Hangnail

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The bottom finger has a hangnail.

A hangnail or agnail is a small, torn piece of skin next to a fingernail or toenail. Unlike whitlows, hangnails are usually caused by dry skin, nail biting, and may be prevented with proper moisturization of the skin.

Causes [edit]

The most common cause of hangnails is dry skin which can result from cold weather, harsh chemicals, or frequent submersion in water. Another common cause is nail biting which damages the nail beds which is the skin underneath finger nails.

References [edit]