What should you know about nails bruised after gel removal?

A subungual haematoma is blood trapped beneath the nail plate. It can occur when the nail is pressed, scraped, or pulled during gel application or removal. The colour may look red, purple, brown, or black, and tenderness can be strongest soon after the injury. The mark may remain visible while the nail grows outward.

Gel removal can also leave the nail thin, dry, or rough without causing a true bruise. If the colour is spreading, the nail is lifting, or the surrounding skin is inflamed, another nail problem should be considered. [Discoloured Nails](/symptoms/nail-discoloration/) explains colour changes more broadly.

Keep the nail short but do not dig beneath it. Protect it from pressure, keep the surrounding skin clean, and use a cool wrapped compress for short periods if it is tender. Pause gel products, filing, and acetone exposure while the nail recovers. Do not puncture the nail yourself; trapped blood may need examination and, when appropriate, clinician-performed drainage.

A clinician can check for a deeper injury or infection and decide whether a procedure is needed. [Nail Surgery](/treatments/surgical-dermatology/nail-surgery/) is used for selected nail problems, not as routine care for every bruise.

Arrange care if pain is severe or increasing, the bruise followed a strong impact, the nail is split or lifting, or the colour does not move outward as the nail grows. Seek prompt attention for pus, warmth, spreading redness, fever, numbness, or a dark mark that changes without a clear injury.

Ask whether the colour is consistent with a bruise, whether the nail bed is injured, and whether drainage would help. Ask when to resume manicures, which products to avoid, and what changes should trigger review.