Social Question

poofandmook's avatar

How does one get a permanent bruise under the fingernail?

Asked by poofandmook (17320points) July 10th, 2010

I’ve seen lots of people, mostly men who work with their hands a lot, with what looks like a bruise just under the fingernail. Sometimes it’s the whole nail, sometimes it’s just part of it, but it doesn’t go away. Sometimes it’s purple-ish, and sometimes it’s just plain black.

I ask because I just pinched the crap out of my thumb, right on the nail… to the point where an hour and a half later I’m still getting sharp pains in the top half of my thumb and it hurts to the touch, and I was expecting a bruise under the nail where it got pinched, but there isn’t one. It pinched pretty freakin’ hard, so I wondered what would have to happen for the permanent bruise to occur… if that’s what it really is.

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27 Answers

MacBean's avatar

I’ve known people who’ve gotten permanent nail-bed bruising from hammers and from car doors slamming on them. So I’d say it takes a lot of force to cause it. I’ve also heard stories of it occurring due to human bites; I’m not sure how human jaws compare to hammers and doors, though.

marinelife's avatar

It isn’t really permanent. It just lasts a very long time.

dpworkin's avatar

I’m not sure it’s a bruise. I think it may be blood trapped under the nail.

jazmina88's avatar

sometimes they turn blue and a month or so later, the nail can fall off.
I made a bet with one of my pals that her nail was going to regenerate. It was blue for over 2 months and did cause the nail to fall off.
Usually getting fingers in doors, hammer accidents, just like @macbean said.

janbb's avatar

This happened to a friend of mine about 6 weeks ago. Her nail is still purple. She went to the doctor and he suggested she load up on calcium for a while, that this will help the new growth of the nail. I doubt it is permanently bruised but it may take quite a while to heal.

dpworkin's avatar

I have an odd nail problem. The nail on my right index finger grows in kind of dirty white instead of pink, and then it delaminates – the outer layer just peels off like soggy onion skin, leaving a rough, ugly surface. It doesn’t hurt, but it looks terrible. Anyone know what this is and what to do about it?

gailcalled's avatar

Maybe it is a signal that you should stop giving some people the finger. (Fungal infection?)

Soft and peeling nails: http://www.articlesbase.com/cosmetics-articles/peeling-nails-heres-8-reasons-why-its-happening-562964.html

poofandmook's avatar

@dpworkin: funny… my grandmother has the same problem. She just usually keeps a Band-Aid over it.

janbb's avatar

Ooh – are we doing nasty nail confessions? I have a disgusting nail on my little toe on my left foot (the one I write my novels and memoirs with.)

MacBean's avatar

@dpworkin It is obviously an outward representation of YOUR SOUL, meant to warn people away from you.~

dpworkin's avatar

1/10th of my soul.

MaryW's avatar

A bruise is a pooling of blood. It should go away eventually. A black color that does not go away, could be alot of things. A splinter, a tumor, dirt, fungus….

MaryW's avatar

@dpworkin the peeling could be caused by a fungus .. get some drops. Also do not let it be wet all the time… like by putting it in your mouth or picking your teeth.

janbb's avatar

Oh c’mon, @dpworkin – admit it. You sold that nail to the devil years ago.

poofandmook's avatar

The devil went down to Georgia, he was lookin’ for a nail to steal…

dpworkin's avatar

So that I would be so dextrous with my fingers?

janbb's avatar

You haven’t proven that yet.

poofandmook's avatar

can we slap a nice big ol’ black CENSORED bar over this thread now? ;)

janbb's avatar

Oh was this your thread? Sorry about that @poofandmook.

dpworkin's avatar

stop hijacking people’s threads with your filth, @janbb

poofandmook's avatar

@janbb: just didn’t want to violate my virgin eyes.

janbb's avatar

Now they’re not virgin anymore, can I violate them now?

poofandmook's avatar

@janbb: That sounds incredibly menacing, and slightly tantalizing ;)

janbb's avatar

Oh my, a bit further than I intended this to go. I’m just a baby.

gasman's avatar

It’s called a *sub-ungual hematoma”—a collection of blood in the nailbed just underneath the nail. It disappears as the nail grows out, which may take months. If there’s pressure is causing pain, the treatment is to decompress it as follows: (This is going to sound like some kind of medieval torture but it’s actually harmless and painless.)

Grasp a paper clip in a pliers or clamp & heat it in a flame until the tip is glowing cherry red. Then gently plunge it through the fingernail right over the hematoma. The hot metal will burn a hole right through the nail (which is dead tissue insensitive to pain) and will stop when it hits the nail bed. That’s it! It takes about 2 seconds and leaves a small hole in the nail, which will grow outward with the nail, eventually to be clipped off. Sometimes some blood squirts out when the hole is made.

Generally only hematomas in the proximal half of the nail bed (closer to the knuckle) need to be treated in this manner.

YARNLADY's avatar

My Dad had his nail stained black by some chemicals he was using, and it took forever to grow out.

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