Hard thorns grow next to the nails

In autumn, we will find that many hard thorns grow next to our nails. If we tear them off with our hands, it will be very painful. Many people think that it is caused by lack of vitamins. But do you know that this situation may also be caused by disease? Hangnails around the nails are actually a very common skin problem. In this case, no treatment is required and the disease will heal with proper care.

Develop good hygiene habits such as trimming your nails and washing your hands regularly, and do not bite your nails or suck your fingers. Once you find a hard thorn on your finger, never tear it off with your hands. At this time, you can use 75% alcohol to wipe and disinfect the outside of the long "grass thorn" and the blade of the nail clippers or small scissors, then cut it off along the root of the "grass thorn" and apply some red medicine. Eat more vegetables and fruits, wash your hands frequently, and apply some hand cream after washing.

If you tear off the grown barbs, it will easily cause the skin wound to expand, thereby increasing the risk of complications such as skin infection and paronychia.

How do hangnails around the nail come about?

The structure of the periungual skin is slightly different from that of the skin on other parts of the hand. The part covering the proximal 1/4 of the nail plate is called the proximal nail fold (PNF). This part of the skin lacks hair follicles, skin wrinkles and sebaceous glands. It is thinner than the skin on the hands and toes and is a common entry point for inflammation, chemical irritation, and allergic reactions.

Hangnails around the nails (scientific name: "reverse peeling") are a common periungual skin problem. The formation of reverse peeling is caused by the stratum corneum being too dry and separating, which is often caused by recent labor, ball sports activities, washing clothes, etc. The stratum corneum is a thin layer of "dead skin" on the surface of the skin and is the first barrier of the skin. There is a layer of sebum on the surface of the stratum corneum, which is the skin's natural moisturizer. It can reduce the evaporation of water in the stratum corneum, ensure its appropriate water content, and make the stratum corneum and the skin underneath fit closely together. Soap, detergents, or physical friction remove the sebum on the skin surface, causing the stratum corneum to lose its protection and excessive evaporation of water, resulting in dryness and peeling.

Is hangnails around the nail caused by vitamin deficiency?

Vitamin deficiency can indeed cause a series of skin problems. For example, lack of vitamin A can lead to excessive keratinization of hair follicles, lack of B vitamins such as vitamin B2 and B6 can lead to seborrheic dermatitis and chapped lips, and lack of vitamin C can lead to poor wound healing and easy cracking. However, in modern society, nutritional diseases caused by vitamin deficiency are becoming less and less common. As long as the vast majority of people eat normally, they will not develop vitamin deficiency diseases. Moreover, if there is indeed a vitamin deficiency, absorption or utilization disorder, not only skin problems will occur, but also other symptoms, such as eye and vision abnormalities caused by vitamin A deficiency (referring to night blindness, conjunctival and corneal dryness, dry eye disease and corneal softening, etc., but not myopia), nervous system abnormalities caused by vitamin B deficiency, scurvy caused by vitamin C deficiency, etc. If you just have hangnails around the nails, most of the time it is just a local skin abnormality, not a reflection of systemic disease, and it is not caused by vitamin deficiency.

Most people believe that vitamin deficiency will make people sick, so they might as well supplement it, which will not harm them anyway. But the fact is that more vitamins are not necessarily better. Excessive intake of some vitamins (such as vitamin A and vitamin B6) can lead to various diseases and even poisoning. Studies have shown that taking selenium, beta-carotene and vitamin E will increase the risk of esophageal cancer in the elderly, while taking vitamin D and calcium will increase the risk of kidney stones. In a clinical trial, a group of subjects who took multivitamin tablets had a higher rate of prostate cancer. The important physiological role of vitamins cannot be denied, but these experiments also remind us from the side that balanced nutritional intake is the most important thing and too much is as bad as too little.