Diagnosis of a bruise under the nail | Bruise under the nail

Diagnosis of a bruise under the nail

No special diagnostic means are necessary to detect a bruise under the nail. The colour of the bruise varies from brown, black to blue and fades after a few days. The bruise is usually limited to the nail and hurts when pressure is applied from outside.

In the first hours after an injury, a pulsating pain in the finger may also be felt. The pressure pain is strongest in the first days after the injury. In the end, a doctor only needs to look at the nail to determine the bruise.

Questions about the course of the accident are also groundbreaking. If the stain was not caused externally and is painless, a black skin cancer, which can develop under the nail, may also be a possible cause. In this case a dermatologist will carry out special examinations to confirm the diagnosis.

This includes, for example, the inspection of the stain with a reflected light microscope. If there is a strong suspicion of black skin cancer, the stain is cut out and further examined.

All articles in this series:

  1. Bruise under the nail
  2. Treatment of a bruise under the nail
  3. Bruise under the fingernail
  4. Diagnosis of a bruise under the nail