Can you wash an exposed nail bed? (2023)

What to do if nail bed is exposed?

Keep the nail bed dry, clean, and covered with petroleum jelly and an adhesive bandage until the nail bed is firm or the nail has grown back. Apply a new adhesive bandage whenever the bandage gets wet. Watch for signs of infection such as increasing heat, redness, pain, tenderness, swelling, or pus.

The nail bed is moist, soft, and sensitive. It needs to be protected from injury for the first 7 to 10 days until it dries out and becomes hard. Keep it covered with a nonstick dressing or a bandage without adhesive.

If you lose your nail, it will take about 7 to 10 days for the nail bed to heal. A new fingernail will take about 4 to 6 months to grow to replace the lost nail. Toenails take about 12 months to grow back.

Paronychia is a common nail condition. Anyone can get a bacterial nail infection, but it's more common among people who: Are exposed to irritants: Detergents and other chemicals can irritate the skin and lead to a nail bed infection. People who work with chemicals and don't wear protective gloves have a higher risk.

After a nail separates from the nail bed for whatever reason, it will not reattach. A new nail will have to grow back in its place. Nails grow back slowly.

Nails don't need surface access to air because they get oxygen and nutrients from your blood. Keeping nails hydrated is important if yours are prone to breakage, and a pause in polishing to moisturize would help.

You might experience pain when pressing on your nail if it is torn or cracked, which can reveal your nail bed. This can be painful before new skin grows to cover the open and raw area. New skin will grow after a week, and the nail should regenerate or grow over the tender spot after a month or two.

“Nails do not need to 'breathe,” says Dr. Dana Stern, an NYC dermatologist and nail specialist who also has her own line of nail care products and polishes. “This is a myth! Nails receive their nutrients, oxygen, and blood supply from the blood stream and not from the air.”

A paronychia may start as redness and swelling around the nail. It is most often very sore to the touch and, at times, may be a yellow-green color, indicating that a collection of pus has formed under the skin (called an abscess) of the toenail or fingernail.

How do I know if my nail bed is ruined?

As long as there is no permanent damage to the nail matrix or nail bed, the nail ought to entirely regrow and appear completely normal.

Many injuries to your nail bed can be fully repaired. For example, your nail should return to normal after a subungual hematoma is drained. However, some severe injuries can lead to a deformed nail. This is more likely when the base of your nail bed is injured.

Even a particularly bad ingrown toenail that becomes infected can lead to sepsis, he says, although that is not a common occurrence.

In most cases, an acute paronychia heals within 5 to 10 days with no permanent damage to the nail. Rarely, very severe cases may progress to osteomyelitis (a bone infection) of the finger or toe. Although a chronic paronychia may take several weeks to heal, the skin and nail usually will return to normal eventually.

Take the entire course, even if symptoms go away. Topical antibiotics: These include over-the-counter ointments like triple ointment (Neosporin) and bacitracin, or prescription medications like mupirocin.

Abstract. From observations of nail bed injuries, the regeneration of the nail bed seemed evident. The nail bed regenerated well in the presence of the nail matrix and poorly in its absence, suggesting that the nail bed regenerated from the nail matrix.

You can also push back your cuticles to give the appearance of a longer nail bed. Before pushing back your cuticles, soak your nails in warm water to soften your cuticles. Add a few drops of essential oil or cuticle oil to the water.