This is NOT medical advice but my story. Been there done that. The top nail dies. You can wait until beyond the time when it is too uncomfortable & basically grab the end tip of the nail & lift yanking it off hard peeling it off the base. Will be ugly & sore underneath with a tad of blood but wash it off & put an ointment / bandaids over it. Wash well every day & after about 2-3 days you will notice you got an entire clean new nail under it (was there all along). Or if it bothers you before the top nail is totally dead, dig out a corner and basically "LET IT RIP!" pulling it from one corner to the other tearing it off hard. You might have to do each end to get it all & even get straggler pieces the next day or two if you were really early (even “carve” off pieces) but, again, you will find a new thin nail underneath. The question then is did your injury (mine was long distance running) permanently damage your nail bed or a one time thing? If permanent the good news is toe nails grow very slowly but the bad news is you will have to do this again in 3 to 6 months. Note, I am a long distance runner who was always smashing toe nails against the inside of the shoes, blistering all over, sweating, & getting smashed nails leading to double nails. The answer for me has been wearing Injinji 5 toe socks with Vibram 5 Finger Shoes. The socks cushion each toe & keeps the moisture out so you do not blister. The shoes protect each tow. My longest tow next to the big fat one still hits the sneaker base a little but it is much softer material. The Vibram 5s take time getting use to so start slow & build up. They are not for everyone but once use to them they have been my miracle. I got over 450 miles out of my first pair & not a single blister. There is a slight hole at the end of the long tow sockets on each food so there is some friction there but it is much softer material than a regular sneaker. Yes, I know it is gross but I do “LET IT RIP” and I feel wonderful after!
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This is NOT medical advice but my story. Been there done that. The top nail dies. You can wait until beyond the time when it is too uncomfortable & basically grab the end tip of the nail & lift yanking it off hard peeling it off the base. Will be ugly & sore underneath with a tad of blood but wash it off & put an ointment / bandaids over it. Wash well every day & after about 2-3 days you will notice you got an entire clean new nail under it (was there all along). Or if it bothers you before the top nail is totally dead, dig out a corner and basically "LET IT RIP!" pulling it from one corner to the other tearing it off hard. You might have to do each end to get it all & even get straggler pieces the next day or two if you were really early (even “carve” off pieces) but, again, you will find a new thin nail underneath. The question then is did your injury (mine was long distance running) permanently damage your nail bed or a one time thing? If permanent the good news is toe nails grow very slowly but the bad news is you will have to do this again in 3 to 6 months. Note, I am a long distance runner who was always smashing toe nails against the inside of the shoes, blistering all over, sweating, & getting smashed nails leading to double nails. The answer for me has been wearing Injinji 5 toe socks with Vibram 5 Finger Shoes. The socks cushion each toe & keeps the moisture out so you do not blister. The shoes protect each tow. My longest tow next to the big fat one still hits the sneaker base a little but it is much softer material. The Vibram 5s take time getting use to so start slow & build up. They are not for everyone but once use to them they have been my miracle. I got over 450 miles out of my first pair & not a single blister. There is a slight hole at the end of the long tow sockets on each food so there is some friction there but it is much softer material than a regular sneaker. Yes, I know it is gross but I do “LET IT RIP” and I feel wonderful after!
June 20, 2012 - 4:34pmThis Comment
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