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cleft toenail

(3 discussions)

I was born with a cleft in one of my toenails.
It has always bothered me and I want to do something about it.
The nail doesn’t seem to be repairable.
I want to know if there are any suggestions to what I can do about it. I was thinking of plastic surgery, but don’t know where to start.


3 comments

    Vivian Abrams DPM

    9 10

    There is no way to change the way the nail grows. The root of the nail dictates how it will grow and this unfortunately seems to be the way it is. If it is painful, then it can be removed by a podiatrist permanently. If it is simply removed without killing the root, it will grow back the same way. This is the same thing that happens with hair when it is cut or shaved. Nail and hair are both a protein called keratin.

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      9 10

      I was wondering if this can be fixed with plastic surgery?can the nail be permanently removed and replaced with a fake one?

        Vivian Abrams DPM

        9 10

        As I wrote earlier, this can not be surgically repaired. I have seen patients who glue an artificial nail on the healed nail bed. They admit they do it for vanity and are constantly monitoring it as it can fall off or the glue irritate the skin.

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