-Leave the cuticles alone. Cuticles protect the nail root, so it's best to not cut or push back the cuticles. 2. Dry the hands well.
You don't have to push your cuticles back. In fact, it's highly discouraged to touch them at all. “They are the only barrier we have to protect germs, water and irritants from getting into the finger,” explains Tsippora Shainhouse, MD, FAAD, a board-certified dermatologist in Beverly Hills.
Just leave them, they are only pushed back by manicurists for cosmetic reasons, they help to protect tha base of the nail.
If you're hoping to make your nails appear longer, you can push your cuticles back gently with a wooden orange stick instead. "Cuticles don't want to be cut," Toombs says. "They're supposed to be soft, and cutting can make them hard, more likely to fracture. If you cut it, it has an increased tendency to split off."
Do Push them Back Regularly. Pushing back your cuticles should not only be done when you go once a month or every few weeks to get your nails done. It should be part of your regular self-care. That said, pushing back your cuticles should be done every 4 to 7 days because you can overdo it, too.
Your cuticle is an important part of your nail. This small strip of skin at the bottom of your nail acts as extra protection from germs entering your nail bed. Pushing them back incorrectly or cutting them too short can put you at risk of infection. A licensed nail technician can do this for you safely.
These dead skin cells need to be removed to help to prevent hangnails, encourage the growth of the natural nail, and from an aesthetic point of view, to give a clean cosmetic look to the nails. To remove this dead skin, people typically push the cuticle back, but this is how the nail matrix becomes damaged.
A healthy cuticle should look smooth in appearance and easily reflect the light. It should also be able to withstand and limit friction that occurs when hair shafts are rubbed against each other. In general, a healthy hair cuticle will be uniform in texture from the root to the tip of each strand.
Instead Lippmann recommends gently pushing back cuticles if they have moved too far forwards. It's important that this should be done while the hands are dry, as "the cuticles shrink when they're wet", adds Lippmann.
Leave your cuticles well alone
The cuticle has a very important purpose to serve: It seals the area at the base of the nail. So when you cut (or gnaw at) the cuticle, it breaks that seal of protection. The better you are at leaving cuticles alone, the more your nails will thank you.
Both the Mayo Clinic and American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) advise against cutting cuticles. This includes cutting them at home or in a nail salon. Cuticles protect both your nails and the skin surrounding them from infection. After cutting the cuticle, it's easier for bacteria and germs to get inside.
Use a Buffer to Remove Unruly Cuticles
“Use a nail buffer on dry skin to gently buff away any excess cuticles as needed,” she says. “Gently glide the buffer cube back and forth along the edge of the cuticle to erase dry skin and smooth things out.”
TIP: Cuticle training really works. Staying consistent with pushing back your cuticles and buffing them helps teach them over time to lie flat. Weekly manicures will ensure your cuticles are almost a non-factor.
The cuticle is the skin around your nail that protects your nail bed. Cutting or removing cuticles exposes your nails to bacterial, fungal and viral nail infections which are painful, take a long time to heal, and are not pretty.
Most nail salons may cut cuticles. They claim that doing so helps the polish go on better. Besides, it also helps the polish to stay longer. On your next visit to the salon, ensure to tell your technician to pull the cuticles back and trim loose skin and hangnails.
Nail chewing is the leading cause of damaged cuticles and should be avoided at all costs. Seek professional help if the habit persists to determine why you are prone to this nervous behavior and how you can stop it. Dry skin is yet another culprit of severe cuticle damage. In most cases, this is an occupational hazard.
Moisturize and rehydrate the cuticles before pushing them gently back. Cutting a cuticle makes them grow back even tougher than before, which keeps the nail from being able to push through and grow longer and stronger. You want the nail stronger, not the cuticle, which should remain flexible and soft.
Cuticle inflammation and paronychia
Zinc deficiency can cause the cuticle to become inflamed. Paronychia occurs when there is an infection around the nail.
A damaged cuticle is rough and dull, with scales that are either raised or stripped away. This kind of cuticle leaves the vulnerable core of the hair fiber exposed. Hairs that have damaged cuticles are also very tangly, as scales that normally point downwards have been raised so that they cause friction.
These tiny pieces of the the skin keep your nails healthy and strong, so it's important to keep them pampered. They act like a sealant, preventing bacteria and fungus from slipping between the skin and your nail. When they're compromised, whether it's from biting, picking, or cutting, you run the risk of an infection.
What causes cuticle damage? The biggest culprits when it comes to cuticle damage is picking and biting nails and the skin around the nails. Your cuticles can also get damaged during a manicure if they're pushed back too far or trimmed too much.
Unlike traditional manicures and regular gel manicures, which involve just soaking the nail to soften the cuticle, pushing the cuticle back, and trimming it, the Russian Manicure involves a dry process of filing, cutting, and removing the cuticle with electric drill bits entirely for a clean, edge-less look.
Give your cuticles the TLC they deserve
Cuticles are important to maintain and not to be removed. They are there to protect your nails from bacteria and infection. Always tell your nail technician not to cut the cuticles, just trim hangnails and loose skin that is visible after pushing cuticles back.