To Trim or Not to Trim Your Cuticles During a Manicure: That Is the Question

Does your nail technician trim your cuticles during a manicure? You may want to tell him/her that you prefer to merely push back the cuticles instead of trimming them, and here are the (somewhat scary) reasons why:

Here’s the not so scary news. Cutting your cuticles can perpetuate a naggingly annoying endless cycle of cuticle trimming when, in actuality, your cuticles only need to be pushed back for a nice, clean, professional looking manicure.

Cuticles are there for a reason. You know how nose hairs are there to protect you from inhaling potentially dangerous foreign particles and allergens? Well, cuticles are there to protect your nails from bacteria and infection.

Here comes the scarier stuff. Besides the fact that that live skin should never be cut, trimming cuticles can break the seal that protects the surrounding skin, and cause a painful infection around the base of the nail called Paronychia. If you happen to contract paronychia, you will need a prescription from your physician and possibly even drainage around the nail area. Ow and yuck!

So have at it…have your nail tech trim those hangnails and that loose skin, but ask that he/she merely push back your cuticles instead of trimming them. Oh, and always make certain your manicure instruments are properly sterilized. If they don’t come in a sealed package, they could very well be questionable or contaminated.