Cuticles protect our fingers and nail beds from infection. When having cracked or dry cuticles it can put you at the risk of infection.  Many of us get pesky over grown cuticles that are unsightly and annoying.  We see our hands all the time, whether its reaching for the door, noticing them on the steering wheel, or picking at them on an uneventful afternoon. Something so little doesn’t seem like it would make that big of a difference, but it does! Pushing them back keeps them from continuing to grow down your nail bed but then you are left with loose extra skin form your cuticle.

Why do my cuticles grow so fast?

Your cuticles grow over your nail bed to create a barrier from infection. You have a cuticle to seal off the nail bed and prevent it from exposing open tissue. There are a combination of reasons why some peoples cuticles grow faster than others.

Genetics – Yep! It’s some times a simple fact that some peoples cuticles grow faster then others. If your hair grows crazy fast its likely that your nails and cuticles could follow suit. But that doesn’t always have to be the case. Everyone’s body is different and your nails might grow super fast and your hair might take longer to grow.

Vitamins – According to The Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology  People who have brittle nails had an increased thickness of 25% after the prolonged use of biotin. If you’re taking vitamins that have biotin in them that could play a role in your cuticle growth.

Food choices – Your diet can also affect your cuticle growth. Foods like nuts, salmon, avocado, and sweet potatoes are high in biotin.  If you’re eating foods high in biotin on top of taking vitamins it could play a role in excessive cuticle growth.

What causes dry cuticles?

This goes back to genetics, lifestyle, and food intake. If you are someone who is already prone to dry skin on top of washing your hands frequently or are out in the elements a lot, you’re just going to have to take extra care of your cuticles.  If you got in the habit of putting cuticle cream on and pushing them back 3-4 days a week with nightly cuticle oil application it would make a difference. The climate can also play a role if you live in a climate that has dry winters.  Cuticle cream is made specifically for your cuticles and while it seems like lotion would do the same thing, it does make a difference to use it.

How do I stop cutting my cuticles?

While there is a lot of talk from dermatologists that cutting your cuticles isn’t the best option for your nails, as a nail tech, a lot of my clients have had no other option.  I had one specific client that came to me faithfully every two weeks because her cuticles grew so fast. ( not to be confused with pterygium which is a nail condition that the skin over takes the nail bed.) It seems like once you cut your cuticles once it makes them split or tear more. Sometimes becoming more dry than they were before. This is because that natural barrier has been cut back and your body is just trying to grow it back.  I find myself having to tend to them more often before, but there is something so satisfying to trim away all that over grown cuticle to leave a fresh clean nail bed.

How should I take care of my cuticles?

Maintenance 

I personally feel comfortable trimming them regularly and would rather have to just do it more often than to let them grow out.  Or just push them back and leave the loose skin, I cant stand it! If you are over the maintenance try using Cuticle oil and cuticle cream. this will keep them healthy when they grow out and also keep them from splitting when pushing them back.

Cuticle Oil

Cuticle cream

Push them back regularly. If they start to split, trim away the excess peeled back skin and continue to moisturize. Push them back 2-3 times weekly, sometimes you just need more regular maintenance if you’re someone who has troublesome cuticles.  Life gets the best of us and you forget and they are back to being horrible again. A little consistency makes all the difference.

Written by a Licensed Nail Technician.