Help, my nail is falling off

['chelle]

Hi,

I woke up today with my little fingernail feeling really sore, so I decided to soak off my nail on that finger to see what was going on with it, and discovered that I have, what appears to be, the worst case of onycholysis I have ever seen (picture below). The picture isnt great and you'd be forgiven for thinking "bacterial infection" but I really dont think it is. Where you can see the white bit, my nail is completely separated from the nail bed and is lifting. Its sore but if you can lift the nail you can see underneath it, its practically hanging off.

I've taken the length down, then done an l&p overlay to protect it because its so sore, then for vanity's sake have covered that with a shellac rockstar so my nails all match again!

I really feel like the whole nail is going to come off, I cant think what do do other than what I've already done and now leave it the hell alone.

Any advice?

 

[izzidoll]

Keep it short, and clean.
Use Solar Oil 3-4 times a day, and put some in behind the nail too.
Eventually the nail will reattach as it grows but it will be months before it is back to normal.

 

[mum]

Ooof!! Nasty. have you been wearing tips that have been pinching (i.e. deeper 'C' curve than your nail) or pinching the enhancement as it cures, or a too thick gel layer that has shrunk when cured? As it's lifted down the centre it seems to suggest that some pressure has been put on the sides and broken the seal down the centre of the nail bed. Maybe your nail plate is just very this and just 'popped'

Solar Oil is fabulous but this nail bed is so open to infection, using an open bottle with a brush could introduce pathogens and it isn't a prophylactic (i.e. preventative care, preventing a fungal invasion) There is a product that is very effective that you can buy from the pharmacy called Clear Zal. This is a prophylactic and a cure so it will deal with any infection or prevent it. It can penetrate a nail plate so will attack any problem from all sides and allow the nail plate to reattach to the nail bed. I would suggest using this for a few months and not wear any enhancement as that will put more pressure on a weak nail

 

['chelle]

Thankyou for your advice :green:

I dont wear tips with a particularly harsh C curve, I always use CND tips, and I never pinch when the product is curing, although I completely get where you are coming from about it looking like its been pinched and the nail bed has "popped", I will examine my practices to see if I can identify anything that might have caused it. I will also pop to the chemist for some of that lotion you have recommended.

My next task is to deal with my husband, whose reaction was "well you will insist on wearing these stupid false nails" :grr:

 

[bobbyrazz]

Thankyou for your advice :green:

I dont wear tips with a particularly harsh C curve, I always use CND tips, and I never pinch when the product is curing, although I completely get where you are coming from about it looking like its been pinched and the nail bed has "popped", I will examine my practices to see if I can identify anything that might have caused it. I will also pop to the chemist for some of that lotion you have recommended.

My next task is to deal with my husband, whose reaction was "well you will insist on wearing these stupid false nails" :grr:

Men!
That's like saying to a football fan... "it's only a game"

 

[Nickie]

Men!
That's like saying to a football fan... "it's only a game"

LOL! I do this to wind my husband up all the time!

 

[nailzoo]

how often do you put nails on ?
Do you think you may have thinned them too much?
Can you show a picture of the whole hand (by looking at the other nails, maybe something relative can be seen), these things don't happen overnight.

That nail has to be kept really short, well oiled so it is flexible and kept really clean underneath.

 

[Welshclairy]

I have this too, OP - I wore stick on (glue on) nails from boots continuously for 10 years (before I knew better) and 6 or 7 of my nails did exactly that.

I stopped using the nails Christmas 2008 and they still aren't fully reattached. They don't hurt anymore, and they never got infected, and I look after them with solar oil and shellac (they don't look pretty bare) but please be aware it will likely take a long time for your nail to repair itself.

 

['chelle]

how often do you put nails on ?
Do you think you may have thinned them too much?
Can you show a picture of the whole hand (by looking at the other nails, maybe something relative can be seen), these things don't happen overnight.

That nail has to be kept really short, well oiled so it is flexible and kept really clean underneath.

Hi, I've been wearing l&p tip & overlay almost continuously for the last 10 years. I rebalance mostly, but I soak off and do a new set about once every 6 months, and I've never had a problem. I'm wearing tip & overlay on my other 9 nails currently so cant show you the full hand, but you have got me thinking that I need to check the state of the rest of my nails, so when I get into work tomorrow I will soak off the full set and get a picture.

 

[amurphy105]

I had a client transfer over to me once. Her doc said it was fungal. It took months to straighten out. It wasn't anything she did. She is such a clean person. All she wears is French.
We talked about her history at the time, and suspect her local gym was the culprit. It wasn't like any other I had seen, and I was suspicious of the fungal diagnosis, but the meds cleared it up straight away, although it took months to grow out.
I'm beginning to understand germophobes.

Sent from my Desire HD using SalonGeek

 

[amurphy105]

Also... He suggested a vinegar soak each day. Smelly, but naturally antibacterial.

Sent from my Desire HD using SalonGeek

 

['chelle]

I believe I may need to see a doctor. I soaked my full set off today and my other 9 nails have really bad onycholysis too, and if I put a little bit of pressure on the nail the onycholysis spreads, if I was stupid enough I could pop the whole nail off the nailbed if I pinched it gently, that cant be right can it? So, I took my shellac off my toes and its happening to my toenails too. I shall visit the doctor I think.

God I really hope all my fingernails and toenails aren't going to fall off :cry:

 

[Katy:)]

If its happening to your toes as well sound like you could have something else going on, maybe a vitamin deficiency, and nothing to do with your enhancements ?? Although of course I am not a doctor, I'm sure they can explain what is going on. Good luck and keeps us up to date with what they say! 😁

 

[NancySyd]

Hi,

I woke up today with my little fingernail feeling really sore, so I decided to soak off my nail on that finger to see what was going on with it, and discovered that I have, what appears to be, the worst case of onycholysis I have ever seen (picture below). The picture isnt great and you'd be forgiven for thinking "bacterial infection" but I really dont think it is. Where you can see the white bit, my nail is completely separated from the nail bed and is lifting. Its sore but if you can lift the nail you can see underneath it, its practically hanging off.

I've taken the length down, then done an l&p overlay to protect it because its so sore, then for vanity's sake have covered that with a shellac rockstar so my nails all match again!

I really feel like the whole nail is going to come off, I cant think what do do other than what I've already done and now leave it the hell alone.

Any advice?

I got a bit of onycholysis about six months ago. I believe it was from ongoing trauma to the nail. I think that when my nails get long, I hit/catch them against things more often. If you're wearing sculpted or tips, you may be hitting your nails without realizing it because the nail doesn't break as it would if it were just your natural nail. I used tea tree oil several times a day - granted I use tea tree oil for everything, but it seemed to do the trick. And since tea tree oil is a natural antiseptic, it will likely prevent a secondary infection. Still, yours look pretty severe, and that lifting would make you very vulnerable to an infection even if you don't already have one. I would recommend seeing a doctor just to make sure you don't already have an infection and to take steps to avoid one.

 

[Jenski]

I don't really have anything further to add, but I'm very pleased your seeking medical advice, I just wanted to offer a hug xxx

 

[Wellyb]

Yes I too send a big hug and am interested to hear what the doctor says xxx

 

[Chelseymx]

I believe I may need to see a doctor. I soaked my full set off today and my other 9 nails have really bad onycholysis too, and if I put a little bit of pressure on the nail the onycholysis spreads, if I was stupid enough I could pop the whole nail off the nailbed if I pinched it gently, that cant be right can it? So, I took my shellac off my toes and its happening to my toenails too. I shall visit the doctor I think.

God I really hope all my fingernails and toenails aren't going to fall off :cry:

Hi i know this was a long time ago but did you ever get to the bottom of what this was? Thanks xx

 

[Trinity]

Hi i know this was a long time ago but did you ever get to the bottom of what this was? Thanks xx

@'chelle hasn't been back since 2013