5 Reasons Why You Need To Push Back Your Cuticles

Why You Need To Push Back Your Cuticles
Why You Need To Push Back Your Cuticles

The cuticle refers to the area of skin at the back or base of your nails. And it is essential that you correctly prep and tend to that area before doing a manicure.

You see cuticles that are not correctly prepped can shorten the lifespan of your manicure or worst lead to an infection.

Now there are two main ways you can prep your cuticles you can either:

  1. Trim or cut them using a cuticle trimmer or
  2. You can push back them back using a cuticle pusher

But you should always try to avoid cutting or trimming your cuticles. So if your nail tech uses a cuticle trimmer you need to tell them to stop.

Instead, I and most experts recommend pushing back your cuticles instead of cutting them.

So in this article, I am gonna explain why pushing back your cuticles is the correct way to manage them and why cutting your cuticles can be so dangerous.

1- Makes Your Manicures Last Longer

Properly prepping your cuticles before applying any type of nail product such as acrylic nails, gel nails, or even nail polishes is one of the easiest things you can do to ensure that your manicure doesn’t lift or peel prematurely.

You see if you dont prep your cuticles your nail product won’t adhere or bond effectively with your nails. And the best way to prep your cuticles to make your nail products bond better to your nails is to push them back.

Related Article – 7 Amazing Benefits of Using Cuticle Oil – As Per Science

Why Does Pushing Back Your Cuticles Make Your Manicure Last Longer

1- Pushing back your cuticles allows your nail product to bond entirely onto your nail plate and not onto the cuticle. – Nail polishes and other products such as acrylic and gel were made to bond directly to the nail plate.

And if some of the product was applied onto your cuticles instead of the nail plate that area is likely to lift and peel. This is because the cuticle doesn’t function as a strong base for any type of nail product.

2- By pushing back your cuticle increases the surface area for the product to adhere to – Nail Products such as acrylic and gel last longer when they have a larger surface area to hold onto, this prevents them from popping off easily.

3- When you push back your cuticles you also remove dead skin cells on your nails – If you were to just trim or cut your cuticle you won’t get to remove all of the clear dead skin cells on your nails.

And these dead skin cells prevent your nail product from bonding to your nail plate.

Related Article – How to Correctly DIY Push Back Your Cuticles With No Pain

2- Prevents Infection

The main function of the cuticle area which is made up of the cuticle and the proximal fold is to seal off the nail root and thus protect it from getting infected.

So if you cut or trim anywhere near the cuticle area you risk removing too much of the skin which can leave the nail root exposed and thus prone to infection. Citation.

The nail root is also known as the nail matrix and is where your nails are produced which makes it a highly important area for healthy nails.

Now the best way to prevent an infection is to push back your cuticles which keeps your nail root covered and sealed off and thus more safe from bacteria and germs.

Related Article – 7 Tips to Treat & Prevent Dark Cuticles Around Nails

3- Less Painful

Does Pushing Back Cuticles Hurt

Pushing back your cuticles is the least painful and safest way to prep your cuticles.

You see if you try to trim your cuticles you can easily cut into too much of your skin, which can be extremely painful and lead to an infection.

If done right pushing back your cuticles can be painless and won’t damage the living tissue which is the proximal fold.

Related Articles:

Castor Oil for Nails & Cuticles: Benefits & How to Use

Coconut Oil for Nails & Cuticles: Benefits & How to Use

4- Makes Your Nails Look Longer & Neater

Pushing back your cuticles is one of the easiest ways to make your natural nails look longer and more elegant.

You see cuticles that are overgrown tend to make your nails look shorter and untidy.

And pushing your cuticles back helps to keep them under control and makes them neater.

Related Articles:

4 Best DIY Homemade Cuticle Oil Alternatives – Easy Recipes

How Often Should You Use Cuticle Oil As Per Dermatologists

5- Allows Your Natural Nails to Look Glossy

When you push back your cuticles you remove some of the dead skin cells on your nail plate which allows your natural nails to look more glossy.

Now to make your nails extra natural glossy you can add some oil to your nails and then buff them with a high grit nail file.

Why You Should Avoid Cutting Your Cuticle

You should always avoid cutting your cuticles, this is because cutting them can:

  1. Lead to your nails and cuticles becoming infected
  2. Make your cuticles grow back thicker.
  3. Cause your cuticles to look jagged and damaged
  4. Make your cuticles discolored and develop a darkish color and even make them feel hard and rough
why you should not cut cuticles

When Should You Cut Your Cuticle

You should only cut your cuticles if you have a piece of dead cuticle skin that is sticking out.

This is usually dead tissue that can be safely removed using a cuticle trimmer.

Now if your nail tech has a tendency to cut your cuticles, I recommend asking them to push your cuticle back and to only cut them if you have any skin sticking or hanging out.

Citation and References

What Is a Cuticle and How Can You Safely Care for It?

6 Ways to Care for Your Cuticles

What Causes Overgrown Cuticles

Fingernails: Do’s and don’ts for healthy nails