It is not uncommon for you to experience a cracked nail. Everyone has experienced this, and more than once for that matter. You can have a cracked nail on both your fingers and toes.
Another thing that is common for almost everyone is that you never really know how you got a cracked nail. Sometimes they just appear out of nowhere.
Cracked nails can either appear horizontally, or they can go all the way vertically down your nail. The latter may be the worse of the two.
Not only can a cracked nail be visually unpleasant, but it can also be extremely painful, especially if the skin is exposed or torn when the nail was damaged.
Toenails usually need more attention when they are cracked because they take much longer to grow back. Plus, fixing a cracked toenail can take care of the problem in the long run. So, if you want to know how to fix a cracked toenail, keep reading.
What Are The Causes Of Cracked Toenails?
Before you can treat the problem, it would be best to know what caused it in the first place. That way, you know how to take better care of your toenails to avoid damage again in the future.
Trauma And Injury
The most common cause of cracked toenails comes as a result of trauma or injury to the toenail. These include stubbing your toe in a door or table leg, as well as dropping a heavy object that unfortunately landed perfectly on your toes. These experiences can cause both mild and severe cracks, but both can get worse if they are left untreated.
Bad Pedicures
It can be quite infuriating when you go to the salon to get a professional pedicure, spending money on the expert treatment and care they are supposed to provide.
Instead, someone messed up and you walk away with toenails that are easily cracked due to an inadequate job. The nail can crack when the edges are not properly filed off, especially if you wear socks.
A thread can get trapped in a sharp edge, and when you pull your sock off, the thread will pull on the edge, forcing it to crack. Not exactly what you wanted, right?
Too Much Time In Water
If you spend too much time in the water, your nails will get really soft and fragile. This means that even the slightest pick at your nails can leave behind a cracked nail. Take extra care of your toenails when you go swimming, or even if you’re just enjoying a foot spa at home.
Too Dry
Most people neglect their feet, and they neglect their toenails almost entirely. The occasional trim and scrub are not enough. Nails, just like every other part of your body, needs to be moisturized as well. When your toenails are too dry for a very long time, they become very brittle and can crack very easily.
Too Long
Toenails can become a nuisance once they grow too long, like when they have grown past the edge of the toe. When this happens, they are more prone to damage. Long toenails can easily hook onto just about anything, which can cause them to have jagged edges or crack. So, make sure to keep your toenails nice and short, trimming them every 6 to 8 weeks.
Other Underlying Conditions
There are a number of underlying health conditions that could be the cause of your toenails cracking very often. These include:
- Bacterial, fungal, or yeast infections – these infections will weaken the nails, making it easier to crack.
- Thyroid disease
- Kidney disease
- Liver disease
- Vitamin or mineral deficiency
If you are experiencing cracked nails, you might not want to jump to any conclusions thinking that you may have a serious disease. However, that being said, it may be worth taking a look into the matter, just to be on the safe side.
You never know if your toenails are showing the first signs of an underlying health problem, or a component that is seriously missing from your diet.
How To Fix A Cracked Toenail
Fortunately for you, a cracked toenail is not the end of the world and there are several things you can try to treat it.
There are quite a few home remedies that you can attempt, and if you don’t have the ingredients for one, just try the next remedy.
Before you go treating the crack, though, you might just want to file away any sharp ridges first. Grab your nail file and tidy up those edges.
Remember to file in the same direction as the split. After that, you can try some home remedies and treatments. Here are ways to fix a cracked toenail:
Use A Tea Bag
If you have a box of teabags sitting on a shelf, then you may want to start with this remedy first. It’s actually one that surprises many people. Start off by cutting the paper from the teabag to the size of your toenail (don’t throw away the tea, though).
Next, apply a layer of base coat onto your nails and wait a few seconds for it to get sticky. Once the base coat is a little sticky, apply the paper to your nail and smooth it out. Cut away the excess paper around the edges so that the paper fits your nail perfectly.
Finally, add another layer of base coat for extra protection and to make the paper appear translucent. All you have to do now is wait for the nail to grow out and you can cut away the teabag. This could take a while though, especially if the crack was very big.
Gel And Silk Wrap
This method is very similar to the teabag method, substituting the paper for a silk wrap. Once again, apply a base coat as an adhesive, then add the silk wrap that should be around the same size as the nail. Smooth it down so that there aren’t any bubbles, then remove any excess silk from the edges so that it fits the nail just right. Then add another layer of base coat.
Add A Fake Nail
Fake nails aren’t only meant for making your nails longer, but they can also be used to fix a cracked toenail. Since the application involves both glue and acrylic nails, you can be sure that your nails will be much stronger at the end of the process.
This is a good remedy to try as a last resort when no other method has been strong enough to handle your problematic toenails.
First, you will need to file down the cracked nail. Choose the right sized fake nail before continuing, so that you have it ready nearby. Next, apply the nail glue evenly, then attach the fake nail. Press the fake nail down so that it fits perfectly and so that it stays in place as the glue dries.
Afterward, cut the excess nail away and shape it according to what you want. You might want to buffer a little where the fake nail meets the real nail so that it doesn’t look so obvious. Then add another layer of the base coat.
If you don’t have any fake nails at home, you can head over to your salon and have the professionals take care of the problem for you. Like I said, fake nails are also used for fixing cracks.
Seek Medical Treatment
This is only in the event of serious damage, like when the nail bed has been damaged. If you see any discoloration, blood, or pus around the crack, you may need to pay your doctor a visit.
Whatever caused the crack could have led to an infection and you will need to drain and treat the wound with antibiotics. However, if the crack is only on the surface level, just give the first three remedies a try.
If it looks really bad, the doctor will also be able to tell you if the crack is caused by any underlying health conditions or a deficiency from your diet. So if you are worried, just go ahead and seek professional medical advice. Better safe than sorry.
Hopefully, these remedies will work for you so that you can fix your cracked toenails yourself. Remember that your toenails need to be taken care of, just like every other part of your body.
