Hangnails
Hangnails
7 Tips to a Trim Finger
They're no big deal. Until you catch them on something. Trouble is, you catch them on everything. Your hair, your clothes, the newspaper, your cat. Every time you use your hands, little jabs of pain remind you of their presence.
Where do hangnails come from? Those annoying little triangular splits of skin around the fingernails are nothing more than dead skin. The skin in that area, which does not contain a good supply of oil to begin with, simply dries out.
Who gets them? They're particularly common among women who have their hands in water a lot or who bite their nails. But, says Rodney Basler, M.D., an assistant professor of internal medicine at the University of Nebraska College of Medicine, anyone involved in an occupation that dries out the hands is at risk. "The worst cases of hangnails [as well as chapped hands and hand eczema] occur in letter sorters. People who work with paper all the time get terribly dry hands because the paper actually absorbs oil from their hands. Often they think they're allergic to ink on the paper, but it's just the physical effect of oil being removed from their skin."
If your hangnails are giving you nightmares, try these tips.
Get a clip job. "If you get a hangnail, clip it short and clip it early," advises Joseph Bark, M.D., a Lexington, Kentucky, dermatologist. "That'll keep it from getting worse. Don't do major surgery on yourself; just clip off the little tags of skin with small, sharp, sterilized scissors."
Adds Trisha Webster, a top New York City hand model whose livelihood depends on perfectly groomed hands, "Before you clip a hangnail, soak it in a little water or a water and oil solution to soften it. A lot of people make the mistake of clipping a hangnail when it's still hard and end up ripping the skin more."
Take Mom's advice. "I advise the same thing your mother told you: Don't bite hangnails," says Dr. Basler. "If you bite them, you end up with fairly deep cuts around your fingers. And those can get infected."
Go soak. "Soaking in an oil-and-water solution, as you would when getting a manicure, is very helpful," advises Dr. Basler. "I tell my patients to mix 4 capfuls of bath oil such as Alpha-Keri with 1 pint of warm water and to soak their fingertips in it for maybe 10 to 15 minutes."
Wrap up the problem. "If you're having a lot of problems with hangnails, rub an emollient cream or ointment on the affected finger at bedtime and wrap it in a piece of plastic wrap. Secure the end with a bit of tape. The plastic will keep the moisture in overnight. Just be sure to remove the plastic in the morning. You wouldn't want to keep it on too long," says Dr. Basler.
Don't pick on yourself. "If you have a tendency to pick at hangnails when you're nervous, be sure to wear clothes with pockets," advises Diana Bihova, M.D., a dermatologist and clinical instructor of dermatology at the New York University Medical Center in New York City. "Put one hand in each pocket and leave them there until the urge passes."
Make moisturizing a habit. To prevent hangnails in the first place, "moisturize your cuticles every day. Make it a habit, not something you do just when you get a manicure," says Dr. Bihova. "Rub hand lotion into the flesh surrounding your nails to keep the area soft. For a more soothing feeling, warm the moisturizer over a pan of warm water, using a double boiler. Every time you apply moisturizer to your hands, take extra time to rub some into the cuticles."
Webster says, "I make it a point to rub olive oil or safflower oil into my cuticles" to help prevent hangnails.
Cuticle cautions. Because hangnails often form around the cuticle, many people try to avoid them by using cuticle-removing solutions. That's not a good idea, says Dr. Bihova.
"Many of these products, which are designed to tame excess or ragged cuticles, contain sodium hydroxide," she explains. "This caustic chemical can destroy skin tissue, so products containing it can cause irritation if left on too long. Use such products sparingly and always follow package instructions carefully. It's the cuticle, after all, that provides the vital function of protecting your nails from harmful bacteria and fungi.
"Hangnails sound very innocent," she warns, "but if they get infected, they can lead to serious inflammation of the cuticles and other tissues surrounding the nails."
PANEL OF ADVISERS
Joseph Bark, M.D., is a dermatologist in private practice in Lexington, Kentucky, and author of Retin-A and Other Youth Miracles and Skin Secrets: A Complete Guide to Skin Care for the Entire Family.
Rodney Basler, M.D., is a dermatologist and assistant professor of internal medicine at the University of Nebraska College of Medicine in Lincoln.
Diana Bihova, M.D., is a dermatologist in private practice and clinical instructor of dermatology at the New York University Medical Center in New York City. She is coauthor of Beauty from the Inside Out.
Trisha Webster is a top New York City hand model with the Wilhelmina Inc. modeling agency. She has almost 20 years' experience in the business.
