What can you do if your nail is broken • NAILS Magazine

Causes of fragility

Brittle nails can be caused by both external and internal reasons. After the nail is repaired and the threat has passed, be sure to analyze the situation and determine whether the reasons listed below are appropriate in your case:

unbalanced diet and lack of vitamins. Vitamin deficiency is a common cause of fragility. The nail plate becomes thinner and becomes vulnerable to external influences - mild mechanical shocks, snags on clothing;
mechanical impact - a one-time impact on a hard surface;
systematic mechanical influences, for example, working on a keyboard;
coating without a base coat;
hand contact with high or low temperatures.

Nail structure and growth: what healthy nails and skin should look like, care rules

Nail health during manicure and pedicure: what a novice master should pay attention to

What will happen next to the nail?

Gradually, the broken area will grow back. On average, a nail renews itself in 6–12 months. Problems can only arise when the plate breaks at the root or falls off completely. Then there is a possibility of damage to the nail base (bed) - you need to consult a podiatrist.

In other cases, it is recommended to think about strengthening the plate. The best option is biogel coating. You can apply shellac on top of the nail. The artificial coating will protect the delicate skin under the nail from injury and infection.

Nails break for various reasons: injury, blow, improperly performed manicure, too long nail. If the problem has become permanent, most likely the body lacks nutrients. Soft nail plates indicate a lack of calcium, while peeling ones indicate a lack of sulfur.

If your natural nail is broken

A broken natural nail often causes more discomfort than an extended one, because it does not have protection in the form of gel, tips or other foreign materials. For repairs, silk, fiberglass or improvised material in the form of a tea bag is used.

silk is available in dozens of brands of manicure products, for example Formula Profi;
EMI has fiberglass. It is presented not in the form of bunches, but in a narrow strip;

Silk is easier to work with and cheaper than fiberglass, so let’s look at the instructions for repairing with silk. The technology for repairing with silk, a tea bag or fiberglass is identical.

Fiberglass: what it is, application features, step-by-step techniques

The free edge is broken

Lovers of long natural nails have at least once encountered breakage of the nail plate in the area of the free edge. The hanging part is more susceptible to stress, as it does not have a safety cushion in the form of a nail bed.

If the free edge is damaged:

Remove the decorative covering, if any;
Sand the nail plate with a buff, including at the break point, to remove any unevenness;
Place a piece of silk or a tea bag on the crack and secure it with medical or special glue for silk. No superglue - it corrodes nails due to its aggressive composition. Instead of glue, you can use biogel - it is elastic and durable and can fix the damage;
If the strip of silk lies unevenly, straighten it with an orange stick;
Wait for the glue to dry and polish to even out the areas where the glue protrudes. If you use biogel for binding, then you need to dry it in a lamp for 30 to 120 seconds;
For strength, you can apply another 1-2 layers of silk according to the same scheme - polishing-glue-silk;
Finally, coat the nail plate with a textured polish, such as glitter. This varnish will hide unevenness and increase the durability of the coating.

With silk repair, you can go through 5-10 days before the next correction. By that time, the nail plate will have grown a little and it can be filed down to the broken point or strengthened again with silk.

In the center of the nail plate

A crack starting from the free edge towards the center of the nail plate usually forms on weak and thin nails. It will not be possible to trim or file it down - the nail fits tightly to the nail bed, where there are nerve endings.

To prevent the crack from getting larger and clinging to clothing.:

Cut a piece of silk or, in extreme cases, a tea bag, so that it completely covers the crack and extends slightly beyond it;
Gently polish the broken area with a buff;
Apply a thin layer of medical glue or a special one for silk and place silk fabric on top;
Apply a little more glue;
Straighten the silk with an orange stick and wait until the glue dries;
Polish the nail plate with a buff to smooth out the protruding glue and cover it with glitter polish or gel polish according to all the rules.

All about nail buff - types, materials, abrasiveness, how to use, how to choose

Under the “patch”, the cracked nail will gradually grow back and be filed down. But even a small crack will take 1 to 3 months to heal completely.

If it breaks in the center, it is not recommended to seal it with an adhesive plaster - a greenhouse effect is created under it, which causes the growth of bacteria. In addition, an unfixed crack may increase in size.

"Before the meat"

If the nail is broken until it bleeds, and the nail bed is damaged, this is a reason to consult a doctor. Surgeons deal with such problems, but, as a last resort, you can also contact a therapist so that he can write out a referral.

Why see a doctor:

He will examine the nail plate and select care to prevent inflammation and infection, as well as relieve pain . In such cases, herbal baths with chamomile infusion, as well as antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory ointments, for example Levomekol, are usually prescribed;
the surgeon will determine whether the remaining portion of the plate is viable . If the damage is serious, it may be necessary to remove its remains.

With such a serious injury, do not self-medicate - this can result in more global problems - the development of infection, serious inflammation, increased pain.

First aid for breaking the nail plate to the meat:

Treat the injury site with chlorhexidine or hydrogen peroxide;
Wrap your finger in a bandage and leave it alone until you see a doctor.

It is not recommended to cover the wound with a plaster - removing it will be painful. Complete restoration of the nail plate will take from 4 to 12 months, depending on the characteristics of the body.

To make regrowth happen faster:

Lubricate the cuticle and nail bed with oil products with the function of accelerating growth, like the Levrana “Lemon Oil” brand;
Use gloves when in contact with water and chemicals;
Follow your doctor's recommendations for changing dressings, taking topical medications, and home care.

All about choosing and using nail and cuticle oil

You can find dozens of tips online on how to repair such a breakdown and even save your manicure. Don't use these tips - it's better to ignore the beautiful design and length and take care of your health.

How to avoid:

watch your diet - your diet should contain vitamins of all groups, as well as minerals and trace elements. If you can’t balance your diet, buy a vitamin complex with vitamins A and E - they are responsible for the strength of the nail plate;
use gloves when washing dishes and cleaning . Exposure to water and chemicals thins the nail plate, making it fragile and prone to breakage;
drink water . With a lack of fluid in the body, the nail plates become thinner and dry, which increases fragility;
Remove decorative coating correctly . Do not tear off the gel polish - use special tools or a device. When the material is peeled off, the top protective layer is separated along with it, and the nails become thin and prone to brittleness.

All products and procedures to accelerate nail growth

How to fix a broken nail at home using tips

A tea bag will solve the problem of a small break in the nail plate, but what to do if the nail is half broken and the break goes deep? In this case, it will be necessary to hide the damaged area with a tip. It is an artificial plastic nail that is glued to the surface of the nail plate using special glue. Due to the fact that the tip has a reserve length, you can easily adjust it to the size of all other nails.

Now let's take a closer look at how to fix a broken nail at home using tips:

first remove the old varnish,
remove all irregularities and polish the nail plate along the edges,
degrease the tip along the inside (this can be done by wiping it with nail polish remover),
let it dry for a couple of minutes and cover the entire inner surface of the tip with special glue, apply a little of the same glue to the area of the break,
attach the artificial nail to the surface of the natural plate so that their bases clearly coincide,
wait until the glue has completely dried, then cut the tip so that it is the same length as the rest of the nails, leaving a small margin for growing, give the desired shape,
process the joints.

If the extended nail is broken

Usually, extended nails on forms break, since this material is fragile compared to tips. The easiest option when such a nail breaks is to remove the material and re-build it. But if you just came from the salon and there is still a long time until the next procedure, try one of the methods presented below.

Repair with silk

Repairs with silk or its analogue in the form of a tea bag are carried out according to the same scheme as when saving natural ones:

The affected area is filed down and covered with a silk patch coated with glue;
After drying, the irregularities are filed with a file or buff and covered with varnish or topcoat.

The only difference is that any glue can be used for extended nail plates, since it will not come into contact with the natural nail.

Superglue

This method is used when the free edge of the extension has broken off completely.

Take a broken piece of artificial nail and lubricate the joint with natural superglue;
Press the piece against the broken edge and hold for about a minute so that the glue sets;
Apply top coat to the inside of the extended nail and dry it in a lamp. Repeat this action 2 more times;
On the front side of the nail plate, we filed away the area where excess glue appeared with a file. It is better to do this with a hard file – 150-180 grit;
After leveling the surface, cover the entire plate with topcoat and dry it in a lamp.

Such repairs allow you to save length, but the repaired nail will be many times more fragile than all the others - keep this in mind and carefully wear your manicure before correction. The next time you go to the salon, it is better to remove the material and re-build it.

If the extended nail breaks and damages the natural one

In rare cases, this also happens - careless wearing of especially long extended nails leads to the fact that the natural one breaks or even partially moves away from the nail bed.

In this case:

Remove any material immediately. Use acetone-free products for soaking so as not to irritate the damaged nail bed;
Wash your hands thoroughly and treat the injury site with hydrogen peroxide;
Apply a bandage and see a doctor.

If the break is minor, remove the coating and file off the broken natural nail. After this, the extension can be done again.

How to avoid:

use high-quality materials from trusted manufacturers for extensions;
reduce mechanical impact - this includes, among other things, tapping on the table with the tips of your nails;
use gloves - under the influence of chemicals the material loses its strength;
make the correction in time. As the extended nail plate grows, the stress zone shifts, and the risk of breaking a nail increases significantly;
completely remove old material before applying new material.

Extensions on top forms with examples and instructions

Nail extension with tips: materials, step-by-step instructions and nuances

If your nail is broken under gel polish

Remove the material using gel polish remover. To do this, moisten a napkin with the product and apply it to the damaged nail for 10-15 minutes;
Wash your hands under warm running water;
If the nail breaks off along the free edge, simply file it with a file and repeat the coating;
If a crack appears in the center or at the base, grease a small piece of silk or a tea bag with medical glue or a special product for silk and place it on the crack;
Wait until it dries and carefully file the patch with a 180-240 grit file or buff;
Apply regular polish on top or do a manicure with gel polish.

How to fix a broken nail at home

It turns out that today there are a huge number of special products that will help you revive your manicure at home. If you go to a specialized store, they may offer you:

silk strips and special glue for them,
nail repair kits, which usually include powder, a brush and glue,
tips (also with special glue).

The kits always come with special instructions, thanks to which you will quickly figure out what to do if your nail is broken and how to fix it.

The listed methods are quite convenient, but only if you have the opportunity to quickly visit the desired store and purchase everything you need. If this is not possible, do not rush to get upset, because enterprising women have come up with a simple, quick and convenient solution to the problem - repairing a nail with a tea bag. And the most common one, which can be found in every home.

What not to do

seal a natural nail with glue - the aggressive composition of the adhesive irritates the skin and disrupts the structure of the plate. You can use glue only if the extended nail is broken;
treat with acetone containing product . This is especially true in cases where the nail is broken “down to the meat.” Acetone is irritating and causes inflammation. In the case of extensions, it is also not recommended to use acetone - it will destroy the strength of the material and will probably catch entire nails;
hesitate . You shouldn’t put off repairing it – careless movement of even a slightly damaged nail can result in more serious damage.

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