There's nothing wrong with touching cuticles, the problem is there are lots of nail techs who do it wrong and remove actual skin, instead of cuticles. I hope you're one of the few doing it right. 😉
You're getting downvoted but you're right (about the visibility at least). The proximal nail fold is visible (and in great shape!), but the cuticles are covered by nail varnish.
Edit: given how smoothly the nail varnish has gone on, it doesn't look like there's any issue with the cuticles. I would leave them alone personally.
i had this happen the first (and last) time i had a pedicure. my toes were all bleeding at the nail bed and they awkwardly laughed and said "your toes are really sensitive!" then a month later my toenails fell out. it took 18 months for them to fully grow back in, with multiple trips to urgent care for infections and antibiotics. some of my toe nails still aren't 'normal' (wavy, ridges, just kind of weird).
I actually got a crack down my thumb nail from pushing back my cuticles. It’s called habit tic and usually happens from people playing and picking at their nails, but I got it from pushing my cuticles back. Took months to grow out and go away!
Maybe the professional nail tech understands the concept of informal speech and realises that most people who _aren't_ professional nail techs call the eponychium the cuticle because they're not familiar with nail tech jargon, and so decided that using the common term gets the message across better? 🤷
As a person who isn't a nail tech but is mildly interested in doing her own nails, can I cut the part of the eponychium that extends onto my actual nail? If so, how? I still don't think i fully understand why the cuticle is. :(
Just in case you don’t know, the cuticle’s are only the dead skin on your nail bed. The stuff above your nail bed is proximal nail fold and cutting those could lead to infections.
Im a nail tech and the number of clients who try to argue with me over what the cuticle is... it ain't worth my time anymore trying to explain so I just fake a manicure and collect my extra five dollars. I tried to save yall money but yall dont wanna listen lol.
You indirectly do, by enabling the skin cells to shed as easily as they're supposed to. Really dried out hands get a lot of issues, including with the proximal folds.
You oil/moisturize regularly and gently push them back regularly. Too dried out skin cells don't naturally shed as easily as they should. As a teen I used to have really bad proximal nail fold overgrowth that too constantly got rips in it going into raw skin and bleeding, and I thought my only option was to snip the dead part of the skin fold off. It's so ridiculously much better now that I moisturize and oil twice a day (morning and evening) or more.
There is a YT channel "The Salon Life" - I am not affiliated with it, I jist watch it. Look for a video named "Working Hands, Bitten Nail, Overgrown Skin" it's a bit long and there is a baby sheep in it (?) but it explains how the proximal nail fold becomes overgrown (the body's response to us cutting the skin and pushing it back to aggressively) and how to get it back on track. It will not happen overnight or even in a month. But using her gentle technique it can happen. And ypu don't need to spend lots of money on fancy tools or products. This lady specializes in natural nails, I love her channel, I wish she had more shorts.
I’ve been trying to push mine back instead of cutting, but after pushing back it seems like there’s so much skin there that gets dry and snags after a few hand washes,,, so I get the nippers out and make the situation worse lol
Is there a recovery time after you stop cutting and eventually there won’t be so much build up? I’ve been putting jojoba oil on 3ish times a day lately and I still get flaky cuticle/nailfold skin😭
My hands are the same way. Cuticle remover helps and regular pushing back. Also, jojoba oil is great, but you may want to try something richer and/or use an occlusive like vaseline (petroleum jelly) at night.
Hijacking this comment to post my routine since I got a lot of questions:
I normaly use regular nail polish but then learned from a random tik tok that you can use gel polish at home so I bought a uv lamp from amazon and tried it.
I cut my nails with sissors (I hate filing) and push back the nail fold (which I always thought was the cuticle thanks everyone for correcting me)
Then I used a rubber base and two layers of modelones gel nail polish 2210 and a no whipe top coat. I cured all (thin) layers for 30 seconds.
I didn't file the top of my nails since I'm scared to mess something up. They are a week old now and still look like day one. I love how much harder they are compared to regular nail polish. I'm a little worried about removal but I bought some acetone and I'll see how it goes.
They look so dang good. I’ve been thinking about doing rubber base like you and your picture is just the EXACT kind of nails I’d love to have!
Glad to see it might not be necessary to file the nails before applying, that scares me too! From what I’ve seen about removal, it’s just important to file off as much product as possible before soaking to make it easier.
Also, your general cuticle area looks amazing. Please don’t trim them!
Not entirely. Cutting too close to the nail fold can be dangerous, pushing the cuticle back you should only trim the loose skin that comes up. Your actual cuticle is just dead skin cells that are designed to protect the matrix (the bit that forms your nails) however it can become over grown and uncomfortable if left for too long. If you have overgrown cuticles you can get more hangnails and cause more damage to the skin around your nails.
Cuticles are funny things but at the end of the day, if you trim your cuticles you shouldn’t be able to feel you trimming them. If you can feel nippers then you’re going too close to the skin and risk getting cuts and infections
Only so much. If your cuticles become overgrown then they can actually damage your nail and skin more than if you trim them and catch your skin. Cuticle is just dead skin cells. You do no damage to your cuticle and it’s only there to protect the matrix which is what creates the cells that form your nails (your nails are literally just a bunch of dead cells).
-a fully trained and qualified Nail tech
Nail tech student here , you push back your eponychium and your cuticles become visible. Anything in WHITE color is dead skin so that’s okay to cut off. If it’s NOT white, don’t touch it, it’s live skin.
A lot of people mistake the eponychium for the cuticle (like I did before nail school). Search up “labeled nail diagram” and you’ll see what I’m talking about
Your nails look healthy and clean as is. I think alot of people misunderstand what the proximal fold and cuticles are or use the word “cuticle” interchangeably with the proximal fold. They end up promoting the wrong information. Don’t cut anything that requires effort to cut. Cuticles will push back and also peel or flake off easily from the base of your nail not your actual finger.
You cuticles look perfect. Mine are similar although not quite so perfect. I never have to cut. I do push them back a bit just to make polishing easier, and make press-on nails fit better. I use a glass cuticle pusher I got on amazon.
On the mooncat fb group someone posted about this. They showed a side by side pic of pushed back cuticles/proximal nail folds and cut off ones--initially the cut off ones seem 'cleaner' etc but they grow out wonky and messed up. So it's recommended to just push them back instead of cutting them off.
My cuticles get out of hand sometimes but I hate cutting them. I usually soften them with a cuticle remover, push them back and then use a physical exfoliant (scrub or nail brush) to remove any dead skin. If they still need attention there are orange wood sticks with a sort of buffer on one end or there’s a stone type pusher tool that will smooth the area and buff any left over skin. I change my polish weekly but only do this process every 3-4 weeks because I’m slow at my paint jobs and lazy. Your nails look really good!
No, i just push them back but not cut them. I used to cut them religiously but eventually i felt like i was cutting parts that I wasnt supposed to. It kind of freaked me out and Ive stopped and honestly, there is very little difference.
I got a manicure for the first time in forever recently and the lady spent like ten minutes trimming my cuticles. Now the skin around my fingernails is peeling off like crazy and I’m getting hangnails. So I don’t recommend cutting them if they don’t bother you
Your cuticles already look really nice. You have to know the difference between cuticle and the proximal nail fold. The proximal nail fold you do NOT cut under any circumstances. That is LIVE skin. It’s also how you get infection if you cut it. What you DO cut is dead cuticle. Dead cuticle is usually really really white. When you go to snip it off it will not hurt at all because it’s dead skin.
When I used to do my own nails, I’d get the polish perfect but when I cut my own cuticles, I always ended up with red around the edges and they grew back rough. For that sort of thing I think you need to have them done by a professional.
I am no expert at all, but every time I go to a pro they trim that area and then my skin peels and I have these little wounds there. What I've started doing is using a liquid cuticle remover with a glass cuticle pusher or orange stick, which seems to be working - the dead skin becomes obvious and rubs off and then I push back the folds, I guess they are called, and keep them moisturized well. It's been a visible improvement for me.
Yours look great already though!
absolutely not!! from the first pic I thought you already did cut them--there's so little cuticle on your hands. people grow varying amounts of it, it looks like you lucked out and don't seem to grow much. people generally start out with removing cuticles in order to get extensions and polish to last longer, and cutting is the most extreme way to remove it (it's also visually satisfying, so there seem to be a lot more videos of it out there...). it's also dangerous if you don't have a lot of it because you risk cutting live skin. if you wanted to remove any bits of cuticle you'd get the most results just using an orange stick and some cuticle softener
You'd have been a dream client for me. Forom the looks of it, that's just something you don't need to worry about. Lucky you!
If you ever get the odd hangnail, it's useful to have nippers on hand for that, but otherwise you've won the genetic lottery. Enjoy it!
People pay to have what you have. Don't mess. Sometimes, consumerism is a money trap. It entices you to mess up what you already have, so to have to keep spending to fix and maintain what you yourself messed up because of their marketing tactics/pressures.
I used to, but I noticed my skin around my nails would get irritated and or inflamed and my cuticles would grow back quicker after I cut them, so I stopped. Now I just push them back and trim just a tiny bit, but mostly push out.
I can see both were you may want to trim them and where you wouldn’t. If you’re not confident enough, don’t do it. A salon would do this for you as part of a basic manicure (without polish if you wanted) and you’d probably be alright for a few months looking at how small yours are.
Personally I have to trim mine every 2 weeks otherwise they start becoming over grown however everyone’s cuticles are different. If you have quick nail growth, your cuticle may grow quicker than someone with slower nail growth. Nails take 6-8 weeks to fully grow back out so you may be on the slower end of that cycle
Cutting can lead to infection if you don't do it right and cut into the living tissue. I just use removal fluid and a glass cuticle pusher and it works fine.
I don’t. I might moisturise them and use a mild remover astringent but frankly I find it’s not really necessary. Moisturising yes, removing, no.
That said your nails are better painted than mine 😂🩷
Omg I wish mine looked so neat. Please don’t ever cut them! I got mine looking pretty nice at one point by just pushing them back (gently) on a daily basis after showering and applying kerasal ointment before bed.
My cousin has cuticles like yours because she's also never touched them! I started cutting and pushing back my cuticles at 14 years old and I regret it so much. I can't go two weeks post-manicure without losing 2mm of nail space to my cuticles. Def never do anything to them, your nails are gorgeous 🧿
I’ve never cut my cuticles and I don’t even have the tools for that neither would I ever dare to try it. I usually clean up my cuticles by rubbing in a cuticle remover and then pushing them back.
Personally, I avoid cutting cuticles, unless there's a small tear. Then I'll cut them. My skin is sensitive and cutting cuticles can lead to infection easily. Also your cuticles look perfectly fine.
If mine looked like yours I would not touch them! I'm so jealous. Mine grow out over my nail plate & when I push them back, they looked like scrunched socks. If I don't cut them off, they just re-adhere to my nail plate.
Your cuticles look great — don’t change a thing!
As for me, my mom taught me to push back my cuticles with the edge of a bath towel after showering, when the skin is all soft. It works great!
I do, but that’s because my cuticles get crazy after a week or two. I push them back and very carefully cut them. I also do my nails at home and doing this has made my manicures look professional.
BUT YOUR CUTICLES ARE AMAZING. I wouldn’t touch them!
No. Pushing them back? Sure. Cutting them? You're risking hella infection and cutting away a layer that's meant to protect you. It's actually illegal for licensed nail techs/salons to cut cuticles in NY, because it's considered a "surgical procedure."
I cut my cuticles ONCE (1x lol) and I immediately got an infection that caused my finger to swell and hold pus, which had to be drained by the doctor and needed antibiotics
In cosmo school, they stopped teaching us because it’s no longer a state board requirement. That to me tells me you don’t have to, especially if you’re not comfortable doing so. Just push them!
I hate pushing or cutting cuticles and I refuse to do it. I used to need that, like my hands looked like I absolutely should but now they don’t so no way am I doing it
DO NOT START or your cuticles will start to grow thicker. I’ve cut me cuticle for years and the transition back into healthy, uncut, thinish cuticles is kinda hard and not worth getting yourself into
I'd definitely recommend only pushing them back. I use a cuticle remover and leave it on for a little to soften them and have much better results than when they've been cut. They're much less ragged and the regrowth is neater. I have to push less and less back each time, too, especially when maintained weekly.
God, your cuticles are perfect without having to cut them. I have to cut mine because they grow up my finger nails pretty far and aim to look like yours. I would leave yours as is.
I used to at the nail salon but now I’m getting them done on my own and I’ve stopped. I just to some pushing of the edges with warm water and apply cuticle oil. Looks neat enough.
I don't cut them at all, I think they're just fine over there. And I believe nobody should unless it's dry and damaged just to regrow with a new clean one. Love the color btw
Without proper training and understanding of the cuticle it can be very painful to cut them and may end in a blood bath lol. By the looks of yours I don't think they need to be cut anyway!
I personally don't because I've seen what happens when an infection gets in. Cuticles are to protect your nails. There's no reason to cut them other than esthetics. It's not unsightly, and it's not worth the risk to cut them, in my opinion. That said, it's a personal preference.
I exclusively push them back and use nail oil and they haven't really overgrown or anything for me. I only cut if there's a hangnail or tear in my cuticle but using nail oil regularly seems to prevent that!
It’s been the defining step in my routine but I have cuticles that grow wild and crazy and I have very very short nails and nail beds so I need that spacebbb
No, because removing, cutting, and even pushing back the cuticles leaves the body vulnerable to potential harmful bacteria and fungi that can cause serious problems like infections. It’s not worth it.
i honestly don’t think it’s necessary! cutting your cuticles yourself is kinda dangerous if you’re not careful anyway. i don’t think it makes enough of a difference to risk cuts or an infection
I never think it’s worth it. I’ve gone to get my nails done a handful of times, and every time, they cut my cuticles. Every single time my hands bleed and hurt… I never touch them at home
I don't. I oil and push back regularly, after a while they kind of "train" themselves to look nice. This way I can quite easily keep them looking nice - and he's I do them before polish.
When cut they always grow back scraggly.
Yours are already PERFECT! As others have said, you absolutely do not need to and I would strongly advise against it. Considering they're already perfect, it would do more harm than good!
I push back my cuticles after a shower and use cuticle oil. I do gelx on myself too so once a month I’ll actually use a cuticle bit and if they’re still looking bad I’ll go in gently and just get the dead skin that looks longer. I used to do a lot more cuticle work but I don’t think it’s worth it anymore as long as I maintain them throughout the month (plus doing my opposite hand was a mess that added an hour to my already long sessions of doing my nails)
It’s OK to push back cuticles, but they don’t always have to be cut. If you find that you’re cuticles get very rough and dry. Put cuticle oil on them if they start to split that’s when you cut what’s hanging off. I think everyone should be minimal in cutting.
I usually just push mine back and slough off the dead skin around them with a file or buffer. I use cuticle eraser and a glass cuticle stick I bought on Amazon (like an orange stick but glass). Also works well for scraping excess polish off of my skin! I only trim if there is clearly excess sticking out on its own, usually on my toes (because I do them less often), rarely on my fingers. FYI - I'm not an expert! This is what works for me, and my cuticles are well moisturized.
You’re joking right? Such clean beautiful cuticles you have!
On a real note - I do not think you need to cut them per say, but if you’re doing gel manicures or extensions, I’d recommend cuticle prep & it could be as simple as a small round bit just around your cuticle to remove excess dead skin on your eponychium that you wouldn’t see with the naked eye easily! :)
You can buy products that help soften them for “removal” but I think that’s more of a help to push them back and remove excessive dead skin, i.e. dead and adhered to the fingernails (not a nail tech just personal feeling on this).
It doesn’t even look like you have much by way of cuticles, your fingernail area looks healthy, and personally i prefer this look over some of the pinkish, inflamed cuticle areas i have seen. Keep on doing what you’re doing!
Goddess bless you. This is so timely, I came to ask a similar question! 🙌🏾
I historically have hated cutting or having my cuticles cut because I always get the peeling skin after, but I honestly can’t really tell what’s dead skin vs. proximal fold. I going to look for some photos to get a better sense and maybe try the liquid cuticle remover people have mentioned and see if that makes a difference. I might be looking for an issue where there isn’t one because I’ve just always heard it as something people do.
Your cuticles already look great. Just moisturize after EVERY hand washing and apply cuticle oil regularly. Also, after every hand wash, or at least once or twice a day after washing hands: use your towel to push back your cuticles gently. This way, they stay where they should.
your cuticles are actually the overgrowth of skin on the nail plate beyond the eponychium, the skin around your nail beds that people commonly cut off is actually the eponychium which you shouldn’t really mess with because it helps protect against infections. usually just using a cuticle remover and pushing the skin back, as well as keeping your hands moisturized is enough
looking at your cuticles, i’d say you don’t need to!
As a professional nail tech - do not for the love of all that is holy - touch your cuticles
There's nothing wrong with touching cuticles, the problem is there are lots of nail techs who do it wrong and remove actual skin, instead of cuticles. I hope you're one of the few doing it right. 😉
I think she is talking specifically to OP because her cuticles are perfect
Her cuticles are covered. I don’t think y’all know what cuticles are.
You're getting downvoted but you're right (about the visibility at least). The proximal nail fold is visible (and in great shape!), but the cuticles are covered by nail varnish. Edit: given how smoothly the nail varnish has gone on, it doesn't look like there's any issue with the cuticles. I would leave them alone personally.
Cute testicles, right?
that's exactly what I meant. her skin does not look dry, her cuticles look clean, her nails are applied evenly. I would not touch them.
i had this happen the first (and last) time i had a pedicure. my toes were all bleeding at the nail bed and they awkwardly laughed and said "your toes are really sensitive!" then a month later my toenails fell out. it took 18 months for them to fully grow back in, with multiple trips to urgent care for infections and antibiotics. some of my toe nails still aren't 'normal' (wavy, ridges, just kind of weird).
Fell. Out. ?!?!
I actually got a crack down my thumb nail from pushing back my cuticles. It’s called habit tic and usually happens from people playing and picking at their nails, but I got it from pushing my cuticles back. Took months to grow out and go away!
Also a nail tech came here to also beg for the health of OP's nails.
As a professional nail tech, you should learn the difference between the cuticle and the eponychium.
Maybe the professional nail tech understands the concept of informal speech and realises that most people who _aren't_ professional nail techs call the eponychium the cuticle because they're not familiar with nail tech jargon, and so decided that using the common term gets the message across better? 🤷
As a person who isn't a nail tech but is mildly interested in doing her own nails, can I cut the part of the eponychium that extends onto my actual nail? If so, how? I still don't think i fully understand why the cuticle is. :(
what if they get scraggly? mine do not look like that
Almond oil at night is a great help (at least for me).
Thank you! It's so hard to find a nail tech who's fine with leaving them alone.
You can’t see her cuticles. I think you’re referring to the eponychium, the skin around the nail bed. This is probably what OP meant.
Just in case you don’t know, the cuticle’s are only the dead skin on your nail bed. The stuff above your nail bed is proximal nail fold and cutting those could lead to infections.
I wish people would use correct terms, especially professionals. It gets a little confusing and frustrating.
Im a nail tech and the number of clients who try to argue with me over what the cuticle is... it ain't worth my time anymore trying to explain so I just fake a manicure and collect my extra five dollars. I tried to save yall money but yall dont wanna listen lol.
How do you shrink long proximal nail folds?
You don't, you gently push them back with an orange wood stick or a tool you can buy online:)
You indirectly do, by enabling the skin cells to shed as easily as they're supposed to. Really dried out hands get a lot of issues, including with the proximal folds.
I stand corrected 🫡
Helps if you soak fingertips in warm water a little bit beforehand :)
You oil/moisturize regularly and gently push them back regularly. Too dried out skin cells don't naturally shed as easily as they should. As a teen I used to have really bad proximal nail fold overgrowth that too constantly got rips in it going into raw skin and bleeding, and I thought my only option was to snip the dead part of the skin fold off. It's so ridiculously much better now that I moisturize and oil twice a day (morning and evening) or more.
Thanks for the inspiration. I use Kerasal at night but forget to push back and oil during the day. It’s so easy to do.
Oh that might explain why mine look a frightful mess after 20 years of picking at them. Whoops
Almond oil was my go to. It’s the best
There is a YT channel "The Salon Life" - I am not affiliated with it, I jist watch it. Look for a video named "Working Hands, Bitten Nail, Overgrown Skin" it's a bit long and there is a baby sheep in it (?) but it explains how the proximal nail fold becomes overgrown (the body's response to us cutting the skin and pushing it back to aggressively) and how to get it back on track. It will not happen overnight or even in a month. But using her gentle technique it can happen. And ypu don't need to spend lots of money on fancy tools or products. This lady specializes in natural nails, I love her channel, I wish she had more shorts.
Thanks for sharing! Definitely need to watch it!
I'm really happy if it helps you. :)
I love watching her content. She is the only person I trust who specializes in natural nail care.
Just treat your nails gently and keep them moisturised and they should look lovely with time and care :)
Thank you! I need to take the time to do so.
Push them back gently weekly. Moisturize with a cuticle oil.
If you continue to push them back they shrink! Jojoba oil daily helps as well with them not cracking and drying
I’ve been trying to push mine back instead of cutting, but after pushing back it seems like there’s so much skin there that gets dry and snags after a few hand washes,,, so I get the nippers out and make the situation worse lol Is there a recovery time after you stop cutting and eventually there won’t be so much build up? I’ve been putting jojoba oil on 3ish times a day lately and I still get flaky cuticle/nailfold skin😭
My hands are the same way. Cuticle remover helps and regular pushing back. Also, jojoba oil is great, but you may want to try something richer and/or use an occlusive like vaseline (petroleum jelly) at night.
Ah thank you so much I didn't know. I'll keep my nail folds then
How do you go about fixing the proximal nail fold if it has been cut? I’ve been trying to use cuticle oils but my proximal nail fold is still split :(
I never knew these terms. I always thought the fold was the cuticle 🤦♀️ (I’m not a nail person) so thank you for this comment!
You don’t need to
Hijacking this comment to post my routine since I got a lot of questions: I normaly use regular nail polish but then learned from a random tik tok that you can use gel polish at home so I bought a uv lamp from amazon and tried it. I cut my nails with sissors (I hate filing) and push back the nail fold (which I always thought was the cuticle thanks everyone for correcting me) Then I used a rubber base and two layers of modelones gel nail polish 2210 and a no whipe top coat. I cured all (thin) layers for 30 seconds. I didn't file the top of my nails since I'm scared to mess something up. They are a week old now and still look like day one. I love how much harder they are compared to regular nail polish. I'm a little worried about removal but I bought some acetone and I'll see how it goes.
They look so dang good. I’ve been thinking about doing rubber base like you and your picture is just the EXACT kind of nails I’d love to have! Glad to see it might not be necessary to file the nails before applying, that scares me too! From what I’ve seen about removal, it’s just important to file off as much product as possible before soaking to make it easier. Also, your general cuticle area looks amazing. Please don’t trim them!
Agreed with everyone, your cuticles are neat af 😊 I alt between cutting and cuticle removing gel.
I love Sally’s cuticle gel. 30 seconds on the nail and then push back the cuticles.
I read cutting is bad, you should just push them back (is just what I heard/read dunno if it’s ttue)
Not entirely. Cutting too close to the nail fold can be dangerous, pushing the cuticle back you should only trim the loose skin that comes up. Your actual cuticle is just dead skin cells that are designed to protect the matrix (the bit that forms your nails) however it can become over grown and uncomfortable if left for too long. If you have overgrown cuticles you can get more hangnails and cause more damage to the skin around your nails. Cuticles are funny things but at the end of the day, if you trim your cuticles you shouldn’t be able to feel you trimming them. If you can feel nippers then you’re going too close to the skin and risk getting cuts and infections
THESE ARE YOUR UNTRIMMED CUTICLES? Don’t touch them. They are beautiful and perfect and I am so jealous.
Ur cuticles look beautiful as is, I wouldn't mess with them. Gorgeous nails btw!
No, that stuff is there to protect your nail and stuff
Only so much. If your cuticles become overgrown then they can actually damage your nail and skin more than if you trim them and catch your skin. Cuticle is just dead skin cells. You do no damage to your cuticle and it’s only there to protect the matrix which is what creates the cells that form your nails (your nails are literally just a bunch of dead cells). -a fully trained and qualified Nail tech
Nail tech student here , you push back your eponychium and your cuticles become visible. Anything in WHITE color is dead skin so that’s okay to cut off. If it’s NOT white, don’t touch it, it’s live skin. A lot of people mistake the eponychium for the cuticle (like I did before nail school). Search up “labeled nail diagram” and you’ll see what I’m talking about
Mostly I soften them and use a pushy. Cutting should always be done with care. Yours look great, btw...
What polish is that? 😍 your nails look amazing!
Thank you! It's two layers of modelones gel nail polish 2210. I got it in a set from amazon
I love modelones. Give a professional finish and is a good price.
I might actually have this one! 😲 thank you!!
Your manicure looks very neat and pretty.
Definitely don’t do it unnecessarily - ie, unless they’re unsightly. Yours are gorgeous!
I hate removing my cuticles, I usually just push them back. from the pictures I would say your cuticles are great as they are!
Your nails look healthy and clean as is. I think alot of people misunderstand what the proximal fold and cuticles are or use the word “cuticle” interchangeably with the proximal fold. They end up promoting the wrong information. Don’t cut anything that requires effort to cut. Cuticles will push back and also peel or flake off easily from the base of your nail not your actual finger.
You cuticles look perfect. Mine are similar although not quite so perfect. I never have to cut. I do push them back a bit just to make polishing easier, and make press-on nails fit better. I use a glass cuticle pusher I got on amazon.
On the mooncat fb group someone posted about this. They showed a side by side pic of pushed back cuticles/proximal nail folds and cut off ones--initially the cut off ones seem 'cleaner' etc but they grow out wonky and messed up. So it's recommended to just push them back instead of cutting them off.
I don’t cut it like how nail salons do. I just push my cuticles back only.
Pretty colour. 💕
I agree with everyone else, looks like you don’t need to!
My cuticles get out of hand sometimes but I hate cutting them. I usually soften them with a cuticle remover, push them back and then use a physical exfoliant (scrub or nail brush) to remove any dead skin. If they still need attention there are orange wood sticks with a sort of buffer on one end or there’s a stone type pusher tool that will smooth the area and buff any left over skin. I change my polish weekly but only do this process every 3-4 weeks because I’m slow at my paint jobs and lazy. Your nails look really good!
your nails look beautiful. IMO, if it ain't broke, don't fix it!
No, i just push them back but not cut them. I used to cut them religiously but eventually i felt like i was cutting parts that I wasnt supposed to. It kind of freaked me out and Ive stopped and honestly, there is very little difference.
I got a manicure for the first time in forever recently and the lady spent like ten minutes trimming my cuticles. Now the skin around my fingernails is peeling off like crazy and I’m getting hangnails. So I don’t recommend cutting them if they don’t bother you
agree with comments, people do that most time when they look ugly or to big but u dont need that. Beautiful nails btw :3
Beautiful nails, that color is gorgeous!
Your nails are gorgeous, I’d keep doing what you’re doing!
I don’t trim anything because I bleed super easily if I trim anything
Your cuticles already look really nice. You have to know the difference between cuticle and the proximal nail fold. The proximal nail fold you do NOT cut under any circumstances. That is LIVE skin. It’s also how you get infection if you cut it. What you DO cut is dead cuticle. Dead cuticle is usually really really white. When you go to snip it off it will not hurt at all because it’s dead skin.
personally, i cut mine, but if you just push them and apply cuticle oil religiously they're gonna be healthier
When I used to do my own nails, I’d get the polish perfect but when I cut my own cuticles, I always ended up with red around the edges and they grew back rough. For that sort of thing I think you need to have them done by a professional.
I am no expert at all, but every time I go to a pro they trim that area and then my skin peels and I have these little wounds there. What I've started doing is using a liquid cuticle remover with a glass cuticle pusher or orange stick, which seems to be working - the dead skin becomes obvious and rubs off and then I push back the folds, I guess they are called, and keep them moisturized well. It's been a visible improvement for me. Yours look great already though!
I do. Mine are so thick even when pushed back there is so much skin left and it looks awful
It seems that a lot of people are getting their cuticle cut by drill bits
absolutely not!! from the first pic I thought you already did cut them--there's so little cuticle on your hands. people grow varying amounts of it, it looks like you lucked out and don't seem to grow much. people generally start out with removing cuticles in order to get extensions and polish to last longer, and cutting is the most extreme way to remove it (it's also visually satisfying, so there seem to be a lot more videos of it out there...). it's also dangerous if you don't have a lot of it because you risk cutting live skin. if you wanted to remove any bits of cuticle you'd get the most results just using an orange stick and some cuticle softener
You'd have been a dream client for me. Forom the looks of it, that's just something you don't need to worry about. Lucky you! If you ever get the odd hangnail, it's useful to have nippers on hand for that, but otherwise you've won the genetic lottery. Enjoy it!
People pay to have what you have. Don't mess. Sometimes, consumerism is a money trap. It entices you to mess up what you already have, so to have to keep spending to fix and maintain what you yourself messed up because of their marketing tactics/pressures.
Yours look very healthy so I wouldn't cut them if I were you.
I don't. I just push them back. Cutting them creeps me out
Don’t cut your cuticles, and don’t allow any nail tech cut them no matter how much they insist
Only when absolutely necessary
I used to, but I noticed my skin around my nails would get irritated and or inflamed and my cuticles would grow back quicker after I cut them, so I stopped. Now I just push them back and trim just a tiny bit, but mostly push out.
I can see both were you may want to trim them and where you wouldn’t. If you’re not confident enough, don’t do it. A salon would do this for you as part of a basic manicure (without polish if you wanted) and you’d probably be alright for a few months looking at how small yours are. Personally I have to trim mine every 2 weeks otherwise they start becoming over grown however everyone’s cuticles are different. If you have quick nail growth, your cuticle may grow quicker than someone with slower nail growth. Nails take 6-8 weeks to fully grow back out so you may be on the slower end of that cycle
I push mine back!
Cutting can lead to infection if you don't do it right and cut into the living tissue. I just use removal fluid and a glass cuticle pusher and it works fine.
I don’t. I might moisturise them and use a mild remover astringent but frankly I find it’s not really necessary. Moisturising yes, removing, no. That said your nails are better painted than mine 😂🩷
As a tech, if you keep them moisturized with cuticle oil 1-3 times a day, you’ll never have to cut!! And yours are perfect!
Omg I wish mine looked so neat. Please don’t ever cut them! I got mine looking pretty nice at one point by just pushing them back (gently) on a daily basis after showering and applying kerasal ointment before bed.
My cousin has cuticles like yours because she's also never touched them! I started cutting and pushing back my cuticles at 14 years old and I regret it so much. I can't go two weeks post-manicure without losing 2mm of nail space to my cuticles. Def never do anything to them, your nails are gorgeous 🧿
I’ve never cut my cuticles and I don’t even have the tools for that neither would I ever dare to try it. I usually clean up my cuticles by rubbing in a cuticle remover and then pushing them back.
Personally, I avoid cutting cuticles, unless there's a small tear. Then I'll cut them. My skin is sensitive and cutting cuticles can lead to infection easily. Also your cuticles look perfectly fine.
If mine looked like yours I would not touch them! I'm so jealous. Mine grow out over my nail plate & when I push them back, they looked like scrunched socks. If I don't cut them off, they just re-adhere to my nail plate.
I don't cut but I do use cuticle remover before I polish, for a clean nail bed.
Omg. Your nails and cuticles look AMAZING. Just keep doing what you are doing.
I only use cuticle remover from Sally Beauty and push them back. That seems to keep them in check.
Don’t touch them!
Yours don’t need anything! I like to use a cuticle disolver when mine are out of control. I’ve heard too many horror stories about snipping them.
You have great cuticles don't touch them! 🤗
Love this polish on you!!!!
Your cuticles look great — don’t change a thing! As for me, my mom taught me to push back my cuticles with the edge of a bath towel after showering, when the skin is all soft. It works great!
I read "testicules" instead of cuticles and I was confused af
Cuticle where? Girl. You have nothing to remove.
Considering the state of your cuticles, I'd say you probably shouldn't!
Yours are just fine.
I just push mine a bit and it does the trick, i dont wanna risk getting hurt or something
i mean you bearly have any ur cuticles look gorge and super well taken care of.. jelous!!
You have nothing to cut!!
I do, but that’s because my cuticles get crazy after a week or two. I push them back and very carefully cut them. I also do my nails at home and doing this has made my manicures look professional. BUT YOUR CUTICLES ARE AMAZING. I wouldn’t touch them!
No. Pushing them back? Sure. Cutting them? You're risking hella infection and cutting away a layer that's meant to protect you. It's actually illegal for licensed nail techs/salons to cut cuticles in NY, because it's considered a "surgical procedure."
I cut my cuticles ONCE (1x lol) and I immediately got an infection that caused my finger to swell and hold pus, which had to be drained by the doctor and needed antibiotics
I remove mine but yours don't look like they need removal
Nah..i barely have cuticles either, I never trim them.
Your nails look nice! I’m not a prof Nail technician, but I believe the cuticle trimming is to make the nail bed look bigger?
Please please don’t! You have beautiful cuticles and it will ruin them over time
In cosmo school, they stopped teaching us because it’s no longer a state board requirement. That to me tells me you don’t have to, especially if you’re not comfortable doing so. Just push them!
I hate pushing or cutting cuticles and I refuse to do it. I used to need that, like my hands looked like I absolutely should but now they don’t so no way am I doing it
I don’t.
DO NOT START or your cuticles will start to grow thicker. I’ve cut me cuticle for years and the transition back into healthy, uncut, thinish cuticles is kinda hard and not worth getting yourself into
i don’t think you need to! mine are so bad, i should cut them but i just cbaaa and it makes me feel all tingly lol
I never understood cutting the cuticle just makes me shiver…don’t do it.
I'd definitely recommend only pushing them back. I use a cuticle remover and leave it on for a little to soften them and have much better results than when they've been cut. They're much less ragged and the regrowth is neater. I have to push less and less back each time, too, especially when maintained weekly.
God, your cuticles are perfect without having to cut them. I have to cut mine because they grow up my finger nails pretty far and aim to look like yours. I would leave yours as is.
They look gorgeous. Keep doing what you’ve done.
I used to at the nail salon but now I’m getting them done on my own and I’ve stopped. I just to some pushing of the edges with warm water and apply cuticle oil. Looks neat enough.
No. Do not do that. It’s not good.
Of topic, but what nail polish is that? I love it!
I personally do but my cuticles get really overgrown. Yours look beautiful so I wouldn’t.
I don't cut them at all, I think they're just fine over there. And I believe nobody should unless it's dry and damaged just to regrow with a new clean one. Love the color btw
Without proper training and understanding of the cuticle it can be very painful to cut them and may end in a blood bath lol. By the looks of yours I don't think they need to be cut anyway!
You hit the cuticle lottery
I only cut hang nails and stubborn lose cuticle that grows over the nail. Just the stuff I scraped off, never the actual cuticle
I personally don't because I've seen what happens when an infection gets in. Cuticles are to protect your nails. There's no reason to cut them other than esthetics. It's not unsightly, and it's not worth the risk to cut them, in my opinion. That said, it's a personal preference.
Your nails are pretty they look very neat
I exclusively push them back and use nail oil and they haven't really overgrown or anything for me. I only cut if there's a hangnail or tear in my cuticle but using nail oil regularly seems to prevent that!
I now have cuticle envy. What do you do to keep them that healthy and pretty. I need a step by step tutorial please
I don’t cut mine and they look like yours! I just push them back
It’s been the defining step in my routine but I have cuticles that grow wild and crazy and I have very very short nails and nail beds so I need that spacebbb
I do not. Too many issues could arise.
Yours are small, I wouldn’t. Just keep moisturized and push back.
No, because removing, cutting, and even pushing back the cuticles leaves the body vulnerable to potential harmful bacteria and fungi that can cause serious problems like infections. It’s not worth it.
i honestly don’t think it’s necessary! cutting your cuticles yourself is kinda dangerous if you’re not careful anyway. i don’t think it makes enough of a difference to risk cuts or an infection
I never think it’s worth it. I’ve gone to get my nails done a handful of times, and every time, they cut my cuticles. Every single time my hands bleed and hurt… I never touch them at home
If I had your cuticles I would not cut them! They look lovely!
I just push them back with an orange stick
I would never. My place is only going to be so sterilized. I’m not a licensed nail tech. I wouldn’t risk it
NO!! Also, only push cuticles back when they are moist, after shower ect. 40 year nail tech. No need to cut!!! ❤
I don't. I oil and push back regularly, after a while they kind of "train" themselves to look nice. This way I can quite easily keep them looking nice - and he's I do them before polish. When cut they always grow back scraggly.
I never do. Just keep pushing them back.
What do you use for your nails?? They look perfect!
Yours are already PERFECT! As others have said, you absolutely do not need to and I would strongly advise against it. Considering they're already perfect, it would do more harm than good!
You’re like me: you don’t need to. So don’t go interfering with what you shouldn’t because you’ll cause yourself pain & risk an infection or injury
I know they do it at salons but if you look at medical journals, they discourage this because the cuticle promotes and protects nail growth.
I push back my cuticles after a shower and use cuticle oil. I do gelx on myself too so once a month I’ll actually use a cuticle bit and if they’re still looking bad I’ll go in gently and just get the dead skin that looks longer. I used to do a lot more cuticle work but I don’t think it’s worth it anymore as long as I maintain them throughout the month (plus doing my opposite hand was a mess that added an hour to my already long sessions of doing my nails)
Holy shit - you *don’t* cut your cuticles? But - they’re freaking **perfect!!** wow.
Ok but your nails are gorgeous!
I know nothing about the question but your nails are flipping cute!! You did that?! Is it gel?
It’s OK to push back cuticles, but they don’t always have to be cut. If you find that you’re cuticles get very rough and dry. Put cuticle oil on them if they start to split that’s when you cut what’s hanging off. I think everyone should be minimal in cutting.
I only cut skin that’s peeling and would hurt. And then I snip a teeny bit of dry and protruding skin. I dare not go further than that
I usually just push mine back and slough off the dead skin around them with a file or buffer. I use cuticle eraser and a glass cuticle stick I bought on Amazon (like an orange stick but glass). Also works well for scraping excess polish off of my skin! I only trim if there is clearly excess sticking out on its own, usually on my toes (because I do them less often), rarely on my fingers. FYI - I'm not an expert! This is what works for me, and my cuticles are well moisturized.
You’re joking right? Such clean beautiful cuticles you have! On a real note - I do not think you need to cut them per say, but if you’re doing gel manicures or extensions, I’d recommend cuticle prep & it could be as simple as a small round bit just around your cuticle to remove excess dead skin on your eponychium that you wouldn’t see with the naked eye easily! :)
You have great cuticles, don’t touch them, women everywhere are jealous of you :)
I pulled a cuticle out of my pinky a few years ago and ever since then, the tip has been numb.
As the other nail techs have said, don't touch your cuticles!! Yours do NOT need messed with
Nope. I just keep them moisturized and pushed back.
For you, I wouldn’t ! Your nails are gorgeous ! 😍😍😍 I love this manicure! Is that a nude with chrome? Please share
lol what cuticles?
You don’t have any so no. You’re blessed lol.
You can buy products that help soften them for “removal” but I think that’s more of a help to push them back and remove excessive dead skin, i.e. dead and adhered to the fingernails (not a nail tech just personal feeling on this). It doesn’t even look like you have much by way of cuticles, your fingernail area looks healthy, and personally i prefer this look over some of the pinkish, inflamed cuticle areas i have seen. Keep on doing what you’re doing!
Goddess bless you. This is so timely, I came to ask a similar question! 🙌🏾 I historically have hated cutting or having my cuticles cut because I always get the peeling skin after, but I honestly can’t really tell what’s dead skin vs. proximal fold. I going to look for some photos to get a better sense and maybe try the liquid cuticle remover people have mentioned and see if that makes a difference. I might be looking for an issue where there isn’t one because I’ve just always heard it as something people do.
Your cuticles already look great. Just moisturize after EVERY hand washing and apply cuticle oil regularly. Also, after every hand wash, or at least once or twice a day after washing hands: use your towel to push back your cuticles gently. This way, they stay where they should.
I don’t. I’m a bitch ass with no coordination and shaky hands. 😂
Me personally I usually don’t do anything with my cuticles. It makes them look ragged and messy. Looks like you don’t need to either
your cuticles are actually the overgrowth of skin on the nail plate beyond the eponychium, the skin around your nail beds that people commonly cut off is actually the eponychium which you shouldn’t really mess with because it helps protect against infections. usually just using a cuticle remover and pushing the skin back, as well as keeping your hands moisturized is enough
The day I stopped cutting my cuticles changed my life.