"alan_m" wrote in message
...
On 16/05/2021 07:39, Brian Gaff (Sofa) wrote:
I would show it to a doctor. It could have a fungal infection underneath
which is perpetuating the split. After all as you surmise, what should
happen is that it will grow out if you are careful to cut it square each
time, but if there is something growing under it that will never happen.
I
had this with a big toe nail and it was not until I got rid of the stuff
underneath that it grew out again. I',me surprised its a finger nail
though
as they are in the air and readily exposable to various chemicals that
fungi
won't like. Inside a shoe its more conducive to nasty things.

I had a finger nail that for around 5 years grew with a vertical ridge
after hitting the base of the nail with a hammer. As the nail reached the
end of the finger the ridge would split at the ridge line. The only way I
could keep it from snagging was the file the nail flat every week. At the
end of this 5 year period the ridge started to disappear and afterwards
the finger nail grew normally flat to the skin.

When I was in my teens, I bashed my foot (I was wearing socks but no shoes!)
on the sharp edge of a concrete doorstep. This broke the nail off at the
nailbed. Bloody painful it was, but it grew back.

However when it grew back the nail was not flat but was arched, both
side-to-side and front-to-back. And it continued to grow like that. What is
interesting is that something caused the nail to come off again some 20
years later: the old nail remained in place but the new nail grew underneath
it, until it pushed the old nail off. And that new nail has also grown
curved.

I imagine the trauma of the injury damaged the nailbed in some way, causing
the nail to grow in a non-standard way. It's not a problem, except that it
is much thicker and hornier than all the others, so it is more difficult to
cut - and it needs to be kept fairly short otherwise the tip of the nail
starts to grow into the toe.

On 15/05/2021 16:34, Martin Brown wrote:
On 15/05/2021 16:15, gareth evans wrote:
On 15/05/2021 14:59, Chris Bacon wrote:
I sort of hesitate to put this here, but it's DIY-related (or work...)
and I'm hoping there's a DIY fix.

There's a vertical split in the top of the nail on my pointing finger. I
don't want it to catch on something and rip off, or get worse (it's only
4-5mm into the pink zone). I want to get ti to heal.

I have had it in sticking plaster for about 6 weeks, but the split
continues down as the nail grows. Bloody nuisance.

Any ideas/experience?

Nail infections cause such splits.

So does hammer rash...


And poking about inside a meecro-warvay ?

Have fun trying to that at the moment thougn :-(

Andrew

On 16/05/2021 07:39, Brian Gaff (Sofa) wrote:
I would show it to a doctor. It could have a fungal infection underneath

Peter Able wrote:

Chris Bacon wrote:

There's a vertical split in the top of the nail on my pointing finger.
I don't want it to catch on something and rip off, or get worse

I've tried bandages, adhesive tape, a rubber thimble - and five years
later it is still there. Just applied some Milliput !

A girl at school trapped my thumb in a car door, 50+ years later it
still grows with a split in it.

On 15/05/2021 14:59, Chris Bacon wrote:
I sort of hesitate to put this here, but it's DIY-related (or work...)
and I'm hoping there's a DIY fix.

There's a vertical split in the top of the nail on my pointing finger. I
don't want it to catch on something and rip off, or get worse (it's only
4-5mm into the pink zone). I want to get ti to heal.

I have had it in sticking plaster for about 6 weeks, but the split
continues down as the nail grows. Bloody nuisance.

Any ideas/experience?

I held a badly split finger nail together for months whilst it grew out
using superglue and baking powder.

Mike

On 16/05/2021 13:01, Andrew wrote:
On 15/05/2021 16:34, Martin Brown wrote:
On 15/05/2021 16:15, gareth evans wrote:
On 15/05/2021 14:59, Chris Bacon wrote:
I sort of hesitate to put this here, but it's DIY-related (or work...)
and I'm hoping there's a DIY fix.

There's a vertical split in the top of the nail on my pointing
finger. I
don't want it to catch on something and rip off, or get worse (it's
only
4-5mm into the pink zone). I want to get ti to heal.

I have had it in sticking plaster for about 6 weeks, but the split
continues down as the nail grows. Bloody nuisance.

Any ideas/experience?

Nail infections cause such splits.

So does hammer rash...


And poking about inside a meecro-warvay ?


Nigella lives!

On 15/05/2021 18:57, Bob Eager wrote:
On Sat, 15 May 2021 18:14:52 +0100, Chris Bacon wrote:

On 15/05/2021 16:34, Martin Brown wrote:
On 15/05/2021 14:59, Chris Bacon wrote:
There's a vertical split in the top of the nail on my pointing finger.

There is a super tough clear nail varnish with nylon fibres in that can
be applied to repair a badly split nail. Try Boots or similar.

I remember when I buying bright red nail varnish from Boots. It was to
go over the inside of a very old plastic lens on a motorbike. The girl
servingf gave me a very queer look. Maybe she still works there.

You should try buying nylon stockings, as I did.
For hiking, as a layer inside the woollen socks.

Get 'pop socks' instead.
Use tights if you need the warmth.

Wouldn't imagine there is a lot of problems with men buying Nylons.
Men seem to buy most(?) lingerie anyway.

On 16/05/2021 13:03, Andrew wrote:
Have fun trying to that at the moment thougn :-(

Andrew

On 16/05/2021 07:39, Brian Gaff (Sofa) wrote:
I would show it to a doctor. It could have a fungal infection underneath

You should get an initial phone appointment .
Tell the doctor what is going on and state that it would be better
being looked at . Convoluted I know but...

On 15/05/2021 14:59, Chris Bacon wrote:
There's a vertical split in the top of the nail on my pointing finger. I
don't want it to catch on something and rip off, or get worse (it's only
4-5mm into the pink zone). I want to get ti to heal.

I have had it in sticking plaster for about 6 weeks, but the split
continues down as the nail grows. Bloody nuisance.

Well. I bought some "Kiss Powerflex Brush-on Nail Glue" (appears to be
superglue maybe with additives) and some long-life emery boards (thought
would be easier than sandpaper), and some "Strengthening nail polish
remover" (contains acetone, I have MEK but thought I'd use pupose-made
stuff) from Boots.

Clean the nail with nail polish remover.
Put a drop of nail glue on the split itself, and wait a minute.
Spread nail glue over nail, place on pre-made cut out bit of teabag,
stipple it down with the nail glue brush, as if doing miniature
laying-up of fibreglass/resin.
Stick on another bit similarly when that's dry.
Stick on another bit when similarly that's dry.
Trim it all up with emery board.

When it needs re-doing, I might use some thin fibreglass tissue I've
got.The emery boards are really awfully rough (weally weally wuff, I
tell you!), I should have got finer ones.

Since COVID-19 & haircuts & general cheapskatery, I have my hair in a
pony tail. The girl in Boots I asked for advice didn't half give me a
queer look. Nice-looking piece though.

Since all that cleaning work with white spirit, which I suspect is the
cause of the problem, I also bought "Nunale nail strengthening cream"
which contains lanolin, for my other nails, to try and stop further
problems. After applying it, I notice a difference in colour near the
tips of my fingernail beds. The last few mm before the white bit starts
are a deeper colour than the middle bits, as if someone's coloured them
in rather irregularly with a slightly deeper felt pen. Maybe
solvent-affected, who knows.

On 17/05/2021 17:07, Chris Bacon wrote:
On 15/05/2021 14:59, Chris Bacon wrote:
There's a vertical split in the top of the nail on my pointing finger.
I don't want it to catch on something and rip off, or get worse (it's
only 4-5mm into the pink zone). I want to get ti to heal.

I have had it in sticking plaster for about 6 weeks, but the split
continues down as the nail grows. Bloody nuisance.

Well. I bought some "Kiss Powerflex Brush-on Nail Glue" (appears to be
superglue maybe with additives) and some long-life emery boards (thought
would be easier than sandpaper), and some "Strengthening nail polish
remover" (contains acetone, I have MEK but thought I'd use pupose-made
stuff) from Boots.

Clean the nail with nail polish remover.
Put a drop of nail glue on the split itself, and wait a minute.
Spread nail glue over nail, place on pre-made cut out bit of teabag,
stipple it down with the nail glue brush, as if doing miniature
laying-up of fibreglass/resin.
Stick on another bit similarly when that's dry.
Stick on another bit when similarly that's dry.
Trim it all up with emery board.

When it needs re-doing, I might use some thin fibreglass tissue I've
got.The emery boards are really awfully rough (weally weally wuff, I
tell you!), I should have got finer ones.

Since COVID-19 & haircuts & general cheapskatery, I have my hair in a
pony tail. The girl in Boots I asked for advice didn't half give me a
queer look. Nice-looking piece though.

Since all that cleaning work with white spirit, which I suspect is the
cause of the problem, I also bought "Nunale nail strengthening cream"
which contains lanolin, for my other nails, to try and stop further
problems. After applying it, I notice a difference in colour near the
tips of my fingernail beds. The last few mm before the white bit starts
are a deeper colour than the middle bits, as if someone's coloured them
in rather irregularly with a slightly deeper felt pen. Maybe
solvent-affected, who knows.

There's definitely an age factor too. In my younger days I'd be
splashing around a lot of white spirit while decorating, as well as
petrol, lube oil, and all sorts of solvents while fettling cars and
motorbikes. I never had significant nail problems at all apart from the
inevitable mechanical damage. Now (in my early 70's) I develop
longitudinal splits not associated with DIY work. I seem to have periods
of a few weeks when they are all bad, followed by a few weeks when they
are relatively strong and growing well. My diet is fairly diverse but
does not normally vary significantly, and I don't have any underlying
medical conditions (that I am aware of).

About to try Bag Balm, as recommened in an earlier link.

soup wrote:
On 16/05/2021 13:03, Andrew wrote:
Have fun trying to that at the moment thougn :-(

Andrew

On 16/05/2021 07:39, Brian Gaff (Sofa) wrote:
I would show it to a doctor. It could have a fungal infection underneath

You should get an initial phone appointment .
Tell the doctor what is going on and state that it would be better
being looked at . Convoluted I know but...


Middle of a pandemic and you plan to *tell* a doctor that a split
fingernail deserves urgent attention?

My surgery does e-consults whereby you fill in an online form and upload
photos. After that its up to the doctor to decide whether its urgent
enough to warrant seeing €œin the flesh€�.

Tim

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