by Loralie Lynn

Created on: December 10, 2009

Hangnails on fingers can be very painful and annoying, especially when you accidentally catch the skin on something. People who have dry skin tend to get hangnails often as do those who bite the edges of the skin around their fingernails. Picking skin around nails worsens hangnails and can be a breeding place for bacteria.  Here are some tips for fixing and preventing painful hangnails so that you can have healthy, nice looking hands and fingers.

Soak fingernails in a soapy solution. In a small bowl, mix together lukewarm water, a few drops freshly squeezed lemon, and soft moisturizing hand soap. Soak fingers in the solution for about 10-15 minutes. The water and soap work to cleanse fingernails and cuticles while the lemon works as an antiseptic making hands and cuticles soft and smooth. Pat dry hands with a clean hand towel.

Gently clip the hangnail off with nail clippers or petite nail scissors. Hands that are freshly soaked with make cuticles and hangnail skin soft enough to cut without pulling skin. Be careful when cutting hangnails, however, so that you don't cut too much of the skin off and cause bleeding. It may be best to pull the skin away from the finger a bit before cutting the hangnail off.

Seal the hangnail wound with a liquid Band-Aid. Using a liquid Band-Aid such as New-Skin Liquid Bandage or Band-Aid Liquid Bandage, will cover the hangnail wound and prevent infection from outside forces such as dirt, germs, and bacteria. Liquid bandages also include an antiseptic to cleanse heal the hangnail wound like an antibiotic. A liquid bandage also works to pull the hangnail wound together and help it to close quickly for faster healing.

Whenever possible, soften cuticle skin with moisturizing cream and gloves at bedtime. Smoothing moisturizing cream such as Eucerin and covering hands with cotton gloves will help to keep cuticles soft and prevent hangnails. If this is not feasible, try to keep hands moisturized as much as possible throughout the day and take care in how much hand sanitizer you use because it can over dry hands and fingers.

Helpful Hints:

Never pull hangnails...if they bother you, put a Band-Aid on them until you can get a pair of clippers to snip off the hangnail...pulling and tugging at hangnails can cause excessive bleeding and infection.

Don't pick at your fingers when you have dry skin...picking the sides of fingers can create hangnails and cause more problems later. 

If hangnails worsen or become more frequent, see your doctor who may be able to prescribe a medicinal hand cream geared toward extremely chapped, dry, and cracking skin.

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