Hangnail is a piece of torn skin at the root of a fingernail
If you are a nail biter, it's likely that you develop more hangnails than your friends. Biting your nails can damage your nail bed, which is the skin underneath the actual fingernail.
Another cause of hangnails is a manicure gone awry -- an inept hand with the nail clippers or frequent cutting of the cuticles can cause hangnails.