Dr. Leo Krawetz of Healthy Feet Podiatry in Tampa and Brooksville removes a toenail that was lifted off the toenail bed.
I’m Dr. Leo Krawetz at Healthy Feet Podiatry.
Today, in my office, I have a patient that injured his toenail. He kicked a tire in his garage. He was wearing flip-flop sandals, which are open-toed sandals, kicked it, and he hasn’t cut his nails in a while. So what happened was the obvious, the nail got injured. It lifted up off the nail bed. So now, I need to remove the nail. So, I numbed them up a few minutes ago and now, you can see how loose this nail is right here and it’s really, really wiggly. So, it actually can come right off the nail bed pretty easily. So, the way I do this is I’m gonna grab on the nail with the hemostat and we’ll take the nail off. It comes right off. Voila, right off of the nail bed and you can see the nail bed is fairly clean. It’s a little bloody there from where he injured it. I make sure that there’s no cuts or deficits in the nail bed because if there are, the bone is so close to that, that he will get a bone infection very easily. So, I’m just gonna kinda of probe it a little bit and touch it and this actually feels intact, so we know there’s not a problem with it. So, I’m just gonna put a dressing on this and that’s gonna be the end of the situation. He’ll soak it in white vinegar and water, and everything will be all right.
Lifted Toenail Injury Removal
A: Fungus in the toenail can cause the nail to lift off the bed. Trauma will also cause the nal to become lifted.
A:Â Antibiotics are needed if the base of the toenail is red or there is drainage coming from the toe.
A:  A new toenail will grow after the toenail is lifted off the nail bed and will eventually push the old toenail outward. It is best to remove the old toenail if it is loose.
A:Â It is best to see a podiatrist to have a lifted toenail removed to prevent getting an infection.
A: A new toenail may grow back thicker than normal after a toenail is lifted from an injury to the toenail.
If you're suffering from a lifted toenail injury, it's essential to seek proper medical attention to manage your symptoms effectively. Contact us today to schedule a consultation and take the first step towards healthier feet.