Hangnails and their Prevention

The hangnail is one of the most common problems with nails. There are a few things you can do to help prevent hangnails from ruining the look of your hands. Hangnails do more than just make our hands look bad; they cause us pain by snagging on anything and everything. Here we will show you some simple solutions to stopping hangnails.

What Is A Hangnail?

The hangnail is caused by extra skin building up around the nail’s base and sides. This extra skin detaches itself from the nail and sticks up. This skin sticking up can be painful while removing, or commonly ripping and biting it off.

What Causes Hangnails?

Dry cuticles are usually the cause of Hangnails. At the base of the nail is the cuticle, which can dry out and break away from the nail causing a hangnail. Biting, picking, and pulling at hangnails tend to make them worse and last longer. The risk of hangnails is increased if the person spends more time with their hands in water.

This causes the skin to get soft, which allows the skin to be more easily damaged. Children are more commonly seen getting hangnails by biting their nails.

How Do I Prevent Hangnails?

The best way to solve the problem is by preventing it before it happens. You can do this by moisturizing the cuticle.

Some Simple Hangnail Prevention Tips:

• Avoid biting or ripping off your hangnails. This can cause bleeding and infection. Use a pair of nail scissors and cut the hangnail close to the base to stop deterioration.
• Soak your hand in warm water for 5 to 10 minutes, dry thoroughly, then apply a moisturizing cream or oil to the skin surrounding the nails.
• Don’t bite your nails. This will prevent you from getting hangnails. If you find this difficult, there are products you can get to put on your nails. These products will make the nails taste bad and prevent you from biting your nails.
• Wear gloves when using cleaners or when your hands are submerged in water for a really long time.