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Cuticle

In professional usage, the cuticle is the thin, translucent film of dead skin that stays stuck to the surface of the nail as it grows. It should not be confused with the living fold of skin around the base of the nail, which is the eponychium and acts as a barrier.

If you notice any discomfort or change in a nail, see a dermatologist or a podiatrist.

Are cuticle and eponychium the same?

No, and the confusion has practical consequences. The eponychium is the living fold of skin that caps the base of the nail: it has a blood supply, sensation, and a sealing role between the outside world and the area where the nail is formed. The cuticle, strictly speaking, is the thin translucent sheet of already-dead cells that this fold leaves stuck to the nail surface as the plate advances. The fold is lifted and respected; the film is what comes off.

Why is the film removed?

For a purely technical reason. It is dead skin bonded to the surface, and any product applied over it is bonding to that film rather than to the nail. Because the film eventually detaches on its own, it takes whatever is sitting on top of it with it and opens a lift right at the base. Removing it before colour goes on is what lets the base coat meet the plate and what gives the edge of the colour a clean, closely fitted line.

How is the edge worked?

Start by softening the area, either with a dedicated product or simply through the warmth and friction of the work. The fold is then eased away from the nail surface with a metal or wooden pusher, without force. The attached film is taken off next, with the pusher, with precision nippers or with a fine bit on an e-file, depending on the technique. The edge is then smoothed and the dust cleared away.

What is pterygium?

It is the name used when that film grows markedly and travels further along the plate than usual, clinging firmly. In day-to-day work the word simply describes an edge that will need more time and more care, because the film is attached over a larger area. It is a descriptive observation about how an edge looks, nothing more.

How is it looked after between appointments?

With oil, and with consistency rather than quantity. A dedicated cuticle oil applied once or twice a day keeps the fold supple and makes the film release more easily at the next appointment. The difference between an edge that is comfortable to work and one that is not usually comes down to that, rather than to which product is used. Frequent hot water and cleaning products push in the opposite direction.

What is best avoided?

Do not pull at a hangnail or at any piece of skin that has lifted; it is cut cleanly with the right tool instead. Do not push the fold hard or with anything pointed. And do not dwell with a spinning bit over the same spot, because the heat it generates builds up. These are points of technique, not health advice.

Sources: AEMPS · Cosmetic products (Spanish Medicines Agency) · EN 13060, small steam sterilisers (CEN)

Published: 12 October 2026 · Last reviewed: 12 October 2026