Cuticle and Removers

The cuticle is a thin layer of translucent skin that is deposited on the nail surface as it grows. It is comprised of keratin, much like our hair, skin and nails. It also forms a barrier between the nail plate and the nail bed because of its very sticky nature. As your nail grows, it pulls out this sticky skin from underneath the nail fold. The sticky skin adheres to the surface of your nail creating a tight seal. This seal helps to ensure that no bacteria or germs can reach our nails plates causing bad infections and things such as nail discoloration, deformities and even nail loss.

Spotting this helpful barrier may be difficult as it is almost invisible. The easiest way to spot it is to look for the white, flaky excess cells that usually form around the perimeter of it. Soaking or light scraping can expose this line of white, flaking cells very easily. Sometimes it may not extend very far past the nail fold so spotting it may be even more difficult.

Many people confuse the cuticle with what is actually the proximal nail fold, the ridge of hardened skin around the base of the base plate. It is important to know that this is NOT correct. Cuticle skin is basically dead skin that is nearly invisible. I’ve actually heard of experiences where manicurists/pedicurists actually used cutters or nippers to cut off the proximal nail folds of clients!

Pushing back or removal is normally done to limit the presence of the white, flaky excess skin that is rather unattractive on nails. It is also done to prevent the flaky, excess cells from ruining a fresh coat of polish or newly applied acrylic nails. Painting or applying acrylic nails over the flaky skin will only cause your polish or acrylic nails to flake up over time with the excess cells.

Pushing it back will help to reveal the loose excess cells and make them easier to cut or scrape away. Sharp instruments should not be used though because they can easily cause damage and break the barrier between the nail plate and nail bed allowing germs to get in. Therefore, whenever manipulating, be sure to use an object with a more rounded edge.

Manipulation Solutions

Certain products on the market have been developed to aid in treatment such as cuticle softeners. These softeners are designed to soften this protective skin so manipulation or removal can be easy. Many chemicals and even natural ingredients can act as softeners. Emollients are excellent for this purpose.

Cuticle removers are intended to actually dissolve the keratin in the excessive, flaky skin, however if left on too long they can dissolve the whole thing! This would be extremely terrible for your nails as it would allow germs to reach your nail bed.

These removers are very alkaline (ph 13) and thus, very prone to breaking down even living tissue. They can also damage the nail plate by extensively softening it and will cause serious irritation to your skin if left on too long. Therefore, it is very necessary that they be neutralized, with water, and washed off thoroughly after use.

The use of removing solutions can be dangerous if you aren’t sure about what you’re doing or if you leave the solution on your nails too long. For this reason, I recommend natural softeners to free up the cuticle or just plain old soaking before attempting to cut or scrape away the excess. It’s just a safer way to go about it if you’re a novice.

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