What do you call the skin which protrudes from the roots of the nail? It is called a hangnail. A lot of times we get these painful hangnails either due to dry skin or due to an underlying infection. Sometimes people get this after keeping their hands in water for a longer time. Unless this hangnail isn’t exposed to fungus or bacteria, it is harmless. Otherwise, this may cause severe nail infection if not treated on time. Generally, people think that ripping them off the skin is the best way to get rid of them which is not the correct way. Instead of healing, this may aggravate problems by causing severe pain and swelling around the nail.
What Is A Hangnail?
Hangnails are basically nail cuticles which jut out from the skin creating a nuisance for the person. Hangnail is developed when a piece of skin separates from the nail cuticle. This might sound normal to people who haven’t gone through this painful experience. Only the sufferers know how they bear with this. Meanwhile, read the causes of hangnails:
- The habit of biting nails
- Nail clipping
- Dryness
- Cold weather
- Dehydration
- Mistakenly cut cuticle
Hangnails are most common with people who are habitual of nibbling their nails. Our mouth is home to more than 600 types of bacteria which means putting fingers in the mouth and biting nails would expose you to them and cause infections.
Sometimes, people try to bite out the hangnails considering it the easiest way possible but that is also risky. Instead of biting and ripping them off, try the other safe alternatives.
Also Read: Here is how nail polish can affect your health
The 4-Step Method To Safely Remove a Hangnail
Ripping a hangnail might expose the skin to bacteria and eventually cause wound and infection which may get severe over time. An infection named ‘Paronychia’ is caused by pulling the skin.
1. Dip
- Take a bowl with warm water in it.
- Add a few drops of Vitamin E oil in the water. This will provide a moisturizing effect on the nails.
- Dip your nails in the bowl for about 10-15 minutes. This will soften the nails and the skin surrounding the nails to make it easier to remove.
2. Clip
- Take out your hands from the water and clean them with a cotton towel.
- Now take a cuticle cutter and carefully cut the hangnail. To purchase a cuticle cutter, click here.
- Make sure that you aren’t cutting any extra skin. Also, do not pull the skin or else it may cause bleeding and infection.
3. Disinfect
- After you’re done with cutting the cuticle, disinfect the nails.
- Apply an antibacterial ointment on your nails and the surrounding skin to eliminate all kinds of bacteria to prevent infection.
4. Moisturize
- After disinfecting, moisturize the skin.
- Apply a herbal moisturizer on your hands to prevent dryness.
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