Hangnails on fingers. Causes in children and adults. How to get rid of it if it breaks out, becomes inflamed, comes off

Factors that provoke the appearance of hangnails

Hangnails on the fingers, the causes of which are known to many doctors, do not appear on their own - they are provoked by certain factors:

• Gnawing. This is important: you cannot get rid of a hangnail with your teeth. Pulling it will tear the surrounding skin and cause bleeding, which will only make the situation worse. To get rid of a hangnail, you can wash your hands in warm water for 10 minutes. Then, using nail or manicure scissors, carefully trim the hangnail. Do not touch the healthy skin around, but simply remove the dead skin that sticks out.

• Irregular cuticle care. Manicure is not only about beautiful nails, but also about healthy cuticles. You definitely need to pay attention to this during salon manicure procedures. Taking care of your cuticles will help prevent and get rid of hangnails forever.
• Nail biting. Biting and biting your nails is a very bad habit that causes hangnails and, most often, infections. It is necessary to find ways to get rid of this habit, for example, painting your nails with regular or special bitter varnish.
• Do not use cuticle balm. The cuticle dries out very quickly, so it needs to be moisturized regularly, especially during the colder months. To achieve the best result, the product should be applied at night. This gives the balm plenty of time to hydrate and heal your cuticles while you sleep. You can carry the container with you throughout the day so you can moisturize your cuticles as needed, even while at work.
• Neglecting to wear gloves while cleaning. When cleaning your apartment daily, you should consider using rubber gloves. Exposing your hands to water (especially soapy water) can quickly dry out the skin around your nails.

How to remove burrs

Hangnails on the hands, the cause of which is related to dry hands or other similar problems, can be removed quite simply at home.

The main thing is not to bite off, rip off or tug at them!

The following procedure will help you get rid of hangnails:

1. The fingers are kept in a bath of warm water. You should add a little olive oil to the liquid.

2. The protruding skin is cut off with special tweezers with sharp edges. It is important not to cut off too much to avoid creating a wound.

3. Lubricate the site of the former hangnail with antiseptic ointment to prevent infection and speed up healing. A product with vitamin E or moisturizer will do.

4. If there is a large wound at the cut site, cover it with a bandage.

It is prohibited to use antiseptics containing alcohol . They dry out the skin and promote irritation. It is better to use hydrogen peroxide, Miramistin, Chlorhexidine.

If a hangnail appears at work and hurts, it should be covered with an adhesive bandage and treated at home.

Beauty salon specialists can deal with the problem of hangnails more professionally. However, you only need to contact a trusted specialist.

Salon treatments include:

• hand peeling;
• spa manicure;
• paraffin therapy;
• trim manicure.

The same services are performed with the toes.

Internal causes of hangnail formation

Hangnails on the fingers (the reasons are described below) can appear for completely different reasons.

Hangnails on fingers. The reasons may lie in mechanical damage.

The most common ones are as follows:

Prevention

To prevent such conditions, you should watch your hands. Do your manicure carefully and carefully. Do not overdry the skin of your fingers with antiseptics, but use them for wounds of the cuticle and nail fold. Adequately treat and moisturize the skin for dermatitis. Use protective creams in cold weather. Use gloves at low temperatures or during physical labor. Use household gloves when working with aggressive technical or household liquids. In cases where a finger skin injury has occurred, carefully trim off the exfoliated tissue and treat the damaged area with disinfecting solutions.

Postnova Maria, general practitioner, medical columnist

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Diagnostics

In most cases, this problem does not require diagnosis. But if, with proper care and treatment, hangnails appear again, you should contact a dermatologist and get tested for biochemistry and microelements. The reasons for the frequent appearance of hangnails can lead to a disease called paronychia. They can become inflamed on the fingers and transfer the infection to the nail fold.

In this case, you must immediately contact a surgeon . If you have overcome the last stage of paronychia, baths, compresses and other therapeutic procedures will help. In extreme cases, surgery is performed to remove infections, or the nail plate is removed completely or partially.

To avoid the appearance of hangnails, it is necessary to regularly care for the cuticle through home and salon treatments.

If you want to trim a burr, this should only be done with disinfected tools.

The most common complications

Purulent paronychia or panaritium. It begins with redness and swelling of the nail fold. The skin next to an existing wound begins to peel off, and new hangnails may form. Subsequently, ichor begins to ooze from the wound itself, and suppuration begins. The release of pus is preceded by a specific “tugging” pain, indicating the onset of an acute inflammatory process. Touching the periungual area causes sharp pain.

The lack of a timely response to the inflammatory process can lead to complications that affect not only the skin, but also soft tissues, bone and circulatory systems. In this case, surgery may be necessary.

If the home treatment process does not bring visible results, you should consult a doctor as soon as possible. Perhaps poor healing of the panaritium is a symptom of a more serious, sluggish disease of the body. Only an experienced doctor can help determine the true cause of the problem.

Medicinal ointments for the treatment of inflamed hangnails

In the pharmacy you can find many different useful remedies for hangnails. It is absolutely not necessary to buy the most expensive ointment, since for the first treatment you will only need a product that contains panthenol - this will disinfect the keratinized piece of skin. Zinc ointment is also an excellent substitute. These options are suitable for hangnails on both fingers and toes.

For subsequent treatment, medications with anti-inflammatory properties will be needed. This could be an infusion of calendula and hawthorn, iodine, brilliant green, hydrogen peroxide. If this is not done, a wound may appear and bleeding may occur. And in these cases, the infection can easily penetrate, which will cause even more trouble.

Another problem with hangnails is pus. It can also be prevented with products containing alcohol. But if this fails, you will have to use antiseptics.

I tore off a hangnail and my finger hurts, what should I do?

What to do if you tore off a hangnail and it became very inflamed afterwards? First of all, make sure there is no sludge in the resulting wound. If it is missing, then first aid measures will be as follows:

1. Steam your finger in a warm bath. This is important to do before any manipulation of the nail or cuticle. Be sure to add some kind of antiseptic substance to the bath. It could be salt or soda. Tea tree oil, potassium permanganate or even lemon juice are also suitable. The duration of the bath is 15 minutes. Do not need anymore.
2. After the procedure, carefully cut off the protruding parts of the skin. They will be softened by a warm bath, so you can do this without unnecessary damage or pain.
3. Next, you need to treat your finger with antiseptics again. Peroxide, chlorhexidine, and alcohol are suitable for this purpose. You can also smear the damaged area with iodine or brilliant green.
4. Tie your finger carefully so that it does not come into contact with air and bacteria. This is important for faster healing.

Such actions will help if a woman has torn off a hangnail and her finger hurts and bothers her. You can also use folk remedies in addition. For this you will need aloe. Tear off a leaf and grind it into pulp. After this, apply it to the sore finger and tie it. This procedure should be done at night.

Remember that all measures to help with inflammation of a hangnail should be carried out only after a warm cleansing antiseptic bath. Otherwise, the problem may get worse.

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Vitamin complexes

Very often, the occurrence of hangnails is associated with a lack of certain vitamins in the human body. To prevent the occurrence of these ailments, it is necessary to review your diet so that it contains all the necessary microelements and vitamins. If this cannot be done, you can always resort to vitamin complexes.

So, vitamins that help prevent the appearance of hangnails:

• Retinol. This vitamin is also called vitamin A. Its lack in the body leads to the inability to restore epithelial tissues and cells, subsequently the skin becomes rough, cracked, which leads to the appearance of hangnails.

• Vitamin B-6 or D-panthenol . A lack of this vitamin leads to a lack of regeneration of damaged epithelial cells, which is another reason for the development of infection in hangnails.
• Tocopherol . This element does not belong to vitamins, but to microelements. It is responsible for protecting the body from free radicals, which protects the skin from harmful substances and abrasions.
• Vitamin R. Rutin is another beneficial vitamin found in fish. Its deficiency is associated with poor wound healing and the appearance of scratches.

If a child gets a hangnail on his finger...

It often happens that a child tears off a hangnail and the finger becomes inflamed after that. This happens because children think little about their safety and can even play in the sand with existing hangnails and rarely wash their hands. All this results in inflammation and other problems.

If a child pulls off a hangnail or a swollen finger, what should you do? The same procedures as for adults are suitable. But you will need to ensure that your baby does not develop allergies to various products. It can be caused by both ointments and aloe. Therefore, it is worth stocking up on antihistamines in advance so that everything is at hand.

Cosmetic creams

Cosmetic creams are also great for getting rid of hangnails. They can also be purchased in pharmacies, salons, and if the ingredients are natural, you can make it at home.

Cosmetic creams mainly contain:

• Vitamin E. This component is one of the most effective and useful in treating hangnails. A mixture of oils helps even better: castor, peach, olive and burdock.
• Natural honey . Honey helps prevent hangnails by moisturizing the cuticle. This is the best ingredient for disinfection and nutrition.
• Avocado. This fruit is rich in essential vitamins and minerals, in particular vitamin E. It is useful both for eating and for making masks. The first option will prevent the appearance of hangnails, and the second will quickly cure existing ones.

• White clay . This famous product, often used in face masks, has a positive effect on removing hangnails. It can be bought both in pure form and as a mask. It must be applied according to the instructions.

How to get rid of hangnails

To counteract hangnails at home , you will need to steam your fingers:

• Keep your hands in hot water for about 10 minutes. Mix baking soda or sea salt into the liquid (you will need 1 tablespoon of the product per 500 ml). Carrying out the manipulation in a warm bath with the addition of 5-10 drops of essential oil of lemon, bergamot along with petitgrain will remove the hangnail. Refined vegetable oil will replace oils.
• Next, the exfoliated pieces of cuticle are painlessly removed.
• Dry your hands carefully with a towel.
• The instrument is treated with medical alcohol. Use nail scissors to carefully remove the cuticle. It is forbidden to pick or pull burrs.
• Next, the skin is disinfected: with peroxide or calendula tincture and treated with Dexpanthenol. Ointment analogues are appropriate: Bepanten and Panoderm, Panternol and D-Panthenol, use cream for moisturizing.
• A patch with a fabric center is glued on, so users will get rid of involuntary injuries on clothing.

If you are afraid of cutting off burrs, use the following methods:

Soak hands in hot water for about 10 minutes

1. In the evening, carefully apply calendula ointment to the hangnails and cover it loosely with an adhesive plaster. The next day, softening and spontaneous removal of hangnails occurs when washing hands.

Attention! Quick elimination of the cuticle completely is not guaranteed; small pieces of skin will again cling to things and provoke the formation of new hangnails.

1. Rub the area of ​​hangnails with rosehip or sea buckthorn oil; they have a protective and wound-healing effect.
2. A paste made from indoor houseplants Kalanchoe or aloe will help in the fight against hangnails. A couple of plucked leaves are ground and placed on the fingers, and the hands are covered with polyethylene on top. Leave for at least half an hour. It is advisable to carry out the procedure at night. The operation is repeated 1-2 times weekly. Several sessions and the skin will be unrecognizable due to its elasticity. The problem will no longer irritate and bother you.
3. Oil baths. Heat 100 ml of vegetable oil (take almond, sunflower or olive). Usually 10 to 20 minutes are enough for the procedure. The oil serves to soften and nourish the epidermis. The product does not require rinsing. It is rubbed into the epidermis and cotton gloves are put on. The manipulation is carried out daily before bedtime.
4. Among folk remedies, honey is distinguished. It is used in a liquid state along with cocoa butter, mixed in equal proportions and heated in a water bath. Problem areas are lubricated in the evening hours. If you are allergic to bee products, replace it with sunflower or olive oil. The solution successfully fights not only with hangnails, but is also suitable for treating keratinized feet.
5. Beer baths. A reliable and affordable remedy will cure hangnails. Moisten a cotton pad with heated beer and apply it to the affected areas. If you plan to have a manicure, add a couple of drops of essential or vegetable oil, as well as freshly squeezed lemon juice, to the solution.

Cosmetics in the treatment of hangnails

On a note. There are no separate cosmetic products that are intended to treat hangnails.

Care cosmetics include ingredients that are necessary to nourish the skin of the hands and that take care of the nails and cuticles. The cream is applied to the base of the nail and massaged until completely absorbed. The manipulation is relevant every day after housework.

Prevention

The problem of hangnails is fought regularly and persistently. Careful personal care includes:

• nutrition, moisturizing and softening with creams;
• use of medicinal oils;
• use of herbal baths;
• reducing interaction with an aggressive environment.

In case of minor contact with detergents, you will need to carefully wash your hands with liquid soap. It is useful that it includes moisturizing and bactericidal components and gently dries the epidermis. Hands are dried with a paper towel and lubricated with a nourishing or moisturizing fatty cream.

An important reason why hangnails appear is failure to follow the drinking regime. A lack of water can lead to dry skin, cracking and flaking. To combat hangnails, essential oil from tea tree leaves is useful as a disinfectant and moisturizer.

On a note. With the arrival of the spring season, you will need to take a vitamin-mineral complex to strengthen your skin, nails and hair follicles.

A properly composed daily menu will help solve the problem. The inclusion of foods rich in retinol or vitamin A is encouraged. It is recommended to consume carrot salad with sour cream, which moisturize the epidermis and activate its regeneration. Replenishing vitamin supplies is possible with a drug from a pharmacy.

Salon treatments

Beauty salons often offer hand and cuticle care treatments. This includes deburring. Unlike home procedures, they are done carefully in the salon, without damaging the delicate skin around the fingers. To do this, first steam the skin with hot water, then use pre-treated tools.

This is especially important, since it is necessary not to introduce an infection, but to prevent its occurrence.

Then the skin around the fingers is treated with ointment or cream with antiseptic properties. Use forceps to cut off the hangnail, trying to do it at its root, without touching intact skin. Then the affected area is again treated with a product containing alcohol and a patch is applied or a bandage is made so as not to accidentally touch the inflamed area.

They also do procedures that can prevent the appearance of hangnails, usually these are:

• massage with paraffin;

• hand skin peeling;
• neat trimmed manicure and pedicure;
• spa treatments;

Why does a hangnail break out on a finger?

Why do burrs begin to rot? Most often this happens if a person has torn off a hangnail and the finger has become infected. What should you do in such a situation? You will have to treat your hand. But in order not to bring it to such a deplorable state, it is worth fighting “bullies” using civilized methods. They cannot be torn off or chewed off. With such actions, there is a high probability that the skin will rip even more; a wound will form at the site of the hangnail, which can very easily become infected. Cases where a woman tore off a hangnail, her finger became swollen and then problems began, are very common. This reason for the formation of an abscess is the leading one, but is not the only one.

Even if you haven't chewed or pulled off the hangnail, it can still break. This happens if a person has a weakened immune system. Even tiny damage can contain microbes. If the body is weak and cannot resist them, then inflammation begins.

Another cause of the problem is contact with dirt. Even if the hangnail is very small, it can easily become inflamed if you work with chemicals or dirt. Therefore, it is important to carry out cleaning work only with gloves. This will not only reduce the likelihood of rotting burrs, but will also eliminate their appearance.

Photo from the site: mirnogotkov.ru

Traditional treatment

Hangnails on the fingers, the causes of which are described in the article, can also be treated with folk remedies. One of the best folk remedies is the use of a chamomile bath. The plant has remarkable antiseptic properties. The procedure is done as follows: first, the plant is infused for 30 minutes in a container, then fingers are immersed in the bath for 15 minutes.

After the procedure, the hands are dried and a nourishing cream is applied. Cod broth will help solve the problem with hangnails. You need to place your hands in the broth for a while and repeat the procedure several times. Rubbing lemon or cranberry juice into your cuticles will give your nails a healthy look. Mashed milk and potatoes actively contribute to the treatment of hangnails.

Coffee is a great remedy for hangnails. Place your hands in the liquid and keep them there, shaking occasionally. Soda solution and nourishing oil baths are used in the same way. You can perform different types of procedures or one as many times as the problem requires. Then you need to cut off the torn piece of skin with nail clippers.

The main thing is to make sure that they are sharp and will do their job well. Otherwise, they can only make the situation worse.

You can check the sharpness of the wire cutters using a napkin or thick sheet of paper. To do this you need to cut the material. If they are sharp, you must first sterilize them, and then the nail fold area. Then carefully cut off the protruding piece of skin and again treat the area with an antiseptic.

In case of severe inflammation, you need to apply tetracycline ointment to the damaged area and wrap it with a bandage. For minor inflammation, it is enough to treat the wound with a nourishing cream and stick a bandage on top.

Causes of burr abscesses

Foreign bacterial (less often fungal) flora invades the open gate at the site of damage to the epidermis (on the lateral, posterior ridge near the nail). The infectious agent is immediately attacked by leukocytes, trying to absorb the pathogens. Dead cells form pus. Increased vascular permeability due to the effects of biologically active substances released from mast cells and cytokines provokes edema. The onset of inflammation causes redness and an increase in local temperature. Irritation of nerve endings by inflammatory products and compression by swelling causes pain. The whole process occurs in two stages: infiltration (redness, swelling, slight pain) and purulent fusion (formation of an abscess, bursting, shooting pain, spread of redness and swelling to neighboring areas, reaction of the lymphatic system: lymphangitis and adenopathy). The purulent focus is surrounded by a leukocyte shaft, which limits and restrains the spread of inflammation. When this barrier is destroyed or broken through, the inflammatory process progresses in breadth and depth. Without adequate treatment, periungual panaritium can form into subungual, articular and even bone felon.

note

You should not try to squeeze out the panaritium. This will lead to the destruction of the protective barrier and can provoke diffuse inflammation of the finger or hand - phlegmon.

The fungal process is most often caused by candida (albicans, tropicans). Inflammatory redness and swelling are accompanied by white-gray deposits on the skin and in the area of ​​the wound defect. With the addition of secondary coccal flora, purulent fusion of tissue develops.

Recipe for relieving inflammation if the hangnail is inflamed and breaks out

There are times when the hangnail becomes inflamed and pus is visible around the edges. This is not the best outcome, but it is still treatable. In this case, calendula will be a good helper. Both a decoction and an extract of this plant will help. Juice is even better; for this you need to finely chop the calendula. The juice should be applied to the affected area and bandaged with gauze.

Baths with essential oils

Essential oils, like nothing else, will help soften the cuticle before trimming hangnails.

For such purposes, the following oils are excellent options:

• rapeseed;
• peach;
• almond;
• castor;
• burdock;
• argan

It would be a good idea to mix all the listed oils, 2 drops each. They need to be added to hot, but not boiling, water. Let your hands rest for 30 minutes, then lightly pat them dry with a towel and begin removing the hangnail. Elimination instructions are also in the article.

Soda-salt bath

Baking soda is a great help in case of hangnails. It can relieve inflammation and relieve pain. Using soda, they make cuticle baths, and not only for damaged areas. In addition, soda will go well with salt, which will doubly help. To do this you need to take 2 tbsp. sea ​​salt, 2 tbsp. soda and boiling water.

Of course, you should not put your hands into boiling water, but this is only necessary to completely dissolve the ingredients in them.

Place salt and baking soda in water and stir until dissolved. Wait 10-15 minutes until it cools down, then put your hands in the bath. You can use a small bowl or a small saucepan as a container for the ingredients.

Keep your hands in the water for about 17 minutes, then take them out and wipe with a towel; there is no need to rinse off the saline solution. This simple and inexpensive home procedure will be an excellent replacement for a salon procedure and will save money and time. It will quickly relieve pain and inflammation.

Aloe

Aloe is very well used in the case of abscesses and inflammation of hangnails. You need to apply fresh plant gel. If there is only one hangnail, you don’t need to take a lot, 5 ml is enough. First you need to treat the affected finger with an antiseptic and leave for 3 minutes. Then apply aloe vera gel and make a bandage. In 2-3 procedures you can easily get rid of pus and inflammation at the site of the lesion.

Herbal lotions

Serpentine extract is the best antifungal agent made from plants of the sunflower family.

It should be applied 2-3 times a week to the affected area. At the end of the procedure, wrap the finger with a gauze bandage.

Traditional methods of treating hangnails

• Hand baths

The most faithful helpers are baths.

• Oil baths are a very good thing in such cases. Lightly heat the olive oil, put your hands in there, hold for about 15 minutes. This is simply a wonderful product for softening the skin on your hands!

You can also use shea butter, rosehip oil, apricot oil and castor oil, which you simply rub around the nail.

• Baths with soda will soften the skin, relieve inflammation and pain, and heal wounds and cracks.

Recipe: 1 tbsp. l salt per 0.5 liters of warm water. Dip your fingers into the water and keep it there for 10 minutes.

• Baths with sea salt (0.5 tablespoons of salt per 0.5 liters of water), if you add essential oils of tea tree, mint, lemon, orange, will help heal existing hangnails and prevent the appearance of new ones.
• Important to remember! Soda and salt baths should not be used for skin damage (wounds, scratches)

The most important condition is that baths with oils should be done REGULARLY, and baths with soda and salt every other day, and not occasionally or only when pain and inflammation become simply unbearable to endure!!!

• Kalanchoe from burrs

The medicinal Kalanchoe flower will help to cope with this problem.

• A paste of Kalanchoe leaves is applied to painful areas, covered with cling film, and the compress is left overnight.
• It will relieve inflammation, destroy microbes, bacteria in areas of inflammation, and heal wounds.
• The effect will appear after several applications of such applications. This method can completely cure this problem, and you won’t even remember about hangnails!
• Cosmetic preparations for the treatment of hangnails

As such, there are no special means for treating hangnails. There are simply good creams for the skin of the hands, nails, and periungual ridges (cuticles).

Choose the most nutritious, fairly oily ones so that they soften and moisturize the skin well. When applying to hands, rub thoroughly into cuticles.

Apply the cream to your hands every day, always at night. Cosmetologists recommend doing this after each contact with soap and detergents.

• Liquid vitamin E

This drug can be rubbed around the nails before bed, just one drop is enough. The procedure must be done regularly for 2 weeks.

Cuticle and hand skin care

You should take proper care of the skin of your hands and nails.

It is important to consider the following factors and nuances:

• Regularity of manicure. You should try to take care of your nails and get a manicure at least once a week. This will help prevent unpleasant pain, as well as various diseases of the nails and skin of the hands.

• You need to hide the hangnail . The first thing you always want to do is pull out a hangnail. But under no circumstances should you do this. For such situations, it would be nice to have a couple of strips of plaster or bandage in your cosmetic bag. If you find a hangnail, you need to put it under a bandage or cover it with a band-aid so as not to accidentally tear it off.
• Lubricate the cuticle with cream . Reliable protection against burrs is a high-quality manicure. You shouldn’t waste time getting a good manicure or going to a beauty salon. It is necessary to soften the skin around the nail; to do this, regularly apply the cream and rub it over the entire nail plate.
• Soak first . Dry burrs should not be trimmed. First you need to soften the hangnail: keep it in warm water with olive oil or any essential oils. Since only the dead part needs to be removed, and the surrounding tissues should not be damaged, the hangnail should be cut off at the very base, as close to the living tissue as possible, but without touching it. You can only use disinfected instruments to avoid introducing any virus through the blood.
• Apply antibacterial ointment . If inflammation occurs at the site of the cut hangnail, you need to apply antibiotic ointment and bandage the finger to avoid the causes of infection on the fingers. There is no need to neglect this advice, since no one needs complications with not very good consequences.

Article design: Oleg Lozinsky

How to prevent hangnails from appearing again: my recommendations

To prevent hangnails from appearing on my fingers, following a few simple rules helped me:

• When contacting water, use gloves whenever possible;
• Wear gloves or mittens when going outside in the cold season;
• After washing your hands, use any softening cream (you can even use a baby cream);
• From time to time, make hand baths and masks;
• Take vitamin complexes and eat foods rich in vitamins A and E;
• Get a manicure done by a professional nail technician at least 1-2 times a month.

My hangnail problem was solved in a couple of months, which took me to select the most effective product and draw up a set of measures to prevent this problem. In order to preserve the beauty and youth of your hands, it doesn’t take much time or money. The most important thing is skin protection and regular care.

Sincerely, Sozykina Lyubov

Treatment with medications

In what cases are pharmaceutical products used to treat a hangnail and abscess on a finger? Typically, medications for such injuries are used only when the patient has serious problems (including severe pain). In this case, experts recommend first using pharmaceutical drugs, and then removing the hangnail or eliminating the abscess.

• Ichthyol ointment is a good antiseptic that has an analgesic effect.
• Solcoseryl ointment quickly and effectively treats wounds on the skin and also restores soft tissue.
• Spray "Panthenol" is an antimicrobial and antiseptic agent that quickly eliminates hangnails on the fingers.
• Calendula ointment - has an antimicrobial, bactericidal and softening effect. This drug also eliminates skin inflammation well.
• Balm "Rescuer Forte" - this product not only promotes rapid tissue restoration, but also eliminates the hangnails and abscesses themselves.

Diagnosis and treatment

Diagnostics will help identify the true cause of the problem. Indeed, in addition to the influence of external factors, the cause of this problem can be the lack of vitamins and dysbacteriosis.

For diagnosis, you should take a biochemical blood test, an analysis for the presence of vitamins in the blood, and a stool test for the presence of dysbacteriosis. A clear sign of a lack of vitamins, especially group A, is seizures (cracks in the corners of the mouth), flaky spots on the body, in particular on the face, legs and palms.

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If a hangnail on your finger becomes inflamed, a dermatologist or surgeon will tell you how to treat it. In this case, it is recommended to undergo bacterial culture of the purulent contents to determine the causative agent and sensitivity to antibacterial drugs.

When should you consult a doctor immediately?

At what point to consult a doctor, as well as what to do when a person has torn off a hangnail and his finger is swollen, depends on the body’s reaction to home treatment.

Folk remedies and pharmaceutical preparations should bring relief after the first use. For a complete cure, of course, several procedures will be required, but improvements will be noticeable immediately.

If, after a couple of days of self-treatment, home remedies do not help, the situation does not change for the better, you need to go to the clinic.

You should urgently seek help from a surgeon if pus is noticeable under the nail plate. The doctor will open the formed abscess and disinfect the cavity.

Note that as a result of extensive damage, the nail may die, peel off partially or completely. Therefore, it is better to take measures in advance to prevent the burr from rotting.

A hangnail on a finger is inflamed - how to treat it, what to do

Typically, treatment for an affected finger or toe begins with hot baths. To prepare them you will need 5-6 tablespoons of sea salt, you can also use regular food salt.

Salt is dissolved in a liter of water and boiled. When the temperature of the solution drops to a completely comfortable level, pour it into a saucepan or large bowl and immerse the sore finger in it. The duration of the procedure should be about 15 minutes. The cooled water can be heated and the finger steamed again.

The next step is to apply a bandage. Vishnevsky ointment based on birch tar, xeroform and castor oil is used to disinfect the affected area The ointment is applied in the usual way and the finger is bandaged.

You can go the other way and use dimexide solution . It is diluted with boiled water in a ratio of one part dimexide to 4 parts water. Soak a sterile bandage with the resulting solution and apply it to your finger. This dressing must be changed after 4 hours.

Instead of salt baths, you can use soda baths, add a tablespoon of baking soda to half a liter of water, keep in a warm solution for 10-15 minutes.

Depending on the severity of the inflammation, treatment can last up to 7 days by alternately taking baths and applying bandages.

Another recipe concerns cases where the inflammatory process is very intense or is accompanied by suppuration. Castellani fluid is used . It is applied using a sterile cotton wool roller wound around a match. The affected area should be treated by pressing the roller firmly or even pressing it in. Then a bandage with syntomycin liniment . The frequency of the procedure is three times a day.

Also, during suppuration, you can resort to using baths with potassium permanganate (potassium permanganate). For half a liter of water, a small amount of its crystals is enough for the resulting solution to have a pale pink color. The procedure is performed three times during the day for 10 minutes.

Sometimes 5-6 drops of bergamot or lemon oil are added to healing baths; the latter have antimicrobial activity.

You can apply aloe juice to the inflamed area, apply baked onions, use olive or any other simple vegetable oil to soften.

First aid for a torn burr

After a hangnail appears, many adults and almost all children try to tear it off on their own or even bite it off. If this is done carelessly or a lot of skin is torn off, the finger will swell and cause discomfort. But apart from a small cosmetic defect and discomfort, nothing threatens human health.

Complications can arise if microbes, such as streptococcus or Staphylococcus aureus, get into an open wound. They can cause pus to appear. One of the types of purulent inflammation of the tissues of the fingers is a disease called felon. In most cases, this pathological process requires surgical intervention.

If a burr is torn off, you need to:

1. Immediately after a person has torn off a hangnail and the finger turns red, it should be wiped with alcohol or hydrogen peroxide.
2. Check in the morning. If the finger has not become its natural color and hurts when pressed, your hands should be steamed in a healing bath. Then smear the site of inflammation with Vishnevsky ointment or another remedy if pus is visible through the skin.
3. If there are no positive changes after 2-3 days, the finger is swollen and continues to itch, you should immediately seek help from a doctor.

What are hangnails?

hangnails on fingers causes
Hangnails are one of the most common problems with the health of the cuticle and nails, and certainly one of the most unpleasant.
Painful and small, annoying and difficult to remove, hangnails on the fingers are one of the main disadvantages of trimmed manicure, but they arise not only because of it. It is customary to call hangnails all very different scraps of skin (from small and non-traumatic to larger and painful, inflamed, and sometimes bleeding), which are formed even with the slightest injury to the cuticle and periungual ridges. Small or large, single or massive, burrs are not only a source of discomfort and a factor that spoils the attractiveness of the hands, but also a source of considerable risk. Why do burrs appear? The formation of burrs can be due to a variety of reasons. Most often, the main factor leading to the appearance of hangnails is a violation of the elasticity of the skin on the periungual fold and the cuticle at the base of the nail: the skin cannot withstand loads, tension and bursts, causing injuries, often very unpleasant and accompanied by serious inflammation.

Hangnails are always caused by poor condition of the skin around the nail, and this, in turn, is provoked by insufficient care, excessively long contact with water and detergents, working with chemicals without protective gloves, the habit of biting nails, excessively frequent manicures, professional activities (working with paper, paints, etc.).

In addition, hangnails can be a sign of general metabolic disorders, lack of vitamins and minerals, problems with dysbacteriosis and nutrition, etc. Why are they dangerous? The main risk of hangnails lies in the complications that can arise as a result of not only their appearance, but also their neglected condition.

After all, the pain of hangnails is only one side of the coin. Skin damage, cracks and breaks are a serious risk of developing infections, diseases and serious inflammation.

It is hangnails that are the root cause of paronychia, a serious disease that disrupts the normal development and protection of nails in the form of inflammation of the periungual ridges, as well as panaritium - inflammation of the entire finger, which threatens even more serious consequences with performance and mobility.

And it’s unnecessary to say that through hangnails the risk of contracting fungal and viral infections increases hundreds of times. How to remove burrs? It is categorically forbidden to let hangnails grow - you need to start fighting them as early as possible, and the most important thing in this process is their careful removal.

Under no circumstances, under any circumstances or situations should you tear off or bite off hangnails! The only tools that can be used to remove hangnails are sharp manicure tweezers, special tweezers with triangular tips and a tight fit to the skin, or, as a last resort, scissors; the skin must be cut so as not to damage the “living” tissues and not injure the skin.

The most effective removal is possible by first softening the skin in a bath of water with the addition of any base or essential nail oil (traditional duration is from 10 to 15 minutes). Immediately after cutting a hangnail, a disinfectant should be immediately applied to the area of ​​the abrasion or cut.

As a disinfecting lotion, which is applied pointwise, in the form of an open application, you can use Castellani liquid, no more than a one percent solution of brilliant green, iodine, pyoctanin solution, Novikov liquid, etc. After disinfection, in the presence of inflammatory processes, in particular when skin irritation occurs, it is necessary to undergo a course of treatment with fluorocort, dermozolon, oxycort, deperzolone and other drugs.

After completing treatment, it is advisable to undergo an intensive course of procedures that restore cuticle health - baths, masks, daily use of nourishing oils. How to get rid of hangnails? An important component of treating hangnails is preventing their occurrence.

To get rid of hangnails on your fingers once and for all, you need to solve problems with the condition of your skin and nails, take a systematic approach to analyzing the reasons for their appearance, including checking your health. The main preventive measure is to take vitamin and mineral complexes on time in combination with providing daily care for the condition of the skin of the hands and nails.

At least weekly you need to take restorative baths with essential oils or herbal infusions, use cuticle oils daily, and do not forget to apply a moisturizing or nourishing cream after each contact with water.

If hangnails accompany even healthy hands after trimming manicure sessions, consider switching to more modern cuticle treatment methods - atraumatic and soft. For example, a European unedged manicure, which reduces the risk of hangnails and other problems to a minimum and provides gentle care for your nails.

Source: gelnogti.ru

Treatment or how to get rid of hangnails on fingers

In order not to suffer from hangnails, you need to make an effort to get rid of them. Better yet, prevent their occurrence by resorting to preventive measures. Let’s talk about both the first and the second right now.

Let's start with prevention, since preventive measures are the most reasonable measure. So, what should you do or, conversely, what should not be done:

Don't pull off hangnails

Do not tear off the skin if it begins to peel off around the perimeter of the nail plate. This is what most people do if it just starts to dry out or peel. This is the very first - the initial stage of burrs. And so they try to tear off this skin, gnaw it, tear it off, and so on, in a word, tear it off. This leads to injury to soft tissues. Minor bleeding, infection are possible and, in 95% of cases, the formation of full-fledged hangnails occurs

Gloves for cleaning

When cleaning, always wear special gloves. By analyzing the cause of the problem, you can understand how to avoid it in the future, preventing a recurrence of the impact of negative provoking factors on the body. So, exposure to aggressive chemicals that are part of household products has an extremely negative effect on the condition of the skin, quite often causing the appearance of hangnails.

Regular hand care

Take care of your hands using special moisturizing and nourishing creams, lotions, and folk remedies. Do not expose them to weathering or injury. Care should not be periodic, from time to time, but regular, daily. It is this approach to it that will lead you to the positive expected result.

Mandatory manicure

Get a manicure that includes cuticle care. This advice applies not only to the weak half of humanity, but also to the male half of the population. But there is one very important nuance here: the quality of services must be ideal. Often, during manicure, it is not the prevention of hangnails that occurs, but their “earning”, since the unprofessional approach of the master, the use of materials and tools that do not meet the required quality, do their job. Therefore, choose masters carefully.

Stop biting your nails

Don't bite your nails. This widespread habit can turn even the healthiest nails and cuticles into an aesthetically unattractive biological “substance.” It is clear that it is much easier said than done. And this habit is very strong. Can’t get rid of it on your own, by simple efforts of will, constantly catching yourself succumbing to it again and again? Try to resort to the simplest, but very effective method: apply a special transparent varnish to your nails. It is almost invisible, but very tasteless

Check your health

Be sure to check your health. Since hangnails can occur due to malfunctions in the body, this is simply necessary. Especially if their appearance is chronic. Consult a therapist, possibly a dermatovenerologist. They may refer you for additional examinations, tests, and also for consultation with other specialists (immunologist, endocrinologist, etc.).

Drinking regime

To ensure that the water balance in the body is always normal, drink at least 2-2.5 liters of water per day. But don't forget about nutrition! The condition of the skin largely depends on the presence of vitamins, minerals and other valuable substances in the body and, accordingly, determines whether hangnails will appear on it or not. But more on this (about nutrition) a little later.

Regarding hand care, it should be said separately, in addition. What is important to do if you want to get rid of hangnails on your fingers?

Another piece of advice:

At least 1-2 times every 10 days, make simple restorative baths for your hands using herbs and essential oils. He them (maslah) will be said a little lower. They can also be used for medicinal purposes. This is the first one.

Next, apply a special moisturizer, for example a cream, to the cuticles every day, maybe even several times, but definitely in the morning, before going outside, 1-1.5 hours. It is recommended to use nourishing cream after each contact with liquid chemicals (this includes various detergents and the like, of which there are very, very many today). 98% of the population uses soap.

Don’t forget: dry your hands with a towel after washing, and choose only children’s soap (regular - in bars, or liquid). Regarding wiping your hands: you should not rub them with a cloth, in the usual sense for us, but blot the skin. The fabric itself should be made from natural materials.

The skin of the hands is especially vulnerable in winter. Therefore, do not neglect the advice to take gloves with you every time you leave the house, and also keep a moisturizing crepe on hand. Just don’t use it on the street or just before going out there!

Rules for disinfection

If a burr appears, the following measures must be taken:

• Steam damaged skin in hot water for 10 minutes. In this case, it is recommended to add sea salt or baking soda to the bath at the rate of 1 tablespoon per 500 ml.
• Dry your hands well with a waffle towel, without rubbing them, but only lightly patting them.
• Using cosmetic scissors pre-treated with alcohol, carefully cut the cuticle. You should act carefully, avoiding tearing healthy skin, as this can lead to the appearance of another hangnail.
• Thoroughly treat the skin with an antiseptic. Hydrogen peroxide, chlorhexidine or calendula tincture with vodka are well suited for this purpose.
• Lubricate the skin of your hands or feet with Dexpanthenol, D-panthenol, Pantoderm, Bepanten, Panthenol ointment or any other moisturizer.
• In order to prevent accidental injury to the treated area, the skin with a tear should be sealed with a bandage.

Many people are afraid to cut off hangnails, as this leads to even more pain. To avoid discomfort, you should lubricate the tear with calendula ointment, cover it loosely with a band-aid and leave it overnight. By morning it will become soft and easily fall off during hygiene procedures.

Treatment of complications

The most dangerous complication of damage to the nail fold is felon - an abscess with abundant production of pus at the site of damage. The cause of the consequences is the penetration of infection. Complications can be recognized by characteristic symptoms.

Among them:

• severe throbbing pain, which intensifies at night, with physical activity, or pressing on the inflamed area;
• the appearance of hyperemia (high temperature of the injured finger);
• skin redness;
• general deterioration of health;
• enlarged lymph nodes;
• swelling;
• low-grade body temperature;
• abscess.

The presence of such symptoms indicates the need for urgent medical attention. In medicine, there are three stages of development of felon:

• infections;
• infiltration;
• abscess formation.

In the first two stages, conservative therapy with the use of antibacterial drugs is effective. Usually prescribed:

• Oxacillin;
• Doxycycline;
• Ceftriaxone;
• Clindamycin;
• Methicillin;
• Biseptol;
• Ceftazidime.

Attention: antibiotics have many contraindications and are selected individually, taking into account the characteristics of the individual patient’s body. Taking them without a doctor's prescription can cause irreversible health consequences!

The average duration of antibacterial therapy is 7-10 days. Medicines are most often administered by injection (into a vein or muscle). At the same time, the wound should be systematically treated with an antiseptic recommended by the doctor, and the bandage should be changed regularly.

Symptoms

How can you tell if you have a hangnail on your finger? Such gaps can appear either one at a time or in large quantities. They can be small or large. As a rule, when such a problem develops, patients complain of constant pain, including when accidentally touching the area of ​​the hangnail. Often this damage is accompanied by bleeding, suppuration, swelling, and redness.

Many people believe that if a hangnail breaks out on a finger, then it is only an aesthetic problem that can be eliminated by visiting a nail salon. However, this is not the case. Such gaps can significantly worsen a person’s quality of life. After all, clinging to clothes, hair and things, damage to the periungual ridges causes enormous discomfort and pain. If pus appears, this indicates the presence of a complication.

I pulled out a hangnail and my finger breaks out - women very often turn to a cosmetologist with such a problem. However, experts warn that in this case one should think not about the aesthetic side of the gap, but about the medical one.

Symptoms of a hangnail

A hangnail on a finger is a rather unpleasant picture. The skin around the nail breaks and looks like thin, torn, peeling strips. Basically, a hangnail occurs on the side of the nail plate (lateral ridge), because it is in this place that the skin is most often damaged.

Less commonly, similar symptoms appear on the back ridge covering the root of the nail. All this does not look aesthetically pleasing and causes a lot of unpleasant sensations (pain, bleeding). If no measures are taken, the entire finger may become inflamed - paronychia.

What should I do to prevent abscesses from appearing at the site of the burrs?

If you tear off a hangnail and your finger breaks, what to do, you understand. But like any person who takes care of himself, you would like to know how you can completely avoid an abscess on your finger at the site where the hangnail appears.

First of all, try to ensure that burrs do not appear at all. To do this, do all dirty work only with gloves. Also try not to keep your hands in the water a lot. All this leads to dry skin and damage.

Always moisturize your hands with creams and other products. Take relaxing moisturizing baths. If you take care of your hands in this way, your skin will always look good.

If hangnails do appear, what should you do to prevent them from breaking out? The main thing is not to waste time. Begin removal and disinfection immediately. The sooner you do this, the faster the hangnails will go away.

In addition, try to avoid contact with dirt. It is she, containing many microbes, that provokes inflammation. If you already have hangnails, then take care of yourself. This point especially applies to children. They want to play, including in the sand. This is fraught with infection of the wounds, which should not be allowed.