How long does discoloration last from having bashed my nail with a hammer?
I bashed my thumb nail with a hammer. It was tender at first but healed fine. The nail itself seems strong. The hemorrhaging behind the nail resulted in what is now a black color and is roughly circular with a ¼-inch circumference. The nail continues to grow, but the discolored area behind the nail remains in the same position and takes up about half my cuticle area. The nail itself is NOT the problem. How long does the black color BEHIND the nail last? It’s been five weeks since I hit my nail.
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That’s not all that long for it to last and it’s small so I wouldn’t worry about it too much. I’ve done it so the entire nail turns black and eventually falls off. That’s usually quicker, about two to three weeks. The other option is go to the Dr. and they can pierce the nail and let the blood out, but it doesn’t sound that bad that you need to do that. And don’t try it on your own.
If it hurts, see a doctor to do the above piercing. The black is blood that will eventually re-absorb. There’s no set time.
Thanks, guys, Since the nail itself seems solid and the blood doesn’t hurt, I’ll forgo having my doctor pierce it. (You don’t know my doctor. My doctor’s more likely to wind up amputating my hand.)
@grimalkintoo That was excellent. George Carlin had a routine about someone going to the worst Dr in the world. Maybe your’s is in the running.
From personal experience, as well as observing co-worker’s, it takes several months to go away. It doesn’t cause any harm. Why not look upon it as a “war” wound? Plus, there is nothing that makes a better story than making fun of oneself for a mishap that doesn’t cause everlasting damage, should someone ask.
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I was a carpenter as a college kid. Summer work to earn money for school. I was hammering a header into the framing for a door when my partner walked up behind me and called my name, I turned around mid swing and slammed the finger next to the pinkie full force. It’s a miracle I broke no bones. The whole nail turned black for a month, then it fell off. I was afraid I’d go through life with one nail missing, but it grew back in.
Right now, I have a completely black little toenail on my right foot. Unbeknownst to me, my wife had been doing a project in the spare bathroom and because she was in the master bath, I walked in there in the dark (for some stupid reason, the light switches are on the far wall away from the door) In the dark, I kicked the base of an aluminum stepladder like I was trying to nail a 60 years field goal in the NFL. The toenail has been black and blue for 2 months, but it’s finally starting to lighten up now. And the good news is the nail never fell off.
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