Runners - my big toenail is clearly dead! It's sandal season - help!!!

[AngryofTunbridgeWells]

As the title says, pretty much. After running the London marathon the nail on my big toe is clearly dead. It was initially bruised and felt like it'd be okay but now has a corpse-like grey tinge and the nail feels like it's gradually going to come away. It's not painful or anything, and I am resisting painting it even though it would probably look better in the short term.

So, how long might these things take to come off? And how revolting will it look when it comes away? Lastly, is there anything I can do to make it look better that doesn't involve socks?!

Plaster?

You can paint it for now.

If it comes off a decent nail salon should be able to reconstruct it. I jammed my hand in the car door years ago and mine was able to reconstruct the nail with acrylic when it came off. The acrylic helped it to grow back without ridges/dents too.

Why don't you want to paint it? Something like orange covers black/grey toes well. Could be a couple of weeks before it actually comes off.

Darkish nail varnish will cover nail. It will take months to come off, but it may recover from the new growth. Closed toe sandals?

You can buy false stick on toe nails.

Possibly illogically, I don't want to paint it as I don't want to later need to press down to get the polish off. I am also a bit concerned that IF it rips or something equally hideous, I'd have polish on it that I couldn't / wouldn't want to take off. I also cannot bear chipped polish!

I just painted mine and once it had fallen off the skin underneath was also paintable, as it wasn't all raw-nail-bed-y like when you rip a nail off in the doorframe, so I just used to paint that as well whenever I was going out wearing sandals, or paint none of them once the manky colouring has gone. People mainly aren't looking too closely at your feet so I think a low-key fix is fine.

That's good to read!

Running shoes need to be at least one size too big. Many, many years ago, I ignored the old school runners who told me and bought what looked nice. The nails on my left foot (which is bigger) are now totally fucked as I destroyed the beds. I just have to paint them and repaint them for holiday sandals. I'd include a pic, but I'm on my laptop, not my phone.

Yes I was really surprised last year when my big toe nail came off that the exposed skin wasn't excruciatingly tender and painful as I had expected it to be.
My toe nails are a lot more presentable since earlier this year when an NHS person in the podiatry department cut them for me and gave me a big emery file and instructions on how to keep them neat. But I still have an ongoing battle with fungal infection in the big toenail of my left foot. So i paint my nails including that one which is currently only half a nail

I had to do that once. Danced all night in new shoes = bye bye both big toenails. I bought fake glue ons and painted all my toenails pearly pink for the summer. They looked fine

@thenightsky I know this, and my trainers are a size bigger. This doesn't guarantee no issues.

@Somethingbland I hope that's the case with mine, that the skin under it is okay. I think it probably will be as it's not sore but the idea of it all does make me shudder!