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.
Pushing your cuticles back is a great way to prevent them from splitting or getting infected and allows your products to sit much better on the surface of your nail. With the correct prep, tools and manicure routine, it's super easy to keep your cuticles at their best.
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.
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.
“The true cuticle that does need to be removed is the small, scaly area of dead skin that is stuck to the nail plate. 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.
-Leave the cuticles alone. Cuticles protect the nail root, so it's best to not cut or push back the cuticles.
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.
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.
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.”
Push back your cuticles
You can also push back your cuticles to give the appearance of a longer nail bed. Before pushing back your cuticles, soak your nails in warm water to soften your cuticles. Add a few drops of essential oil or cuticle oil to the water.
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.
Lack of nail maintenance
Neglecting proper nail care is a top reason for cuticles to overgrow. It's important to take care of your nails, as well as your skin around your nails. Poor nail care often causes your cuticles to grow beyond your proximal fold. You should never cut or remove your cuticles.
Then, push back gently.
Using a metal pusher, you can carefully push the cuticle toward the back end of your nail. “Afterwards, use soap and water to wash the cuticle remover off of the nail plate and cut whatever's hanging,” Gerstein says. Remember, you only trim the dead excess skin (hangnails), nothing further.
The easiest way to care for them is to soak your hand or foot in soapy, warm water for around 10 minutes every few days. This helps soften the cuticle and keeps your nails clean. You can also apply cuticle oil and a massage cream. Moisturize your cuticles regularly to prevent dryness and cracking.
Cuticle inflammation and paronychia
Zinc deficiency can cause the cuticle to become inflamed. Paronychia occurs when there is an infection around the nail.
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.
Small or missing lunulae usually aren't cause for concern. They're usually just hidden underneath the cuticle or skin at the base of your finger. In some cases, missing lunulae may be a result of trauma or a sign of: anemia.
A fingernail moon is also called a lunula, which is Latin for little moon. The place where each nail begins growing is known as the matrix. This is where the new cells are made that will make up the nail. The lunula is part of the matrix.
"It helps your cuticles, keeps your hands and nails hydrated, and works better than callus removal if you put it on your feet and wear socks overnight," says Nguyen. "The best part is that it's affordable and probably already in your medicine cabinet!" she adds.
"When cutting the cuticle, you can open up a barrier to bacteria, which could cause an infection on your finger." What's more, she says, cutting the cuticle will cause it to grow back thicker, as a part of the body's natural healing process.
Dermatologists say there's no good reason to cut the cuticles. Cutting them could open the door to infection or irritation. "If you remove the cuticle, that space is wide open, and anything can get in there," Scher says. Cutting your cuticles can also lead to nail problems, such as ridges, white spots, or white lines.
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.
Healthy fingernails are smooth, without pits or grooves. They're uniform in color and consistency and free of spots or discoloration. Sometimes fingernails develop harmless vertical ridges that run from the cuticle to the tip of the nail.
Additionally, Dr. Draelos says, patients should treat damaged cuticles until they completely regrow, which takes four to six weeks. Keeping the hands dry also helps.