If you lose your nail, it will take about 7 to 10 days for the nail bed to heal. A new fingernail will take about 4 to 6 months to grow to replace the lost nail. Toenails take about 12 months to grow back. The new nail will probably have grooves or ridges and be somewhat misshapen.
After a nail separates from the nail bed for whatever reason, it will not reattach. A new nail will have to grow back in its place. Nails grow back slowly. It takes about 6 months for a fingernail and up to 18 months for a toenail to grow back.
If a damaged nail has not grown out normally after 12 months the damage is permanent. Nail plates grow forward from the germinal matrix which lies under the cuticle skin at the base of the nail called the eponychium.
As long as there is no permanent damage to the nail matrix or nail bed, the nail ought to entirely regrow and appear completely normal.
Bleeding, intense pain, sensitivity and evidence of torn skin are all signs that you have injured your nail bed. You can expect a lengthy healing process following your injury.
Use a Strengthening Base Coat
“I recommend cuticle oil, hand cream, a strengthening base coat, and a keratin nail treatment,” says Graves. “These will keep the cuticles and nails hydrated while also helping to protect and strengthen the nails during the regrowth process.”
A subungual hematoma appears dark red under the nail. The finger or toe is painful and may throb. Other nail trauma also may be painful, and the nail can split, crack, or lift away from the nail bed.
Nail injuries can be noticeable until the damaged nail grows out. Fingernails usually regrow completely in about two months. Toenails take about four months. If injury includes the base of the nail, some cosmetic changes may be permanent.
Even a small injury to your nail bed can undo the “glue” that holds your nail to your finger or toe. So, yes, your nail could come off after an injury — even with the right medical treatment.
In the condition known as koilonychia, the nails are flattened and have concavities. This condition may be associated with iron deficiency. In onycholysis the nails become loose. They may even detach from the nail bed.
An infected nail may separate from the nail bed. Nail fungus is a common infection of the nail. It begins as a white or yellow-brown spot under the tip of your fingernail or toenail. As the fungal infection goes deeper, the nail may discolor, thicken and crumble at the edge.
An abnormal border between the pink area of your nail and the white edge of your nail. The border may look wavy, and the white areas may be thicker in some areas and thinner in others. Discoloration in your nails and nail beds. They may look gray, green, purple, white or yellow.
Abnormalities — such as spots, discoloration, and nail separation — can result from injuries to the fingers and hands, viral warts (periungual warts), infections (onychomycosis), and some medications, such as those used for chemotherapy. Certain medical conditions can also change the appearance of your fingernails.
Reapply petroleum jelly, and cover with a fresh adhesive bandage. Keep the nail bed dry, clean, and covered with petroleum jelly and an adhesive bandage until the nail bed is firm or the nail has grown back. Apply a new adhesive bandage whenever the bandage gets wet.
Getting Active Again
If you lose your nail, it will take about 7 to 10 days for the nail bed to heal. A new fingernail will take about 4 to 6 months to grow to replace the lost nail. Toenails take about 12 months to grow back. The new nail will probably have grooves or ridges and be somewhat misshapen.
A fever, injury, chemotherapy, or major stress can cause your nails to grow slowly or stop growing. If you cannot think of what could may have caused your nails to grow slowly or stop growing, see your dermatologist or primary care doctor. Once you find and get rid of the cause, nails often start growing normally.
Severe damage to the nail bed (the soft tissue underneath the nail plate that attaches the nail to the finger), particularly from a crush injury, often results in permanent nail deformity. To reduce the risk of a permanent nail deformity, the injury should be repaired immediately, which requires removal of the nail.
The nail bed is moist, soft, and sensitive. It needs to be protected from injury for the first 7 to 10 days until it dries out and becomes hard. Keep it covered with a nonstick dressing or a bandage without adhesive.
It can take several weeks for your toenail to completely fall off. Contact your doctor if the subungual hematoma covers more than a quarter of your toenail. If you feel throbbing or intense pain near the hematoma, your doctor can use a heated needle or wire to make a small hole in your toenail to relieve the pressure.
Nails don't need surface access to air because they get oxygen and nutrients from your blood. Keeping nails hydrated is important if yours are prone to breakage, and a pause in polishing to moisturize would help.
Protect any exposed part of the nail bed for 7 to 10 days until this skin hardens and isn't sensitive anymore. Coat the area with antibiotic ointment and top with a nonstick bandage. Change the bandage every day and whenever it gets wet. (If any part gets stuck, soak it under warm running water until it slips off.)