Why do hangnails hurt?
Hang nails are defined as a portion of the skin in any finger or toe that has been torn. Typically just a small tear, hang nails are experienced when the skin is too dry or one has the habit of nail biting. Otherwise known as agnail, the term is an original of the Old English language that was eventually adapted by the Middle English. However, such term is misleading since the part involved is the skin and not the nail. It is actually the dead, dried skin, not nail, the latter being mostly made up of keratin, a tough fibrous protein. In some instances, the nails get involved in such circumstance. In this condition, it is often necessary detach the nail from its bed to allow the nail to grow back. Hangnails can be prevented from happening by maintaining adequate moisturization of the skin. However, it the condition persists, the skin can be ripped off using nail cutters to avoid any onset of infection.
A skin tear is highly associated with pain, especially in the course of its removal in an improper way such biting or pulling them off at a frequent interval. Hangnails hurt because in the normal composition of the skin, it contains nerve endings that are sensitive to pain. Most of the pain nerve endings are embedded on the epidermal layer of the skin, which happens to be the outermost layer. It is quite inevitable therefore that when one experiences having hangnails, one will feel pain. It is primarily because of the pain receptors found on the skin that contribute to the pain being felt in having hangnails.
People with a hangnail should be careful to cut it all off and rub hand lotion into the cuticles twice or thrice in one day.
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