Wednesday, January 13, 2010

What to do about a split nail?

My husband split his nail down the middle to the quick. It is bleeding and he said it is throbbing and hurts like hell. Of course this is no emergency, but other than a band aid, is there anything else he can do?What to do about a split nail?
Use super glue to hold the two pieces of nail together until it grows out long enough to cut. The super glue can be filed down to be smooth so it (or the nail) doesn't get caught on anything. Also, a lot of paramedics use super glue to hold together a wound and it's being used in surgeries now. Although the medical version is a bit different than what you can buy at the store, but it's all basically the same stuff!What to do about a split nail?
Ouch!





Firstoff, do not put a bandaid on it!! Imagine trying to take it off, the nail will want to come with it. There's not much you can do for the bleeding, as pushing on the nail itself will encourage bleeding rather than stop it. The best thing is to hold the hand up in the air and wrapping it firmly in non-sticky bandage to stop the bleeding.





You dont want the nail catching on anything, so trim the end of it if needs be.


Fill a small bowel with warm water and put a bit of antiseptic in there. Dip the finger in for a few minutes. This should help numb the pain and also give it a good clean. Then leave it to air dry.





Wrap in normal guaze bandage- definitely no cotton wool type fabric, or anything plasticy or sticky. This is likely to catch on the nail and irritate it, or deprive it of air. Keep the nail clean as much as you can.





Just leaving it like this, you can wait for the nail to grow back whole, but keep the nail well trimmed to prevent it catching, and keep it wrapped up in guaze until the nail is fully grown back.





Alternatively, go to the hospital to have the whole nail removed and bandaged.
Just keep it clean and trimmed. Bandaid liquid bandage painted on the nail after using an antseptic will help promote nail growth, healing and prevent infection. Neosporen makes a product with litocane in it. It also can help prevent infection and promote nail growth but need to be covered with a bandage and should be reapplied daily with a fresh bandage. If your husband dose work that keeps his hands dirty, he should wear a rubber glove or rubber finger tip. Let the nail air at night when he's sleeping. keeping it too moist or not moist enough, can lead to a slower recovery. 10 ounces of jellow,


twice a day, should be included in his diet for a week.

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