What is a cuticle?

A cuticle is the small area of ​​skin that extends the nail matrix. Nature being well made, she has provided this protection to prevent germs from entering the matrix. We also speak of cuticle for certain protective layers of plants, as for other mammals and even in molluscs.

It is therefore an important protection, while our hands are in the open air all day and in contact with germs. It is for this same reason that pulling on the small skin of the nails, be it the cuticles or the skin on the sides, is the door open to infections.

Why can cuticles be a problem?

Cuticles, an aesthetic concern

Cuticles can be primarily an aesthetic problem, especially in women who want beautiful hands. The beauty of the hands begins on the nails, manicured or not for that matter.

The cuticles, when they are dry and therefore poorly hydrated, or when you often injure your fingers, crack all over the place. Which, by definition, does not allow you to have beautiful hands. Applying varnish is also particularly difficult, as it will nestle in damaged cuticles.

Cuticles, a health issue

It is sometimes difficult to imagine that such a small and thin part of the body could be the nest of the next health concern. However, injuring yourself on a cuticle and not treating it can lead to infection.

As with the small skin on the side of the nails that can lift and get in the way, you should not carelessly pull or cut your cuticles. Not only do you risk injuring yourself, you also allow germs to enter the nail matrix. The infection can then be really painful, until it turns into whitlow: the tissues around the nail swell and become very painful. In the majority of cases, it is a Staphylococcus aureus infection. It can, if not treated with an antibiotic, degenerate and affect bone.

Nourish your cuticles on a daily basis

Having healthy, supple cuticles is the starting point for having beautiful nails and, therefore, beautiful hands.

Their flexibility, provided by a nourishing treatment, also makes it easier to push them back. This facilitates in particular the application of the varnish.

There are many brands on the market that offer cuticle care. These are creams or even dry oils, sometimes to be applied with a brush for more precision. Then all you have to do is gently massage the cuticles.

Applying a cuticle treatment once a week, during a manicure or just when you shorten your nails, is the right frequency. You can also, as a ritual, apply your treatment every evening, with a hand cream as well. Just focus on the cuticles.

When they protrude a little too much on the nail, use a boxwood stick designed for this purpose to gently push them back. You can add a small piece of cotton wool to the end to avoid hurting yourself.

A vegetable oil for cuticles

Although commercially available creams and oils are simple to use and penetrate easily, it is just as effective to use vegetable oil.

Castor oil is particularly recommended for cuticles and nails in general. Regularly massaging your nails with this oil nourishes them intensely and allows the keratin, which makes up the nail, to grow faster and be stronger.

Camellia oil, the plant native to Asia whose leaves are used to make tea, is also valuable for dry cuticles and brittle nails.

Very dry and damaged cuticles

If your cuticles are very damaged and dry at the moment, it is of course not too late to fix things.

The cuticles have an essential protective function, so that, in general, they should not be cut. But if they are long and cracked, to such an extent that they become vertical and visible, it is possible to remove the damaged part to start again on the right foot. For this, use a cuticle cutter, previously disinfected. Cut delicately following the shape of your nail and leave at least 1 millimeter at the base.

Then, nourish your nail and your cuticles with a cream or an oil. Repeat this gesture regularly, every day at the beginning, then at least once a week, to prevent your cuticles from drying out again.