How to Remove a Toenail
Lots of athletes lose toenails due to excessive pressure where the nail becomes blackened and ready to fall off but won't come off on its own. Many other people lose toenails or nearly do through common everyday activities and accidents. Here is how to remove a toenail that won't come off on its own.
- Difficulty:
- Moderate
Instructions
Things You'll Need
- tweezers
- nail clippers
- hydrogen peroxide
- cotton balls
- water
- bandage
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-
1
Soak a cottonball with hydrogen peroxide. Wipe the entire toe area. Rinse with water.
-
2
Clip the nail if one of the sides are still attached. You want to clip the side so that so the nail is away from the skin and has no chance of cutting into you.
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3
Clean the toenail area with hydrogen peroxide again. With a pair of tweezers pull at the nail to test how strongly attached it is. It might just pull right out if it's loose enough.
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4
Clip the toenail as far down as you can. This may be painful so keep a hydrogen peroxide soaked cottonball at hand to cover the toe immediately after. The stinging of the peroxide will make the pain of the cut (if the nail is still alive, a blackened nail won't hurt) diminish.
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5
Pull any remaining nail out with the tweezers. If necessary, scrape the toe area to remove any excess toenail scraps. Clean with hydrogen peroxide, rinse with water and cover with a bandage.
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1
Tips & Warnings
Remove the nail quickly to lessen the pain
Don't leave any pieces of the original nail on your toe as it may become ingrown or cut into your toe
