic plates that stick to the nail plate).

What is the difference and how to choose the right shape – read our material.

Expert’s Choice

ARTEX

ARTEX. Photo: market.yandex.ru

Rectangular universal forms for nail extension from the Russian company ARTEX are made of medium hard paper and are suitable for gel or acrylic extensions. Forms of gray color, opaque, are suitable for modeling nails of any length and any traditional form.

Due to the fact that the material itself is sufficiently strong and resilient, extension molds can be used without a metal template to form an arch. The form itself has excellent stickiness, therefore it is perfectly attached along the entire length of the finger phalanx and does not lose stickiness even with repeated fitting. The markings on the forms are medium, suitable for any nails – even injured, short cut or non-standard anatomical shapes. There is also a side marking to release the side rollers.

It is very easy to use ARTEX nail extension molds: first, you need to cut it according to the markings individually for each nail, then substitute and fix it along the entire length of the phalanx, and you can start modeling the nail.

Pros and cons

Suitable for nail extensions of any traditional shape and any length; excellent stickiness; can be purchased in a set of 300 and 500 pieces

It is better to purchase on the official website so as not to run into a fake; high price

TOP-5 rating according to KP

1. PNB Clear Pro

PNB Clear Pro. Photo: market. yandex.ru

PNB Clear-Pro Nail Forms are made of super thin, durable yet ultra flexible vinyl plastic and are suitable for working with all modeling materials: gel, acrylic and acrygel.

They are wrinkle resistant, won’t warp or crack, and are highly tacky so they won’t fall off at the most crucial moment. Due to the elongated side surfaces, the Clear-Pro Nail Forms are very convenient for arched modeling. Special markings for side bolsters are designed to fit on nails of different widths.

It is also worth noting that vinyl plastic transmits UV rays well, so even the most capricious, densely pigmented modeling material can be used without a backing, and it dries completely much faster compared to other forms.

Pros and cons

Will not warp or crack; suitable for any modeling material

Not very comfortable with too wide nail plate

2. Entity

Entity

Forms for nail extension from the American brand Entity are suitable for those who do not like to bother with cutting out forms. The brand produces two types of uniforms: silver and pink.

Silver – traditional shapes, have a standard cut, are suitable for those who have a not very pronounced “smile” shape, they stick well and have a convenient line. Pink shapes have two different sides: on one side, a flat cut that is ideal for a straight line of eponychium, flat, wide or bitten nails. On the other hand, there is a deep cut, such forms are suitable for oval nails or with overgrown eponychium.

Pros and cons

Suitable for a variety of nail shapes, even problematic ones

Not always available for sale

3. Lunail

Lunail. Photo: market.yandex.ru

Lunail reusable plastic molds are available in rolls of 120 and 500 pieces. They are made of a special plastic that is resistant to mechanical and chemical influences during the modeling process, they do not deform or break, therefore they make it easy to create a nail arch without the use of metal tubes.

Convenient marking allows you to cut the shape to fit any shape of the nail plate. Thanks to the “ears”, the forms are conveniently attached to a finger of any size, and the reinforced central part makes the form stable during nail modeling. It is also worth noting the economical consumption of reusable forms – using 2 forms, you can grow up to 10 nails, even taking into account the “adjustment” to the size.

Pros and cons

Will not warp or break when modeling; quality adhesive base

Not enough glue, may come off during styling

4. PINK HOUSE

PINK HOUSE

The bottom molds for nail extensions from PINK HOUSE are made of pink plastic. From the previous purple and black versions, they differ in a width of 22 mm, which corresponds to the average width of the nail and allows you to work end-to-end.

The forms themselves are translucent, which is very convenient when laying out and distributing the gel, they are evenly and conveniently printed, and most importantly, they have “ears” cut out immediately, which saves time. Forms for building are strong enough, do not deform and do not wrinkle, do not peel off, as if adjusting to a natural nail. Another difference from other forms is that the packaging is not made in a roll, but by adding up 100 and 300 pieces.

Pros and cons

No trimming required; due to the translucent shade it is easy to lay out the modeling material

Can only be ordered on the official website, otherwise there is a risk of getting a fake

5. Summer

Summer

Universal nail extension forms are suitable for most types of nails and for modeling both gel and acrylic. Forms are easily compressed, have a dense solid base, stick together well, do not stick out.

Thanks to the convenient markings, the shapes are easy to use, and due to the width they are suitable for both wide nails and nails with high side ridges. A strong adhesive base prevents the form from falling off during modeling, even if the fingers are slightly damp. There are 500 pieces in a roll, which means it will last a long time.

Pros and cons

Suitable for wide nails; will not peel or peel

No tear line; may seem too thin

What are the forms for nail extension

In the process of nail extension, the master can use both tips (plastic overlays that repeat the shape of the nail) and forms, which in turn differ into lower and upper ones. Forms for nail extension are templates that are placed on or under the nail plate, and on which an artificial nail is modeled. Depending on the material, the forms can be disposable and reusable (plastic or metallized). On the surface of the form there is a special marking that allows you to form the length of the modeled nail.

— Nail extensions are available on upper forms, on lower forms and on tips. I prefer to build on the lower forms – it’s more familiar, and the arch turns out to be neat and beautiful, – says nail master Anastasia Garanina .

How to choose a form for nail extension

The most important thing when choosing a form for extension is to determine for yourself which technique is more convenient for you to use – top or bottom extension. Disposable forms are cheaper, made from softer materials, easily adjusted to any shape of the nail plate, but also quickly wrinkled. Reusable templates are more expensive because they are made of quality materials and can be used many times, but they need to be sterilized after each use.

Popular Questions and Answers

Why not get your girlfriend or nail technician with no experience?

– Because you can easily saw through the nail plate without knowing the filing technique. For example, if you use a file that is too hard, or file the nail for too long instead of sanding it, the living nail may be thinner and shorter than it should be. This directly affects both the result of the work and the health of the nail plate.

Why is it necessary to make timely correction when building nails?

— Correction should be done on time, no later than 4 weeks, due to the fact that the material is very hard, does not bend, and if the nail grows strongly and the material is transferred closer to the end of the nail, the nail plate can be seriously damaged.