Toenail Injury Recovery: Understanding Re-Growth and Potential Complications

Question
To make a long story short, both of my big toenails were injured, turned black and fell off.  Underneath them was a new toenail growing.  Now that the toenial is about 60% regrown, it is curving down into the skin.  The dermatologist trimmed them to see if now they will grow over the skin and told me to apply Desatin to keep the skin soft.  It doesnt look like this is working and I read online that having an artificial acrylic nail (I am a male) put on the toe nail can help guide it so it regrows properly. Have you ever heard of this and do you have any suggestions for me? Thanks for your time.

Answer
Well, I always recommend checking with your doctor before trying any kind of overlay on problem toenails, but if your doc says it's okay, it's worth a try.  The hard coating of acrylic can act as a kind of "splint" to a nail that's kind of bendy.  It might not be a permanent solution; you'd have to remove the product, trim the nail back, and reapply product on a regular basis (if it's growing downward now, it will probably continue to grow down.). Just be sure to get a reputable nail tech to work on you.  Check out Beautytech.com, or cnd.com for their salon locators, to find a good tech in your area.

I hope this helps!