system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: Why do the tips of my fingers become sore after I clip my nails too short?
gpt
What usually causes irritation from clipping nails too short is that the skin right at the transition point where our nails attach to the finger doesn't build up the same protective layer of dead skin as the rest of the fingertip.  So when the nail is clipped too short, the edge of the nail starts biting into this thin strip of raw skin which causes irritation.  As the nail gets longer, it stops poking that strip of skin and the irritation goes away.