There are any number of things that can go wrong with feet but one of the most common issues that people face is a toenail falling off. There are a few different causes for this phenomena and in order to properly remedy the situation a visit to the doctor may be in order. Understanding what it is that causes a toenail to fall off is the first step to taking care of this poignant issue.
Common Causes for a Toenail Falling Off
The medical term for loss of a nail is onychoptosis or onycholysis, which in layman’s terms means the separation of the nail bed and the nail, in some cases it may become necessary for patients to see a doctor if pain or infection continue after the nail has already fallen away.
Toenail Falling Off Due to Injury
Injury is the most common cause of a toenail becoming unattached to the bed of the nail. There are several types of injury that can cause the toenail to separate including having the toe crushed, stubbing or hitting the toe, or damage to the nail bed like a severe splinter or piece of something embedded in the nail.
Generally with an injury patients can expect bruising or pooling of blood in the nail bed, discoloration of the nail bed, cracking or breaking of the nail, pain, mild swelling, and of course, loosening of the nail. With injury there is really no way to save the nail, users must wait for the nail bed to heal and for the nail to regrow naturally. There are some serums that can be applied and vitamins that can be taken to encourage nail growth.
Toenail Falling Off Due to Infection
The other common cause of toenail loss is infection. Infection is generally caused by a fungus but again can be caused by an injury in which the nail bed becomes infected. With infection there are a few different ways that this type of fungus can be contracted, generally however, it is contracted by coming in contact with the fungus from another individual’s foot. This could be in a public or private shower, out doors, in a nail salon, and in a bevy of other places.
The symptoms of infection are thickening of the toenail, discoloration that is generally yellow or brown, redness of the toe, stink or bad odor that is not common in feet, pain, swelling, and even possibly discharge. With infection there is a chance that the nail can be saved if the doctor gets to the infection in time. However, in most cases the doctor will remove the nail in order to better fight the infection.
Common cures are antibiotic or topical creams that fight the infection directly at the source. After toenail removal the patient must wait for the nail to regrow naturally which can take anywhere from six to eight weeks for full regrowth.
Laser Therapy Is The Best Precaution Towards Fungal Infection
Those who have experienced toenail loss due to fungal infection often suffer from neglecting to treat the problem before it gets to such a critical state. Laser treatment not only has a 90% success rate but is one of the only proven cures for this ailment. Clear Toes Clinic’s laser removal service achieves lasting results and deters the reformation of the fungal infection. Contact us for more details.
