Q: I get frequent hangnails — and they hurt. Is there anything I can do to speed up the healing process?
A bad hangnail can ruin your day. Swelling, throbbing, tenderness — that tiny skin tear can cause considerable pain.
“There are a lot of nerve endings in the fingers, so the skin is very sensitive,” said Dr. Amanda Zubek, an assistant professor of dermatology at the Yale School of Medicine.
Hangnails usually go away on their own, but experts say there are ways to speed up the healing process and to protect your fingers against them.
What is a hangnail?
A hangnail isn’t actually a hanging nail — or even a nail at all.
“Hangnail is a funny term,” said Dr. Ida Orengo, the chair of the department of dermatology at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. “It’s really a small piece of skin next to the nail.”
When that sliver of skin lifts away from the cuticle, it can feel hard because the skin is usually dry and brittle, Dr. Zubek said. The drier your skin, the more vulnerable your cuticles are to rips and snags, she said.
Indoor heating combined with colder weather can cause dry, flaky skin, Dr. Zubek said. This makes hangnails more common during dry winter months and in arid climates.
Harsh chemicals from cleaning supplies or nail polish remover can also increase your risk of a hangnail, said Dr. Shehla Admani, a dermatologist at Stanford Medicine Children’s Health.
People who bite or pick at their cuticles tend to be prone to hangnails, as are those with skin conditions like eczema or psoriasis, Dr. Admani said.
And while manicures might keep your nails looking nice, Dr. Zubek said they can sometimes set you up for hangnails. “A lot of times, the manicure technician will try to push the cuticles back, which can weaken the connection between the skin and the nail,” she said.
Our cuticles help protect against infection, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, so it’s best to leave them alone.
Can I make a hangnail go away?
If you do find yourself with a hangnail, Dr. Orengo recommended softening the skin around your nail by soaking your fingertips in warm water or in a solution of warm water and white vinegar, which can help stave off bacteria. The ratio of warm water to vinegar should be about three to one, Dr. Orengo said — so if you’re making a cup of solution, add a quarter cup of white vinegar to three-quarters of a cup of water.
Once your skin feels soft, she said, you can snip off the hangnail with a sterile pair of cuticle scissors (or nail clippers, Dr. Admani said). To ensure your tool is clean, wipe it down with rubbing alcohol.
After trimming the hangnail, Dr. Zubek recommended applying an ointment like Aquaphor or Vaseline to the resulting wound. This will help keep your skin hydrated and protected as it heals, she said. Ointments tend to trap in moisture better than lotions or creams, and they’re less likely to cause allergic reactions than over-the-counter antibiotic ointments like Neosporin, Dr. Zubek said.
If you don’t have a tool to trim your hangnail, Dr. Zubek recommended covering it with ointment and a bandage until it heals — usually in around three to five days — to avoid further tearing it as you use your hand.
“Each time it gets caught on something, it’s going to get more traumatized and become a larger wound than what you started with,” she said.
A neat trim can help, but all of the experts warned against trying to rip or bite off your hangnail instead. “This could tear off your hangnail further than you intended, which will cause more injury,” Dr. Zubek said. And using your teeth to bite it off could introduce infection-causing bacteria, she said.
Can I prevent hangnails?
Keeping your hands moisturized goes a long way in staving them off, Dr. Admani said. She recommended applying cream or lotion throughout the day, especially after you wash your hands.
“Any time you wash your hands, even with very gentle soap, you’re stripping your skin of its natural moisture,” she said. Reapplying moisturizer after a hand wash and choosing a mild soap without strong fragrances, which can irritate your skin, could help.
Dr. Zubek recommended using a more intensive moisturizing regimen before going to bed, including applying a thick moisturizer or ointment and then wearing cotton gloves while you sleep. This will help the skin on your hands absorb the moisturizer, Dr. Zubek said.
When should I see a doctor?
If you notice redness, swelling or pus around the hangnail, Dr. Orengo said, you might have an infection and should see a doctor to figure out if you need antibiotics.
“A hangnail alone is not a sign of infection,” Dr. Admani added. But if you’re not sure, a doctor can usually tell.
From there, your doctor can determine what kind of infection you have and the best way to treat it, whether that’s with oral or topical antibiotics or with a special antiseptic soak.
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