Black toenails will typically go away on their own, but it can take several months. The condition will diminish once new tissue grows completely under the toenail itself. There are several ways to prevent a black toenail from happening in the first place.
A minor subungual hematoma usually heals over time without treatment. The trapped blood will eventually be reabsorbed, and the dark mark will disappear. This can take 2–3 months for a fingernail, and up to 9 months for a toenail.
In mild cases, the black toenail will grow out naturally over time without treatment. In severe cases, such as when the nail begins to detach from the nail bed, a person should seek medical treatment.
If the black toenail is not causing you pain and less than half of the nail is black, there is no need to treat it. Over time, the nail will grow out and the discoloration will no longer be present.
Black toenails will typically go away on their own, but it can take several months. The condition will diminish once new tissue grows completely under the toenail itself. There are several ways to prevent a black toenail from happening in the first place.
If your toenail turns black, it's most likely a bruise under the nail, technically called a subungual hematoma. You can get it from stubbing a toe or from footwear that cram your feet into the front of the shoe.
In mild cases, no treatment is needed, and the black nail will simply grow out. But if you're in a lot of pain, your doctor can drain the blood from your nail, which relieves the pressure.
Trauma to your toenails will, in most cases, cause pain that can last a few days. Color. When the blood vessels break, they bleed out under your toenails. You will notice areas that start a reddish color, turn purple, become dark brown, and finally turn black.
It usually happens if the nail gets crushed in an injury. It can cause symptoms such as intense pain and throbbing as blood collects under the nail. Unless you also have broken bones or damage to the nail bed and/or surrounding tissues, this injury usually isn't worrisome.
The key is to ensure that the hematoma is not older than 48 hours. In most cases, the hematoma can be drained with a large needle without any complications. Follow up of patients is recommended to ensure that there is no infection and the hematoma has resolved.
Regardless of treatment the hematoma will eventually be resorbed by the body and a new nail will grow out. On average the nail takes 6 to 9 months to grow completely out. A complication to be aware of is damaging the cells that re-grows the nail (the nail matrix).
The most common culprit for a black toenail is blood under the hard tissue. Damage to the end of the toe causes blood to leak through the nail bed and stain the keratin a dark color. This is also known as a subungual hematoma, or a bruise under the nail.
Minor bruised toenails may often heal on their own, with the discolored part of the nail slowly growing out. In more serious cases the nail may fall off. In general, we recommend giving our office a call so we can evaluate your condition and determine the best approach to heal the injury.
How Can You Tell If Your Toenail Is Dead? Some indications that your toenail is dead can include: changes in nail color from pink to black. The affected nail may at first appear to look reddish, purple or brown before it finally turns black.
Although it is very rare, a more serious cause of black toenails is malignant melanoma. Since early diagnosis and treatment of melanoma improves the chances for a good outcome, it is important that all black toenails be evaluated by a qualified foot and ankle surgeon to rule out this cause.
When checking your nails for melanoma, dermatologists recommend looking for the following changes: A dark streak. This may look like a brown or black band in the nail — often on the thumb or big toe of your dominant hand or foot. However, this dark streak can show up on any nail.
Vinegar has acetic acid proven to have antifungal properties. Diluted in water vinegar can be used as a foot soak. Soaking your feet in a vinegar foot soak daily can treat black toenail fungus. The ratio can be one part vinegar and two parts of water.
Mild cases of black toenail will simply grow out. If it is a more severe case where the toenail is raised, it is likely you will “lose” the toenail. That is the nail loosened by the pressure of the fluid will eventually shed over the next weeks or months.
One of the first signs that you may lose your toenail is the darkening of the toenail due to blood collecting underneath. Eventually, the toenail may separate from the nail bed and become uncomfortable before it finally falls off. Do not rip off the toenail or tear off the piece that is detaching.
Get a paper clip, not a needle, and straighten it. Hold one end of the paper clip with a cloth so you don't burn your fingers, and heat the other end in a flame until it's red-hot. Now touch that hot tip to your nail, right where the blood is, to melt a hole. Don't push it, just touch it.
If blood under your toenail covers more than half of the nail area, you should go to your health care provider, urgent care or emergency room to drain the blood and relieve pressure under the nail. You should not try to drill or reduce pressure under your toenail on your own.
A bruised nail is painful and can take months before it looks normal again. In some cases, your nail may fall off — right away or weeks later.
You may be able to relieve severe, throbbing pain by draining blood from under your nail. This procedure is not necessary and is not recommended if you are not having pain.