My big toenail is about to fall off...

[besmirchedandbewildered]

i have just noticed my big toenail is only attached to my toe in one hopelessly inadequate corner. It looks ok at the minute, it's not flapping or anything, and I reckon if I painted it, it would look relatively normal. But I'm giving it two weeks until the whole lots falls off especially now I've noticed it and won't be able to resist ferkling about with it leaving me big-toenail-less right at the start of sandal season. I normally spend pretty much the entire summer in Birkenstocks. What can I do?!

A) how can I persuade the bloody thing to stay on as long as possible?
B) is there such a thing as false big toenails? What would I glue them to?
C) what am I going to wear on my hideously disfigured feet until the replacement nail grows back? I love sandals as I am somewhat stinky of foot (what an absolute catch I am!) so am reluctant to go down the ballet flats route as they will be walking about on their own come September...

Please help me, oh stylish and beautiful ones...

This happened to me last June after a rather nasty (but not drinking-related) toe-stubbing incident. I have BioGel pedicures in the summer which last for about 6 weeks but do mean that your toe nails are very hard, which is why the whole nail came off rather than it breaking. Anyway, my BioGel lady stuck a false one on and painted to match the rest, and you really couldn't tell. It did occasionally come off, in which case a dab of superglue worked a treat (apart from the time it ran and I glued my toe to my sandal.....whole other story, advise caution and bare feet if gluing nail back on...). The false one was just glued to the nail bed which sounds yuck but was fine. I suggest therefore you treat yourself to a professional pedicure, if you can afford it - costs around £25 usually, many salons do BioGel. If you can't afford that, then go to a salon and ask them to put one false nail on your toe and then paint them yourself. Good luck. BTW mine looks normal now and am looking forward to first pedicure of the summer next week, but it does take 6 months for a whole toenail to grow.

SIX MONTHS!

'Fraid so....

This happened to me after the London Marathon last year. The big toe, and the 2 next to it on one foot!

When the nails came off I just painted what remained My toes nails never look fab anyway, so didn't look too different. No one else ever commented so I'm not sure it was noticeable!

Did take a good while for proper nails to regrow though.

OMG you need a doctor not a stick on nail

Noddy why do I need a doctor?

I'm wondering the same besmirched? How has your nail managed to be just hanging on?

If your feet are whiffy it could be down to athlete's foot. This can affect the nails if not treated and make them prone to falling off.

I managed to find some really extra large false fingernails in Boots to attach to my toe(no)nail when I lost mine in a bus door. I remember that I only put it on for special occasions when the nail-bed was well-healed months later.

I pity the poor woman who needed nails that large for her fingers

It's not really "hanging on" as such, which is why I only noticed this morning. I came back from a skiing weekend at Christmas and it was sore. It bruised up over January but the colour faded so I ignored it. I had a closer look today and it is clearly going to come off, there's a reasonable-ish-sized triangle at the top right which is attached but it's completely detached at the bottom . Looking closer I think the new nail might be about a quarter of the way up already [hopeful face]

Might get some athlete's foot powder, presumably that would help with the whiff anyway, thanks for the tip sobenobu

Pretty sure it's not an A and E job!

I lost a few on a long long hike. I was pretty pissed off but can't really remember how long they took to regrow, so probably not a massively traumatic experience.

You need to clear the infection or the new nail might grow through and drop off too!

Are you sure there isn't a nail growing underneath already? I've recently lost both of my '4th' toenails (due to general clumsiness ) and there were tiny nails already there when the nails fell off.

Oh I see what you mean now noddy but I don't think it's an infection, think it was ill-fitting ski boots and not cutting my toenails before I went that was the problem.

Frontpaw I wouldn't be bothered either if it were winter but I do love my sandals...

oops just saw your latest post. sounds like all will be well if the nail is already growing underneath. you will definately be able to glue a falsie onto the stub of new nail :)

My whole toenail fell off after a week's holiday wearing new snowboarding boots. It took YEARS to grow back !

In the end I got sick of how odd not having a toenail looked in the summer so I went to the doctor and they gave me something to pain on it, Curanail or something like that.

So I painted that on and my nail grew back, it has never been the same tho, it's discoloured and a bit manky looking compared to the rest. But I always wear a dark coloured polish so no sweat really.

Years

My second toe-nail fell off when I was about 19, from too much ballet (pointe work). It grew back, but has never quite reached full strength, and the tiniest stub means that it comes off again, so every 2 years or so I have no nail.

Usually it does a similar thing to yours and detaches slowly, and then there's a soft, half nail underneath.

I just paint what I have, stick to pale pinky paints (i.e. so it's less obvious) and wear sandals. No one has ever commented (to my face, at least!)

I'd recommend if not a doctor at least a properlly qualified chiropodist to sort you out/ reassure you.

One or two of mine have fallen off but there have been new ones at least partially grown underneath.

I'm a podiatrist, it'll be fine. Stick it back with nail glue (think boots do it in the manicure section) or cut it off and get a gel nail pedi to replace it.

How long it takes to grow back depends on circulation and how long your body takes to produce a nail. Mine took 12 months when I lost one at 28, but I have rubbish circulation.

Honestly patients lose them all the time. If it's dry underneath it's probably the top layers that have come off and the bottom layer is still intact. Nails have 5 layers iirc.