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The Doctors Book of Home Remedies for Women: Cuticle Problems

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Cuticle Problems

Cuticle Problems

Patch Rips, Nicks and Tears

Cuticle means "little skin" and refers to that tiny rim of near-transparent tissue that peaks out from underneath your skin, covering part of your nails.

Unlike your appendix or other body parts that you can live without, cuticles are there for a reason. They serve as barriers to protect nails from infection, says Loretta Davis, M.D., associate professor of dermatology at the Medical College of Georgia School of Medicine in Augusta.

NO SELF-SURGERY

Many women insist on trimming the cuticle away from the curve of the nail. But performing self-surgery on cuticles is not advised. "That can lead to trouble, including bleeding and swelling," says
Dr. Davis.

Here is women doctors' advice for keeping your cuticles problem-free.

Soak up some suds. Soften cuticles in warm, sudsy water for several minutes. This prevents drying and cracking, says Marianne O'Donoghue, M.D., associate professor of dermatology at Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center in Chicago.

Follow with petroleum jelly. Keeping cuticles soft is the key to keeping them healthy, according to Dr. O'Donoghue. "I push mine back with a washcloth or an orange stick and then cover them with petroleum jelly. It helps hold in the moisture." Moisturizing your cuticles nightly will help keep them from drying out, especially in winter.

Push them back--gently. "Your nails will look wonderful with the natural cuticle right where it should be," says Trisha Webster, a hand model with the well-known Wilhelmina Modeling Agency in New York City. "My hands are photographed all the time, and I know that they look perfect with the cuticle simply pushed back."

Webster pushes back her cuticles with an orange stick wrapped in cotton gauze.

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