Human nails are pretty tough. We’ll avoid the “tough as nails” joke, as they’re not quite that tough, but our nails can certainly stand up to a lot of wear and tear. We end up facing many problems with our fingers and toenails, such as splits, cracks, fungus, and the dreaded, painful hangnail. A hangnail is a very annoying thing, and we’ve all had them, even if we don’t realize what they are. Hangnails are that tiny, torn piece of skin right next to our fingers and toenails. Yes, quite painful and annoying. What’s worse is that these hangnails can become infected and cause even more serious issues.
This is when a good nail treatment can really help out, such as the one from Doctors Kline + Green. Though, how many ways are there to treat hangnails? Let’s go over some remedy ideas that you may implement if you deal with hangnails.
Table of Contents
Ways That You Can Take Care of Your Hangnails
Preventative Care
The best way to get rid of hangnails is to prevent them. We’ll get to how you can treat existing issues in just a minute, though for right now, it’s important to focus on preventing these issues since they’re so incredibly common. Remember, a hangnail isn’t actually your nail; it’s just the skin beside the nail. So it can happen quite often depending on your habits. You should always moisturize, for starters. Make sure that the skin around your nails is strong and that your skin is retaining moisture. This is by far the best way to fight against these painful and pesky hangnails. Preventative care is always the key to avoiding so many issues.
The Right Nail Repair Gel
Now, let’s get into what you can do if you have hangnails. Working to prevent is one thing, but helping with the issue you’re suffering now may be more important. A great nail treatment will help you eliminate these hangnails. Even though the nails’ treatment ointment goes on the nails, what it does is it provides a ton of moisture to the surrounding skin. It will also keep your nails growing healthier, straighter, and prevent your cuticles from going wild on you. After clipping the excess skin from a hangnail, the treatment you use will provide that necessary moisture to help your skin heal up as good as new, while preventing future issues.
Soak in Warm Water
Those hangnails can be quite stubborn, but mostly they’re just dried skin that has cracked off a bit and is now just hanging out there. That’s why they’re so painful. You have that little tab of skin which, when moved, causes pain in the inflamed area. So, you need moisture provided to this dry area. Soaking your fingers or toes in some clean, warm water for 20 minutes or so will really soften that skin up to the point the dead skin is just ready to fall off. You should still cut it off with clippers, however; don’t tear at it, as you might actually tear open a wound. Just soak and cut; it’s as simple as that.
Always Cut when Short
You have to really be diligent here and cut everything nail-related with clippers. This means, firstly, keeping those nails short. Or, if you want longer nails, at least cut them very even, particularly around the ends, with a sharp implement. You should also watch out for hangnails on your hands and feet. At the first sign of a little tab of skin poking up, just snip it off with the clippers. Just check your hands right now. You might have two or three starting. They won’t hurt or be an issue until they’re left alone to grow and tear more. So just keep them cut off, and you won’t have an issue going forward.
The best way to handle your hangnails is with a nail product that’s designed to treat damaged nails. This will help you more than anything, once you develop hangnails. Though in order to keep you from getting them, use the preventative tips here like moisturizing and checking often to cut them off, literally nipping them in the bud.