What To Do With A Broken Nail

Download Article

The next time your nail breaks, don't panic. There are several tricks you can use to set up the impairment. It is painful to interruption a boom, but your fashion doesn't need to suffer too! Never permit an occasion be spoiled once more by a broken boom.

1
Wash your hands or feet. Before you can fix the nail, yous need to make sure that your hands are clean and gratis of oils.
- Employ warm h2o and soap to wash your hands or anxiety. Dry well with a clean towel.
- Wash and dry carefully to avoid accidentally snagging the torn nail and making matters worse.
2
Cut a strip of smash mending cloth. ^[i] If you have a special nail mending kit, use the fibrous paper in the kit and cut a section big enough to cover the nail and wrap under the tip.
- If you do not accept a boom mending kit, you lot can cutting a piece of material out of a tea bag. This is the most common substitution, and it works quite well.
- If yous exercise not take smash mending paper or tea bags in your house, you could besides endeavour handkerchief linen or coffee filters.
- At minimum, the textile must be big enough to cover the entire pause. The material should ideally exist large enough to encompass the entire nail with enough backlog.^[2]
Advertisement
iii
Attach the mending material. Apply a small dot of super mucilage or nail glue to your nail and employ the applicator tip to swirl the glue effectually gently until it covers the entire nail. Employ tweezers to place the cut fabric onto the nail over the glue.
- If using a nail mending kit, use the nail mender liquid in the kit instead of glue and apply it using the brush applicator inside the kit.
- Utilize tweezers to shine out any bumps or wrinkles in the material. The material should be as smoothen equally possible.
- If necessary, use small smash pair of scissors or regular scissors to trim away excess material.
4
Wrap the cloth over the top of the blast. Pinch your tweezers over the fabric at the top of the nail, folding it down and under and so that it sticks to the underside of your blast.^[iii]
- If the material has not gotten whatever adhesive on it all the same, yous may need to apply a pocket-size dot of glue or mending liquid to arrive stick to the underside of the boom.
- This measure provides extra remainder and protection to the broken nail.
5
Apply another layer of gum over the fabric. Put some other driblet of glue onto the material covering the nail and spread it effectually using the applicator tip. Create as smooth of a layer as possible.
- Nail mending liquid can also exist used instead of super glue or blast mucilage.
6
Trim and vitrify. If y'all have a buffing rock, advisedly buff the nail after the glue dries. Use the smoothing side first, then the polishing side.
- For the better results, rub the buffing stone in a unmarried management instead of rubbing information technology dorsum and forth.
7
Apply a elevation glaze over the entire nail. Apply a layer of top coat or nail strengthener to the damaged nail in order to rest it out and provide an added, last layer of protection.
- It is advisable to let the agglutinative dry overnight before doing this stride to avert creating bubbles or uneven patches.
- If desired, you tin employ nail polish over the smash once the top coat dries.^[4]
Advertising

i
Trim a minor piece of clear tape down to size. Use scissors to carefully cutting a modest piece of tape that is just barely bigger than the size of the tear.
- To make it easier to cut the tape without having to pare the tape off the scissor blades, use modest nail scissors or sewing scissors. If you're using larger scissors, trim the tape using the tip of the blades.
- Choose a single-sided tape with a mild adhesive. Consider "magic" tape, gift wrap tape, multitask record, or other transparent role tapes. Avoid strong tapes like electrical tape.
2
Cover the entire tear with the tape. Stick the heart of the tape over the middle of the break. Press down firmly to attach. Then, using the tip of an unbroken nail, glide the lengths of the record on either side and so that they embrace the tear from end to terminate.^[5]
- Make sure that both broken sides are lined up evenly earlier applying the tape.
- Use firm, fifty-fifty pressure to secure the record in place.
- Rub the tape on in the direction of the tear, never against it. Rubbing in the opposite direction could crusade the nail to pare upwardly farther.
3
Trim off any backlog tape. If the piece of tape you practical to your nail is slightly too large, utilize nail or sewing pair of scissors to snip away whatsoever excess.
- Brand sure that the ends of the tape are flat against the blast.
- Yous could besides use the tips of standard size scissors to cutting the tape if you practice not take small scissors.^[6]
four
Fix the nail as soon every bit possible. Even though this fix will suffice for emergency nail care, information technology is by no ways a permanent solution. You will need to adhere the nail back into place using a stronger adhesive and a more thorough application.
- Take special precaution, in the concurrently, to avoid snagging the tape or the nail beneath.
five

Proceed with caution during tape removal. Every bit you skin the tape off, skin the tape off in the direction of the tear, non against it.

Advertisement

ane
Wash your easily or feet. Before you can gear up the nail, you need to brand certain that your hands are make clean and free of oils.
- Use warm water and lather to wash your hands or feet. Dry out well with a make clean towel.
- Wash and dry carefully to avoid accidentally snagging the torn nail and making matters worse.
2
Soak the detached nail in warm water. If the tip of your boom broke off completely and you want to reattach it, soak the cleaved tip in warm water until it feels pliable once again.
- If your nail is all the same attached or however pliable, condone this step.
three
Apply nail glue to the torn boom. Gently press the tube of boom gum until a minor dewdrop of mucilage comes out. Take hold of this bead with a toothpick and spread it over one side of the cleaved boom, creating a sparse coat of adhesive.
- If you do not take nail glue, use super glue. In general, a glue containing cyanoacrylate will form the strongest bond.
- Practise not touch the glue with your fingers for whatever reason.
iv
Press the nail into identify. Use the tip of the toothpick to ease the broken portion of the nail back into place. Press down on the nail with firm, even force per unit area, using the side of the toothpick.
- Once more, it is important to avert getting mucilage directly on your fingers.
- Apply force per unit area for at to the lowest degree 1 minute to ensure that the boom adheres properly.
five
Wipe off backlog gum. Before the glue finishes drying completely, dip a cotton wool swab or cotton wool brawl in nail polish remover and run the soaked cotton wool along the sides of your nail bed. This should go any backlog mucilage off your pare.
- You may demand to scrub a bit to go the gum off.
- Make sure to utilize nail polish remover on any part of your skin you got glue on.
6
Smoothen the repaired surface area. After the gum has finished drying, file the nail to look even. Use the crude side of an emery board or smash file to file down the crude, exposed edge of the tear.
- Movement the file in 1 direction, not back and along. To minimize the risk of farther damage, motion in the direction of the break, not against information technology.
- Work slowly to prevent yourself from causing additional damage.
7

Use a protective top coat when dry out. One time the cleaved boom seems shine over again, protect information technology by applying a glaze of nail strengthener or protective top coat over the unabridged boom. Permit the nail dry completely.

Advertisement

1
Remove the detached nail. When a blast or a portion of the boom gets completely ripped from the smash bed, you may need to remove the nail in order to treat the injury. Use nail scissors to carefully snip abroad whatsoever portion that is partially attached and lift the nail out using tweezers.
- Untreated nails can lead to infections or ulcers if you have one of these diseases.
- By removing the nail, you permit yourself amend access to the injured nail bed beneath. Every bit a upshot, y'all might be able to reduce the risk of infection by treating the expanse better.
- Alternatively, you could get out the discrete blast in identify and clean around it. Doing so is harder, just possible. The discrete nail volition autumn off on its ain once new nail grows in its place.
Have a md trim the smash if you have diabetes, peripheral arterial disease, or an immune system problem. Since these diseases can reduce blood flow and feeling in your feet, blast injuries can crusade more than serious bug. See a doctor for assistance with your nail injury.^[7]
2
Stop the bleeding. Depending on how severe the detachment was, your boom bed may be bleeding a lot. Before you can continue treatment, stop the bleeding past applying pressure to the injury.
- When possible, use medical gauze or sterile cotton wool pads. Identify the cloth or pad directly over the injury and press firmly for several minutes. Use even pressure.
3
Trim downward any remaining nail. Use nail clippers or abrupt smash scissors to cutting away any jagged or sharp edges. You lot should exercise this regardless of whether yous removed the detached blast or left it in place to prevent further catching and violent.
- Contact your doc and have her trim your nail if it is too painful, or if you are non comfortable doing and so yourself.
4
Soak your foot or hand in cold water. Immediately after you trim the nail, soak the damaged nail bed in a bowl of common cold h2o for twenty minutes.
- The water should exist cold plenty to soothe and numb the area.
- Soaking your toe or finger in common cold h2o helps regulate claret menstruum in that area of your body.
five
Soak your foot or hand in table salt water. After using the cold h2o treatment, switch to a handling of warm water and salt.
- Mix one tsp of salt into iv cups of warm water.
- Permit your damaged finger or toe soak in the salt water for 20 minutes. The salt h2o helps forestall infection.
- Echo this procedure two or three times daily for the showtime iii days.
- Pat dry out using a clean, soft cotton cloth.
half-dozen
Apply an antibiotic ointment. To farther speed up the healing process and reduce the take chances of infection, apply your fingers or a make clean cotton swab to gently rub a layer of antibody ointment over the entire expanse.^[8]
- Brand sure that your hands are make clean equally you handle the injury.
seven
Embrace the nail bed until a new nail grows in. Wrap an agglutinative bandage over the damaged nail to prevent further snagging and reduce the risk of infection.
- Proceed the bandage over your nail bed until enough new nail has grown in to cover the entire nail bed.
- Change your bandage each fourth dimension you soak or clean the wound. Make sure that the wound is dry each fourth dimension y'all change the bandage. If the bandage gets wet, change it also.
- To speed up nail growth, yous can use petroleum jelly to your blast and cover it with a not-stick bandage.^[nine]
viii
Monitor the injury for infection. Scout for signs of infection each time you lot change the cast. This is especially of import during the commencement 72 hours, but you should go along to check until enough nail grows in to cover the exposed nail bed.
- Signs of possible infection include: fever, redness, increased oestrus to the injury, pain, tenderness, swelling, or puss.
- If you suspect that an infection has set in, schedule an appointment with your doctor.
Advertisement

Add New Question

Question

I accept a cracked toenail just no harm on the nail bed. Is it ok to apply nail gel over it until it grows out?

Luba Lee, FNP-BC is a board certified Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) and educator in Tennessee with over a decade of clinical feel. Luba has certifications in Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS), Emergency Medicine, Advanced Cardiac Life Back up (ACLS), Squad Building, and Disquisitional Care Nursing. She received her Main of Science in Nursing (MSN) from the Academy of Tennessee in 2006.

Master's Degree, Nursing, University of Tennessee Knoxville

Skilful Answer

Support wikiHow by unlocking this practiced answer.

Apply the gum merely on the nail non between skin and the blast to avoid infection. Continue your nail and toe clean with daily washings with soap and water. Additionally, soak your feet in common salt water, pat dry and employ petroleum jelly, embrace with non-adhesive cast for overnight to speed upwards smash growth. You can also take vitamin B complex to promote healthy prison cell growth and aid in nail repair.

Ask a Question

200 characters left

Include your email accost to get a message when this question is answered.

Submit

VideoRead Video Transcript

Virtually This Article

Commodity Summary 10

If yous demand to chop-chop fix a broken nail, cutting a pocket-size slice of clear record and so it's only big plenty to embrace the tear. Lay the tape over the tear in the smash and printing it downward firmly so it adheres, then trim away whatsoever backlog tape. If y'all have nail glue, you can create a longer-term solution by gluing downward a small slice of a tea bag or coffee filter over the tear. One time the glue dries, use a clear glaze of nail smooth over the unabridged blast, including the patch. If you need to repair a detached smash, read on!

Did this summary assistance you?

Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 1,213,804 times.