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| Cuticle Area
Lifting - WHY? - and 1/32" of an inch |
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| Cuticle Skin
Clipping! or Cutting! Whoops... |
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Fingernail Anatomy |
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| Flip Up, Flip
Down & Curve Away fingernails |
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| Lifting &
Cuticle notes 1: Product too close at cuticle |
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| Lifting &
Cuticle notes 2: Product too
thick at cuticle |
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| Pterygium Stone |
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| Pterygium Skin
(membrane): A most common term used in the Beauty
industry to refer to a thin membrane of skin type material,
that coats the fresh keratin cells of the nail-plate, and
needs to be removed with the "Pterygium Stone", before
applying any artificial nail enhancement. For the most
part, this membrane of pterygium skin is removed when the
fingernails are towel-dried; but there can be minute
particles left on nail-plate, and these particles can cause
"lifting" if not removed with the Pterygium Stone.
Tool: Pterygium Stone by
Tammy Taylor Pterygium
Skin: PARTIAL SKIN OVER NAIL PLATE
When your Cuticles (skin) grow forward over the nail, your
doctor will call this: 'Pterygium'. This condition can
result in splitting and loss of the nail plate. Never
attempt to remove 'Pterygium': you should consult a
physician/dermatologist for advice and treatment.
'Pterygium' is most commonly a result of severe trauma (ie:
burns), blood circulation disorders, and lichen planus.
Synonyms: Pterychium, Dorsal Pterygium, (Inverse Pterygium) |
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Fingernail Anatomy |
Your nails are made up of layers of keratin — a protein
that's also found in your hair and skin. Each nail is
comprised of several parts, including:
Nail Structure
The structure we know of as the nail is divided into
six specific parts - the root, nail bed, nail plate,
eponychium (cuticle), perionychium, and hyponychium.
Each of these structures has a specific function,
and if disrupted can result in an abnormal appearing
fingernail. |
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Nail Root |
The root of the fingernail is also known as the germinal
matrix. This portion of the nail is actually beneath the
skin behind the fingernail and extends several millimeters
into the finger itself.
The fingernail root produces most of the volume of the nail
and the nail bed.
This portion of the nail does not have any melanocytes, or
melanin producing |
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Nail plate. |
The nail plate is the actual fingernail, made of translucent
keratin. The pink appearance of the nail comes from the
blood vessels underneath the nail. The underneath surface of
the nail plate has grooves along the length of the nail that
help anchor it to the nail bed. |
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Nail folds |
This is the skin that frames each of your nails on three
sides. |
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Nail bed |
Your nail bed is the skin beneath the nail plate.
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Cuticle |
The cuticle of the fingernail is also called the eponychium.
The cuticle is situated between the skin of the finger and
the nail plate fusing these structures together and
providing a waterproof barrier.
Your cuticle tissue overlaps your nail plate at the base of
your nail. |
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Lunula |
The lunula is the whitish, half-moon shape at the base of
your nail. |
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Perionychium |
The perioncyhium is the skin that overlies the nail plate on
its sides. It is also known as the paronychial edge. The
perionychium is the site of hangnails, ingrown nails, and an
infection of the skin called paronychia. |
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Hyponychium |
The hyponychium is the area between the nail plate and the
fingertip. It is the junction between the free edge of the
nail and the skin of the fingertip, also providing a
waterproof barrier. |
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Information from:
http://www.naildoctors.com/nail_anatomy.html
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Flip Up,
Flip Down & Curve Away fingernails
Also,
fingernail that "curls"
away from underneath the free-edge
HOW TO CORRECT
If the natural fingernail flips up, curves down, or
does anything funny, clip it off.
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| Clip it off |
Clip it off |
Clip it off |
You will also need to use the drill (also see
"Peeling away...") every other fill-in to clean away the natural fingernail as
it starts to pull away
or curl away from the acrylic
underneath the free-edge.
Cuticle Area Lifting - WHY?
- and
1/32"
of an inch
- When the "natural
fingernail" was "Etched",
the cuticle skin was also
shoved back!
- The fresh fingernail
that is now exposed, where the cuticle skin was,
is still moist because it has
not yet been exposed to the air.
(Note: It will take a
day or two for this area of the fingernail to dry and become a firm
fingernail.)
- Acrylic will not
adhere (stick) to
this moist area of the fingernail, even
though this area of the fingernail was Etched properly.
- Also note
"too thick": Do Not leave the acrylic too
thick, at the edge, near the cuticle area. When the
acrylic is too thick around the edge, the acrylic will not flex and
will lift. On Step 9, when
filing the Cuticle & Contour area: File
acrylic smooth to the natural fingernail, leaving a
little "road" between the
cuticle skin and the acrylic. Best file for Cuticle area:
Long-Lasting Zebra 180-grit.
- Solution: Do not
place the acrylic on this moist area of the fingernail. Stay
away from the cuticle skin at least 1/32 of an inch (about the thickness of 2-3 business cards.
- Please take note
that on Tammy's "12 Step for
Sculptured Nails Application", on
Step 8, Ball #3, the words are
"Stroke &
STAY AWAY from CUTICLE 1/32 of an inch".
And whenever Tammy does a presentation, she always stresses staying
away from the cuticle skin with the acrylic.
- Also
printed on Tammy's "Practice Sheet",
on the picture showing the #3 Ball,
item "b.":
b. apply like
nail polish leaving 1/32” space around
cuticle.
Again the 1/32" inch spacing is
indicated.
- Also see notes on the
Pterygium
Stone on this page, for more about lifting.
- And see Problem Nails
One, in Nail FAQ's by Topic.
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Note for comparisons, about
"Staying away from the Cuticle":
This
is critical; at least 1/32 of an inch (0.8 mm, almost 1 mm), about
the thickness of 3 business cards, or the thickness of a man’s
thumbnail.
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Note
to keep in mind:
Please
remember that the fingernail plate that was exposed when
the fingernail was etched is moist
(new) fingernail, and this moist area of
this newly exposed fingernail needs to be exposed for at least 2-3
days before it will be dry enough to apply an acrylic nail. When
the Client comes back for a fill; the previously
exposed nail is now dry
& ready for acrylic;
but the newly exposed fingernail that was
just etched for the fill, again needs 2-3 days to dry out.
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Summation:
ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS
stay away from the Cuticle Skin 1/32 (0.03125) of an inch or 1
mm, or the thickness of 2-3 business cards.
Lifting &
Cuticle notes 1: Product
too close to cuticle (acrylic must stay away
from cuticle skin at least
1/32" of an inch) (1/32" of an inch is about the thickness of
2-3 business cards).
Lifting &
Cuticle notes 2: Product
too thick at cuticle -
You must not be able to feel a
bump at the cuticle area with your own fingernail.
When the acrylic product is too thick near the cuticle skin; the acrylic
will not be flexible and will not bend as the natural fingernail bends.
When the acrylic will not bend or flex, it will have a tendency to lift.
When applying
acrylic nails, the Technician
applying the acrylic
MUST Stay Away from the Cuticle Skin,
at least 1/32" of an inch (about the thickness of 2-3 business cards).
Pterygium Stone
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* Improper Etching.
If the natural nail is not properly etched, the acrylic cannot adhere to the nail.
This causes 75% of all lifting.
The 100-grit Purple Terminator file is the best for etching.
Etch only the way the nail grows – from the cuticle to the free-edge, until there is no shine on the nail-plate.
Etching will create little "hills and valleys" in the natural nail, which the product will flow into.
Acrylic cannot stick to skin, so to further ensure no lifting, use the
Pterygium Stone to push back excess cuticle
& skin that has grown onto the nail-plate. |
| Pterygium Stone |
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Cleaning:
Scrub the Pterygium Stone with your plastic manicure brush and
Peach
Anti-Bacterial Soft Soak. Then submerge in your First
Choice solution or spray the Stone
with Disinfect-Disinfect-Disinfect.
Replacing:
When
the Pterygium Stone finally gets dull
& smooth, it would
be a good time to replace with a new one. |
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Eliminate Lifting:
Eliminate 99.9% of lifting caused by excessive cuticle on nail-plate by using the Pterygium Stone.
This stone removes cuticle even in hard to get
areas around the cuticle grove.
No more deformities of the natural nail caused by sharp edged cuticle pushers.
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Making the Pterygium Stone last
& "Breaking" the Stone:
If the Pterygium Stone is dropped on a hard
surface, it will probably break in two. The
Stone is still good, but it will be a little
shorter. Actually, you will now have two
Pterygium Stones. |
Note on
"Replacing": If you break off a little of the tip area,
you can have a fresh "like new" Pterygium Stone. |
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Cuticle Skin Clipping! or Cutting!
Whoops...
Do not cut the "cuticle skin" unless it is standing
up, and waving at you! Tammy never recommends cutting the cuticle
skin, when it does not need to be cut!
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