Fingernails (need female assistance)

[Green_Manelishi]

I know this is the WI forum but I think the women more likely to be able to suggest a means of repairing a cracked fingernail. It's split from the front-edge almost to the quick. It does not hurt, nor is it unsightly but every once in a while it catches on something and whatever healing has occurred is undone. Any suggestions for "patching" it until it grows out?

 

[pollywogg]

I'm no lady, but something similar happened to me a few years ago. Unfortunately, since my finger got smashed pretty well, it split the nail in two lines, and hurt....bad. Every time i put any pressure on the pad of my thumb, the nail would splay out like an Englishman's teeth.Oddly enough, it never fell out. To fix it, I used a brush on super glue applicator. Like I was painting the mangled nail, I just made sure that the pieces were flush, and carefully but liberally applied the glue. There was one rough spot on the nail afterwards, but I cleaned it up with my girlfriend's nail supplies. I don't see why this wouldn't work. If it's not as bad as that, you could prob just try some clear nail polish. That should keep it from catching.

 

[Missdirected]

Do the superglue GM as PollyWog suggested. That is actually what they would do at a nail shop. if it won't repair itself over time, maybe have a clear acrylic applied over it to protect it until it grows out.

 

[oceanbound]

i've had it happen before, if it's broke and overlapping the super glue is your best bet. i've had a toe nail do that and i had to glue it until it grew out enough to cut it. if it's split and can't be put together easily, try the glue, push it together and then tape once it dries. keep the tape on reapplying it over the week. i've used the surgical type tape you can get in a drug store.

 

[Damselfish]

I've tried nail polish on splits in the past and found it helpful for minor things, but doesn't really work or last too well for something major like this sounds. You might find some fiber reinforced goop that would work better than regular polish.

if you look in the nail section of the drugstore you'll find various repair products, but the glue most of these use is your basic superglue. So buy something like that, or just try the superglue - ideally, without gluing your fingernail to the flesh underneath. :shocked2:. Reinforcing it with a bit of thin fabric, gauze, tissue or whatever might help.

 

[drl]

Superglue. If you need more structure to hold the break together, cut a piece of the appropriate size out of an unused tea bag, put it over the break, and superglue it down (use just enough glue to barely saturate the patch). Once it is dry you can file it smooth if there are rough spots.

 

[Missdirected]

Superglue. If you need more structure to hold the break together, cut a piece of the appropriate size out of an unused tea bag, put it over the break, and superglue it down (use just enough glue to barely saturate the patch). Once it is dry you can file it smooth if there are rough spots.

Hey now that is a darn good idea... Will have to remember that one.

 

[kelpmermaid]

DRL, that's something like a "silk wrap," isn't it?!

If it's not split all the way through, you could also try one of those nail buffer blocks they have in beauty supply stores. That will make the surface smooth. One of my big toenails has a permanent lengthwise crack, and I use that periodically.

 

[drl]

yep, it's the cheap homemade version of a silk wrap. The tea bag material is fine enough to work, and most people have one at home. I wouldn't use it on all my nails, like people do with silk wraps, but it's great for reinforcing a break, since it gives the superglue something to grip.

 

[song]

Tea bag is a great idea. I've used tissue paper topped with superglue. That's the tissue paper used to wrap presents, not the Kleenex or toilet paper kind. Then use a cardboard nail file or sandpaper to buff it smooth. Can repeat in layers, sorta like doing fiberglass repairs on an old Corvette (I used to hang out with my dad & brother as a kid).

These repairs are generally temporary and that nasty split typically reoccurs, especially if it is split all the way back to the cuticle. The only real fix is to have a doc (family practice, general practioner, surgeon, ER doc) remove the nail and let the whole thing grow back in one piece. I've had a nail removed for just this problem (and also removed other people's nails)--sounds gross but pretty simple really. If done properly the only pain is the shot of local anesthetic. Minimal discomfort after that.