Should You Use Cuticle Cutters?

Cuticle Cutters: Pros and Cons

Cuticle cutters, otherwise known as "cuticle nippers" or "cuticle trimmers", are a debated tool for the average consumer. Today, I'll be getting down to the core positives and negatives of this tool and whether or not you should use and/or own one. This post is in no way going to tell you what you can and cannot do, but hopefully will aid you to make a decision that is best for your personal nail health. I'll also be linking some articles at the bottom of this page in case you want to do some research on this topic yourself. With that disclaimer out of the way, let's get down to it!

Pros:

Managing Very Overgrown Cuticles

I'm going to start with the reasons why you should consider using a cuticle cutter. It might be a viable solution for people with extremely overgrown cuticles. Sometimes cuticles can grow up as far as to the middle of the nail plate. Part of maintaining nail health is managing the cuticle and that kind of overgrowth can be a liability. Overgrown cuticles can lead to splits, hangnails, and possible bacterial infections. Using a cuticle cutter to trim away some of the growth can be a good option for some people. 

Stubborn Cuticles

Cuticle cutters can be really good for people with very stubborn cuticles. This can mean your cuticle is very difficult to handle and/or regular cuticle removers just can't complete the job. Being able to nip the cuticle instead of struggling and scraping at it for hours can be a good option for those very withstanding cuticles. Of course, not everyone has stubborn cuticles, but it's something to keep in mind. 

Cutting Away Strays:

To clarify, I personally only ever use cuticle cutters for this reason. Sometimes flaps of cuticle stick out from the sides of the finger and gently cutting them away is the way to go. It's much better to snip it off than to try to rip it and hurt myself in the process. In my honest opinion, that should be the primary goal of cuticle cutters. Removing parts of the cuticle when it's really necessary.

Cons:

Risks of Infection

The flap of skin at the top of your nail is often confused as the cuticle and is therefore the first thing people go for to nip. That flap of skin is actually there to protect the base of your nail from invading bacteria. Cutting it could put your nails at risk of developing an infection. ALSO, when you go into nail salons, they tend to cut off this 'cuticle' very often and if you are unaware of the sterilization of their tools, that in itself could raise some major problems. The last thing you want is to go get a cute manicure and catch some nasty infection from an un-sterilized tool. 

Mistakes

Cutting cuticles is hard. Imagine it as a tiny pair of scissors that you're using to cut away the dead skin. Mistakes happen, and you could end up cutting skin that you didn't mean to cut. Then you can't have a nice manicure because your finger will be in pain and probably wrapped with a bandaid. Not to mention if you try to cut your cuticles with your non-dominant hand. Yikes!! 

Cuticle Removers Already Exist

Why the hell would you cut your cuticles when cuticle remover solution already exists? All you have to do is put some on and gently scrape the cuticle away. Isn't cutting the cuticle more work with a higher chance of their being complications? I mean, all you have to do for cuticle removers is wash the residue off your hands when you're done and that's pretty much it for the risk factors. Now, we've already kind of gone through why a cuticle remover might not be as effective, but for most people, a cuticle remover works just fine. 

Why Cut When You Can Just Push Them Back?

Pushing back cuticles can be as helpful as removing them sometimes. By softly pushing them back and taking good care of your hands altogether, your cuticles can be quite beautiful. There isn't always a need to be so violent. Especially if you have smaller cuticles. Pushing back your cuticles is still a form of cuticle maintenance. Don't let anybody try to tell you otherwise. There will always be varying degrees of management to be done for your cuticles, but you have to remember to keep all the options in mind. 

I'll leave the final decision up to you, but hopefully some of this information will be of some use. Here are links to some articles that might help you if you want to research further. (https://www.healthline.com/health/cuticle , https://stylecaster.com/beauty/cuticles/ , https://www.myblisskiss.com/blog/cuticle/ )