How to get rid of hangnails?

1. Wash your hands thoroughly with a good, gentle soap and water. Soak the afflicted hand in warm water for about 5 minutes. This should soften the skin and make the hangnail less rigid.

2. Take a pair of little nail clippers or small nail scissors and gently snip or clip off the excess skin. Don't tear or rip at the skin, as this can cause bleeding and potential infection.

3. Apply antibiotic ointment to the hangnail area as an extra precaution against infection. You can cover the finger with plastic wrap or gauze overnight to protect it if you're treating the hangnail before bed time.

4. Maintain your cuticles by keeping hands moisturized, and pushing the cuticles down with a special stick at least once a week. Try to apply a hand moisturizer at least once per day. This should help to prevent future hangnails.

5. Avoid chewing or picking at your hangnails. If you get another one, simply follow Steps 1 to 4 again to gently remove it.

Honestly, if you cut it you'll probably just make it worse. There's almost no way to get everything cleanly off - you'll end up with a tiny stub that can easily catch on things and be more painful than the original hangnail. Pull it off quickly and the pain will only last a few seconds. Don't pull up, that'll tear more skin and is what causes a lot of the pain - pull straight across the nail.

if they're literally white things growing on the side of your nails I don't think they are hangnails. Could be a fungus of some sort