Treating a Hangnail: First Aid for Minor Injuries

Part of the Video Series First Aid Kits & Tips For Minor Injuries

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How to treat a hangnail; get expert tips and advice on performing first aid and emergency medical care in this free instructional video.

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Treating a Hangnail: First Aid for Minor Injuries
Hi! I’m Tracey Cullers on behalf of expertvillage.com. In this segment, I’ll show you how to take care of a hangnail. Now a hangnail can seem like a pretty simple thing, but if it becomes red, inflamed and pussy then it quickly becomes more serious. Before it gets to that point, what you want to do is soak it for 10-15 minutes in oil and water. Now a hangnail is actually not a nail, but it’s a piece of dry skin alongside the edge of the cuticle that has fissured off from the rest of the finger. It pokes out and pulls against things everywhere you go, your sheets, and your clothes. After soaking that for 10-15 minutes, go ahead and pull it out and then you’re going to sterilize sharp scissors. You can sterilize it with alcohol or with flame and then let the scissors cool down. Then you’re going to very carefully cut alongside the edge and nip as much of that hangnail off as possible. I would follow it up with some first aid cream antibacterial ointment. Then put a Band-Aid on. I would keep the Band-Aid on as long as it still hurts or if there is any opening. So that the rest of your nails do not turn into hangnails, make sure that you have lotion on your nails and cuticles every day.

About the Expert

Expert: Tracey Cullers taught Basic First Aid and CPR through the American Red Cross for 5 years. Read More