Hard Calloused Skin Around Fingernails: Why and How to Remove It

A lot of us suffer from dry and cracked skin around our fingernails, which can come from overuse, the weather, or even from biting our nails. While having hard calloused skin around fingernails is normal, it’s best to remedy and prevent it from happening. Fortunately, it isn’t as difficult to reduce the calloused skin around the nails, with proper skin care and the right products.

So what can you do to stop the callouses and prevent it from happening again? Read on as I show you the safe and effective remedies!

Why Do I Have Hard Calloused Skin Around Fingernails?

Before we tackle how to get rid of the calloused skin around your fingernails, let’s look into why it happens in the first place.

Because fingers are one of the most used and exposed parts of the body, it shouldn’t be surprising to see that the skin around and under your nails may suffer. This especially goes for people who don’t take good care of their skin!

Well, don’t worry, as this is simply a natural process as the skin forms hard. The thickened area is just a response from repeated friction, pressure, or irritation. Your skin is actually doing its job and while it isn’t harmful, it can become irritated.

This is because when you apply pressure on your fingertips, the delicate skin would be pushed under or against the sharp edges of our fingernail. With the constant friction, it would cause your skin to lose moisture, and once overly dried, it would become vulnerable.

The response to your skin is to pile up the dead skin cells, which makes the area thicker and more resilient. Meaning, your skin is just trying to protect you!

But of course, calluses aren’t aesthetically appealing and you’d want to get rid of it, which is understandable.

How to Get Rid of Hard Calloused Skin Around Fingernails

Now that you know why our skin turns callused, what are ways to get rid of it? Here are some ways to soften the skin and have it back to the way it was, without callouses!

1. Soak Your Hands

You can soften your skin by soaking the hands with a big bowl of hot water. Submerge your fingertips, letting it soak for up to five minutes. You can also add Epsom salt or beneficial essential oils known to soften skin, but avoid soaking it for too long.

Afterward, pat your fingers dry or wipe it off using a soft cloth. While your skin is still moist, follow the next step to make it comfortable and lessen the chances of pain.

Read more: Can I Soak My Feet In Epsom Salt While Pregnant?

2. Cut Excess Calloused Skin

Using manicure nippers, cut off the hard skin around the nails. You can use normal nail cutters, but manicure nippers allow more control and for you to hit the right angle, getting hard skin out more effectively.

While your skin is still soft and moist, nip the extra skin that’s loose and white in color. Go slow and cut it by bit by bit rather than getting it all at once to prevent cutting yourself.

3. Moisturize Your Skin

After you have cut all the calloused parts off, use a good moisturizer to hydrate your skin and lock in moisture. I recommend using moisturizers for delicate and sensitive skin, which has nutrients to help your skin heal better.

Continue to moisturize your hands and fingers daily even after cutting your calloused skin.

4. Prevent It From Happening

Besides knowing how to remove the hard calloused skin around fingernails, how can you prevent it from happening again? Here are some helpful prevention tips to follow:

• Avoid “bad” soaps as much as you can. Don’t use soap with artificial fragrances and chemicals, as these would just dry your skin out, stripping it off natural oils. Instead, use natural and chemical-free soaps that are made for sensitive skin.
• When doing the dishes, the dish soap can be quite harsh. That’s why it’s best to prevent your hands by using protective gloves, which prevents skin dryness and damage.
• If you live in areas with cold and dry weather, then wear gloves when outside to lessen chances of your fingers cracking
• For this who have sensitive skin, apply moisturizer when you can. It’s best to keep a small bottle of moisturizer with you at all times and to use it after washing your hands. Besides this, moisturize daily and before bed!

Read more: Do You Use Body Scrub Before or After Soap? The Right Way

Do you want to learn more about removing callouses on your skin? This informative video will teach you how:

Wrapping It Up

I hope that this article on hard calloused skin around fingernails showed you how to get rid of them appropriately. So start following any of these methods to remove the hard skin and get softer hands today.