Does nail surgery treat a bruised nail?

A bruised nail, or subungual hematoma, is blood trapped beneath the nail after an impact, pinching injury, or repeated pressure. The colour can range from red to purple, brown, or black, and the nail may feel tender. If pressure is causing significant throbbing soon after an injury, a clinician may make a small opening to release blood; this is a focused drainage procedure, not the same as removing the whole nail. A damaged nail may need additional care when it is split, partly detached, or linked with an injury to the fingertip or toe.

Protect the digit, use a cold pack wrapped in cloth for short periods, and keep the hand or foot raised when it is swollen. Avoid drilling, piercing, or removing the nail yourself. Wear roomy footwear if a toe is affected. A bruise usually moves toward the tip as the nail grows, but a clinician should confirm the cause when there was no remembered injury or the mark does not behave like a bruise. Learn more about [Nail Surgery](/treatments/surgical-dermatology/nail-surgery/).

Seek prompt assessment for severe or increasing pain, a nail that is split or lifted, a deep cut, numbness, deformity, or difficulty moving the finger or toe. Get urgent help for uncontrolled bleeding, spreading redness, pus, or fever. A dark band that appears without trauma, remains fixed while the nail grows, or extends onto nearby skin needs dermatology review rather than being assumed to be a bruise.

Ask whether drainage would help, whether the nail bed or bone may be injured, and how to protect the nail while it grows. Confirm which pain or wound changes require reassessment and whether the colour should move outward with growth.