Hang Nails: Causes, Prevention & Treatment

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Hangnails form due to dry skin or damage to the cuticle area, often exacerbated by environmental factors or repetitive tasks that strip natural oils from the skin. The discussion highlights that excessive handling of materials, like cardboard, can lead to hangnails by drying out the skin and cuticles. Some participants share personal experiences, noting that they often pick at hangnails or peel their nails instead of using clippers, which can lead to further irritation. Preventative measures are not explicitly detailed, but maintaining moisture in the hands and avoiding damage to the cuticles are implied as effective strategies. Overall, the conversation emphasizes the discomfort and annoyance of hangnails, particularly in physically demanding jobs.
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Why do we get hang nails and why do they form? Any way to prevent the annoying little things?
 
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Them darn hangnails

:smile: Check this out.

http://www.mothernature.com/Library/Bookshelf/Books/47/70.cfm

Hmm, you learn something new every day. I was wondering why I always got those things when I was working at UPS loading cardboard boxes into trucks. Now I know.
 
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Thats a cool link thanks Huck. Thanks. Why on Earth would you try to remove your cuticles? They are there for a reason.
 
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Gosh, you know, I get hangnails from time to time but I do exactly what it says not to. I just pick at them with a fingernail until they tear off. Never had any problem. I also rarely clip my nails; I peel the excess nail off with a fingernail from the other hand. No, it never goes into the quick.
 
Gah, I hate watching people do that. My friends do that instead of cut them...drives me nuts.
 
Its been a long time since I've worked at UPS but it was hell on the hangnails. I handled so many heavy cardboard boxes that it wore my fingerprints off. (They have since grown back, don't worry) The constant contact with the paper , according to that web site, was stealing the oils from my hand and the first part to suffer was the part that separates into the hangnail because it loses its water and dries up. I would get nasty hangnails all the time working there. Sometimes they would bleed. My cuticles were a mess too, but I think that was more from corners and stuff.

Do I sound metrosexual yet?
Huck
 
https://www.discovermagazine.com/the-deadliest-spider-in-the-world-ends-lives-in-hours-but-its-venom-may-inspire-medical-miracles-48107 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Versutoxin#Mechanism_behind_Neurotoxic_Properties https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0028390817301557 (subscription or purchase requred) he structure of versutoxin (δ-atracotoxin-Hv1) provides insights into the binding of site 3 neurotoxins to the voltage-gated sodium channel...
Popular article referring to the BA.2 variant: Popular article: (many words, little data) https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/17/health/ba-2-covid-severity/index.html Preprint article referring to the BA.2 variant: Preprint article: (At 52 pages, too many words!) https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.02.14.480335v1.full.pdf [edited 1hr. after posting: Added preprint Abstract] Cheers, Tom
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