To Cut-icle or not

Another misconception that is often misunderstood is whether or not to cut cuticles. The biggest problem with this notion is that not everyone, nail techs included, understand what a "cuticle" actually is. The flap of skin found in the cuticle area is often mistaken as the cuticle. This flap of skin is called the "proximal nail fold". Underneath the nail fold is called the "eponychium". Often this "living" tissue is wrongly clipped during nail services, and often when cut ends up bleeding, and in extreme cases infection.

The cuticle is shed from underneath the eponychium. The cuticle is a protein that adheres to the nail plate underneath the eponychium and in some cases is still attached to it. That is why we gently push along the nail fold to release and remove the cuticle. In some cases the cuticle will look white and powdery, other times it is not noticiable until a liquid remover is used. If you need more clarification try looking up nail images on google to get a better picture.