People who've lost toenails. . .

[mollmeister]

How have you dealt with it? Podiatrist? Just let it do its own thing?

Amazingly, through years of distance running and skiing, I have never lost a toenail. Until now. And I don't even know why, although I might venture a guess that it is related to ski season. I was taking off some very old, very chipped (like months old-- I have little kids, dontcha know) toenail polish and thought, "Huh, my toenail looks weird and bulgy."

Lo and behold, it's cracked and broken completely across, except for a tiny piece holding it on, about 3/4 of the way to the root. The nail bed looks pretty untraumatized, so I think whatever I did to it, I did a while ago, and the polish has been holding it together. So, being kind of a dork and really busy and not sure what to do. . . I re-polished it and hoped that might hold it on a bit longer.

But should I be calling the podiatrist? Removing the polish and clipping it? Aside from total ugliness during sandal season, should I anticipate any grow-in problems?

 

[Kiragirl]

You could wait and let it fall off by itself. I wouldn't put polish on.

funny, my mom was a kindergarten teacher and has bad toenails from constantly being stepped on.

 

[pinto]

We tennis players spend a lot of time slamming our toes into the front of our shoes when stopping and changing direction ... I lose the second toenail on my right foot every summer, so it might be extra sensitive after all the trauma -- I don't really know.

I've lost many other toenails, too, but I've never been to the podiatrist about it. They seem to grow back okay. I just paint the nailbed as a pretend toenail while it's growing back ... not the prettiest thing in the world, but even pretty feet are fairly unattractive, so I don't worry about it too much.

 

[Pequenita]

I just let them do their thing. I do trim back as the new nail pushes the old, dead nail off, but the whole process takes a while. My nails are starting to look normal again after doing this to them last June.

 

[mollmeister]

I just let them do their thing. I do trim back as the new nail pushes the old, dead nail off, but the whole process takes a while. My nails are starting to look normal again after doing this to them last June.

Sweet!

It's my second toe, too. Guess I'll take off the polish *glue* and trim the hanger-on and hope it does its thing. I gather it could take a looooong time.
:mad:

 

[Little Lightning]

When I had Rossignol ski boots I lost the nail on my left toe every season. It would turn black and fall off. I just let it go and it would grow back.

A friend of my used to say that it was a fact of life that ski boots would cause one to lose toenails. Fortunately, this hasn't happened with my newer boots.

 

[Pequenita]

Sweet!

Yep! I didn't want to gross people out by putting the image in the thread.

 

[SkiNurse]

I lost a toenail hiking...same thing, most of it was off, but hanging by a little piece. Too far down to just rip off. So I kept a bandaid on it until it got to the point where I could remove it completely. Then, it felt sooooo much better! Until that time it just kept getting caught on everything...

So, short story long, I'd just leave it until it comes off completely. i wouldn't see a doc unless you have a lot of pain or there are signs of infection.

 

[persee]

Indeed - get some hypoallergenic tap to wrap around. I think the nail still serves some purpose to protect the nail bed until new nail grows in.

 

[Daria]

Toe nails UGGG, they take on average six months to grow back and I am sorry to say I have had alot of experience. My first round came with a pair of Lange boots that terrorized my toe nails for years. Then running when I refused to accept that I needed to buy shoes quite a bit larger to accomodate the natural swelling process.

I don't think this is something to ignore. Toe nails serve an important purpose. I also think, once damaged, it is better to give the nail air to breath and not cover up with polish.

If you hurt your nail every year and ignore it as normal I believe is a mistake. It could lead to permanent damage. If it is ski boots, get them adjusted or get a new pair. If it is running shoes, go longer!

 

[MaineSkiLady]

Meant to reply to this earlier. We had another thread earlier about the toenail issue. I pronounced myself unofficial Queen of Horrible Toenail Issues. Photos would make everyone sick. Trust me.

Here's the deal: any time there is sufficient injury to a nail to make it either break off or blacken and fall out results in damage to the actual nail matrix - from which the nail originates. How extensive or how soon this damage occurs will vary among individuals. But it is trauma, and the body responds in a variety of less-than-wonderful ways. The primary result is the actual thickening of the matrix (not unlike scar tissue) - the body's response to injury: produce a thicker nail. The problem with a thicker nail is that it will curve, and it's almost impossible to cut it or keep it from ingrowing.

Once this begins to happen, it's an endless cycle of issues. The end of the line to this endless cycle of inflammation/infection (feet and toes are hotbeds of bacteria) is that the toenails must be permanently removed and the matrix "deactivated" via chemical (I'm allergic to it) or laser (hard to find podiatrist with equipment this sophisticated). Otherwise, a "deformed" version of the original toenail is forever growing back in.

Thus, it's really not a bad idea to take the time/spend the money to have it checked and make sure that the the new growth is in alignment. Podiatrists will also have good tips on proper shoe fit to prevent further/other injury to the nails.

If I'd bothered to do this many, many years ago, I wouldn't have the issues I have now. Hindsight/20-20/Monday morning quarterback. FWIW.

 

[Shellski]

Yep, all the time. My last boots I used to lose both toenails twice a year, from an OS trip, and from skiing our season here in Australia.

In my latest boots, it hasn't happened until this year, there was one extremely cold day I had my left foot in my boot awkwardly, it didn't feel right all day and was really cold, I think I'd cut off the circulation. I knew when I took my boot off that the toenail was doomed, and it's only just come off last week.

I find the nail stays on for a couple of months until the new nail growing underneath pushes it off, don't pick at it, just wrap a bandaid around it if you have to and let it do it's thing.

It shouldn't happen though, I don't think any recreational skier should be losing toenails regularly through 'toe bang', I've learnt my lesson.

 

[skigrl27]

3 nails down this season. My boots were brand new & I used them all 70 some-odd days this season. I think the breaking-in period took a toll on the tootsies! Hence, I lost 3 toenails...but only the ends of them. It's like they turned white, got unattached & fell off without much trouble. I kept an eye on them and they have since grown back. They're still a bit odd looking, but I think in a few weeks they should be totally normal. With polish on them, you'd never even know.

None of it was painful, either. I was suprised by that.