Why do burrs appear and how to get rid of them?

One of the most common problems with human fingers and toes can be called hangnails. Hangnails are a kind of painful formation - fragments, tears in the cuticle of the periungual fold. The appearance of hangnails gives your hands an untidy appearance, causes inconvenience and creates an unpleasant sensation. The periungual fold may swell, turn red, and the skin near the nail may crack.

A hangnail is an unpleasant phenomenon and can pose a certain danger. The sizes of burrs range from small to large. They can become inflamed, bleed, painful, form from the slightest injury and cause a lot of trouble, spoiling not only your appearance, but also your well-being. Infection easily penetrates through open wounds, and an insignificant small injury leads to serious diseases, for example, paronychia (inflammation of the periungual fold) or panaritium (inflammation of the entire finger).

To understand how to get rid of hangnails, you need to understand the reason for their appearance. The occurrence of burrs can be due to several reasons, among which the most common are:

Constant contact at home with detergents or cleaning products that cause dry skin.
Long and frequent exposure of fingers to water.
Hypovitaminosis (main cause).
Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract (gastrointestinal tract), liver, dysbiosis.
A banal lack of proper care for fingers and toes. Hangnails are especially common in men; their cuticles are more prone to coarsening, plus men rarely and pay little attention and time to caring for their fingers.
An important role in the formation of hangnails is played by the habit of biting nails.
Burns, hypothermia, various types of injuries.

Prevention plays a big role in solving the problem of how to get rid of hangnails.

Prevention methods include working with cleaning agents and detergents while wearing gloves, caring for fingers and toes, hygiene, and taking vitamins, especially in the cold season. In the off-season and in the winter, use rich, vitamin-rich nourishing creams on your hands.

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If the skin on the periungual fold is roughened, but there are no burrs, then you need to sand the cuticle with a file, and then apply a moisturizer.

Before working with rubber gloves, you need to treat your hands with cream with glycerin or silicone; the gloves contain talc, which dries the skin of your hands. After working with gloves, be sure to wash your hands with soap and reapply the cream.
In case of injury, it is necessary to treat the damaged surface layer of skin with hydrogen peroxide, potassium permanganate and other aseptic agents. It’s better when your home medicine cabinet contains ointments and aerosols - “Alazol”, “Panthenol”, “Rescuer”.

Both women and men should not forget about manicure - this is part of mandatory self-care. Use unedged types of manicure, for example Japanese or European, to care for your fingers and toes.

You can get rid of burrs by removing them and subsequent care. If it occurs frequently and unfoundedly, consult a doctor.

The reason for the appearance of burrs

Among the most common reasons for the appearance of hangnails near the nails are improper or insufficient care of the skin of the hands and especially the cuticles, exposure to harmful chemicals on the skin and a lack of vitamins. And most often they are caused by a combination of several reasons.

Speaking about improper care of the skin around the nails, first of all, we mean the irregular use of creams and other moisturizers - you must admit, it happens that we forget to apply the cream or apply it in a hurry. All this, of course, cannot but affect the condition of the skin around the nails and cuticles. By the way, the disgusting habit of biting your nails can also cause hangnails.

When the skin is frequently exposed to various chemicals, such as dishwashing gel and other cleaning products, the skin on the hands becomes dry and the risk of hangnails increases. The worst thing happens to the hands of those women who are forced to come into contact with harmful chemicals at work.

The skin of the hands begins to deteriorate even when the body lacks vitamins. Vitamins A, E and D are responsible for the condition of the skin. If your skin is prone to the appearance of hangnails, it may be worth paying attention to whether the body receives a sufficient amount of vitamins.

Well, another reason for the occurrence of hangnails is called incorrect, low-quality manicure. It often seems to us that a professional manicure is only for special occasions, and every woman can provide everyday nail care on her own. But not everyone succeeds in this. If you often get hangnails, go to a professional manicurist and maybe he will advise you on how to properly treat your nails.

How to get rid of hangnails on fingers using folk remedies

There are several methods to get rid of hangnails on your fingers. Everyone can choose what suits them.

Folk remedies for dealing with hangnails:

In order to remove a hangnail at home, you need to steam the cuticle. To do this, prepare a bath with warm water and a few drops of essential oil, you can replace it with vegetable oil. After 5–10 minutes, you can begin trimming the burr. Before the trimming procedure, it is necessary to treat the hangnail, the area around it and the scissors with an antiseptic, carefully trim, trying not to touch healthy areas of the skin. A painful sensation may occur if you pull or tear a piece of skin.
Baths of vegetable oil heated in a water bath. The oil can be used several times. Hold your fingers and toes for 5-10 minutes.
Soda bath. Dissolve baking soda in warm water. Hold your hands for 10 minutes. Then remove the burrs. Repeat the procedure 3-4 times a week.
Bath with sea salt. It is useful not only for the appearance of hangnails, but also for caring for fingers and toes, and relieves fatigue well. It is necessary to dissolve the salt in warm water, keep your hands and feet for 20 minutes. The procedure is recommended to be performed 2-3 times a week for prevention, for treatment - daily for 10 days.
A mask for fingers and toes made from aloe and Kalanchoe leaves will help solve the problem of how to deal with hangnails on your fingers. Wash the leaves and grind them into a paste; it is advisable not to use metal for this. Apply the paste to problem areas before going to bed, wrap your arms/legs with cling film, and put on gloves. This mask is used several times until the hangnails completely disappear. Aloe and Kalanchoe have bactericidal properties, relieve inflammation, and heal wounds well. After using the mask, hangnails will disappear for a long time, and with proper constant care - forever.

How to remove hangnails on fingers using cosmetic products:

If there are a lot of hangnails, they are small and it is difficult to trim them without damaging healthy skin, you should heavily lubricate them with a moisturizing or nourishing cream at night, wrap them in cling film or put on gloves; in the morning, removing hangnails will not be difficult.
Paraffin bath. Melt the paraffin, apply moisturizing cream to your hands or feet and “soak” in paraffin 5-8 times with short breaks of half a minute. Let it dry. Remove paraffin after 25-30 minutes.

Why do burrs appear?

Hangnails most often appear on the hands on the side of the nail on the roller of the finger. If you look at it closely, it is a scrap of skin resulting from mechanical impact on the skin of the fingers. This piece of skin tries to touch everything, causing pain to its owner.

How do such detachments occur? If the skin on your hands is very dry, it loses its elasticity and begins to flake off under any mechanical stress.

What can cause detachment:

Long contact with water;
Exposure to detergents, household chemicals, various chemicals;
Chapping, drying of the skin of the hands, prolonged exposure to the cold;
On the feet it can provoke walking barefoot;
Cuticle growth on the nail;
When applying nail extensions, poor quality material is used;
Injury to the skin of the fingers when performing manicure and pedicure;
Habit of biting nails and surrounding skin.

There are also internal reasons:

Low water consumption;
Diabetes;
Dysbacteriosis and gastrointestinal diseases.
Starvation diets, any nutritional disorder;
Lack of vitamins E, A, group B and microelements.

If the body lacks vitamins, the skin begins to dry out and crack, and the fingers become covered with unsightly peeling. Water deficiency also leads to deterioration of skin condition.

Hangnails are dangerous due to their complications. Injured skin easily allows fungi (candida, dermatophytes) and bacteria (streptococcus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, staphylococcus) to pass through.

If the detachment is torn off, inflammation or panaritium (paronychia) may occur at this site. Pus accumulates in the damaged area, causing unpleasant pain and redness. A festering finger causes a lot of inconvenience, interferes with household chores, and the nail looks ugly.

But the worst thing, especially for women, is that hands with many hangnails look so unattractive that they repel everyone around them.

If hangnails appear too often, break out, or hurt, then you need to undergo an examination:

test stool for dysbacteriosis;
blood for the presence of vitamins;
blood chemistry.

If an abscess appears periodically, a bacterial culture is done to determine the causative agent of the infection and its sensitivity to medications. A lack of vitamins can be indicated by cracks in the corners of the lips.

You can go to a salon to perform therapeutic procedures, or you can do treatment at home.

The simplest remedy is baking soda. Add salt or soda to warm water (1 tablespoon per 0.5 liter), hold your fingers for 5-10 minutes. Dry your hands and apply cream. When the skin scraps become soft, they should be removed.

Before you begin the removal procedure, prepare your tools. These can be nail scissors or tweezers. Wipe them with hydrogen peroxide or any alcohol-based product.

How to remove unsightly skin:

It is better to cut off long pieces of skin with scissors, and bite off small pieces with tweezers, pressing them closer to your finger.
Next, treat fresh sections with peroxide, and move the cuticle to the base of the nail using an orange stylus.
Cut the cuticle with forceps, moving from left to center, then to the center on the other side.
To remove the cuticle, you can buy a special gel, then you can definitely avoid injury to your finger.

Important! Try not to tear or pull the skin, so as not to cause yourself big problems.

If the problem remains, then treatment must be continued. How to treat? An excellent remedy is masks made from plants, for example, Kalanchoe and aloe. By using this mask you will get rid of this phenomenon forever:

Cut off the leaves, wash and dry with a towel.
Pass in a blender.
Apply to problem areas and wrap with cling film.
Leave for 4-5 hours, or overnight.
Repeat until it disappears completely.

(5 ml), mixed with 2 drops or rosemary will help heal any wounds. Lubricate your fingertips twice a day, then put on cotton gloves and walk around in them for 30-35 minutes.

Vitamins A and E in ampoules are an excellent remedy. Every day, twice a day, apply a vitamin mixture to hangnails, rub it in until completely absorbed. To quickly get rid of the problem, instead of regular hand cream, apply the mixture at night, wearing gloves.

Olive oil will help heal wounds. Heat a little oil, drop a couple of drops of tea tree and jojoba ether into it, dip your fingers in it, hold for 10 minutes. Let the mixture soak in.

Apply calendula ointment at night. In the morning, you just need to cut off the soft skin and apply cream to your hands.

How to cure hangnails on fingers with medications

When answering the question of how to cure hangnails on fingers, several factors must be taken into account. You can solve the problem by completely changing your diet. A proper, balanced and healthy diet, rich in vitamins, will help not only get rid of, but also avoid the formation of hangnails.

It is necessary to include red or orange vegetables in your diet, such as persimmons, carrots, pumpkin, rose hips, peaches and others. Eat a lot of greens and green vegetables - spinach, cabbage, celery and others. Required - butter, sour cream, cottage cheese, and other dairy products. Liver and egg yolks are very useful.

How to treat hangnails on fingers with medications:

Primary treatment with antiseptics, then lubricate with tetracycline or chloramphenicol ointment, apply a bandage. Repeat the procedure twice a day. The procedures should be carried out after consultation with a doctor.
At the pharmacy you can purchase homeopathic balms and ointments designed specifically to combat hangnails.

To treat and prevent hangnails, you need to take retinol or vitamin A, which can be purchased in capsules at the pharmacy. Take orally, but after mandatory prior consultation with your doctor. Vitamin A helps strengthen and restore the epidermis, stimulates the production of collagen, which makes the skin firm and elastic. Cut one capsule and rub the surface of the nails and periungual folds directly with the vitamin.

The kids have a problem

In children, hangnails on the fingers can appear due to injury, too dry skin, biting nails, impaired metabolism, lack of vitamins, poor diet or insufficient hygienic care of the hands.

To get rid of the problem, when cutting your child’s nails, be sure to carefully cut off the burrs on the fingers with scissors.

To make the circumcision procedure painless, make a bath for children's hands. After 15 minutes of soaking the skin, carefully remove the hangnail with scissors or tweezers. After this, disinfect the problem area with hydrogen peroxide.

If your child has too dry skin, be sure to lubricate it with baby cream, let him drink as much water as possible, change the menu to include more fortified vegetables and fruits.

If for some reason the finger begins to fester, take the little patient to the doctor. The doctor will prescribe a medicinal ointment that removes pus. Treatment in this case is often carried out with aloe leaves or Vishnevsky ointment.

Teach your children to practice good personal hygiene and make sure they don't bite their nails. A bad habit can lead not only to hangnails, but also to the entry of dangerous microbes into the body.