Free nail tool
Nail Damage Timeline
Drag the slider and see exactly what your nail should look like week by week after gel removal, biting, a fungal infection or a slammed door.
How long nails really take to recover
A fingernail replaces itself in roughly four to six months and a toenail in 12 to 18 months. That single fact explains almost every question about damaged nails: you cannot heal the part that is already grown, you can only protect it while the new plate pushes it out.
Gel and dip damage is usually mechanical — caused by aggressive filing and picking, not by the product itself. Bruising under the plate (a subungual haematoma) grows out with the nail and needs a doctor only if pain is severe or the bruise covers more than a quarter of the nail. Suspected fungal infection needs a confirmed diagnosis before you spend months on treatment, because psoriasis and simple trauma look very similar.
This timeline is educational, not medical advice. If a nail lifts off, throbs, bleeds or changes colour without an obvious injury, see a dermatologist or podiatrist.