# Do you regularly push your cuticles back? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 30, 2004, 9:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-regularly-push-your-cuticles-back/282232 "2004-12-30T09:02:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cinnamon\_Girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@Cinnamon\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cinnamon_Girl)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2004, 9:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-regularly-push-your-cuticles-back/282232/1 "2004-12-30T09:02:28Z")
If so, how often do you do it? What’s the benefit? Other than prevention of hangnails. I don’t do it very often. I just forget. I wonder if I’m neglecting a fairly important personal grooming habit. The cuticles on my pinky fingers won’t push back when I try because they’re too thin (I guess), so my pinky nails are pretty small. I have half moons on only my thumbnails. When I push back my cuticles, it leaves a little layer of skin on the nail that mildly bugs me. And then the cuticles tend to catch on things because they’re raised. So I don’t really like doing it. Other than that, my cuticles don’t really bother me too much. I don’t get hangnails all that often. Except in the winter, which I can avoid if I just use hand lotion more often. Can I just forget about my cuticles altogether? ---
**Author:** ![gum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bbe5ce/32.png) [@gum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gum)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2004, 9:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-regularly-push-your-cuticles-back/282232/2 "2004-12-30T09:18:56Z")
Yeah. Forget about them. I never have hangnails and I never push anything back. eww. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2004, 9:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-regularly-push-your-cuticles-back/282232/3 "2004-12-30T09:45:33Z")
Ewww ewww ewww ewww. I twinged at simply reading the subject line. I’d rather read a hundred fecal and menstruation threads than even see this mentioned: it’s like starting a thread saying: “Do you like to run your nails down a chalkboard?” _or_ “How many times do you have to poke yourself before you find a vein to shoot smack?” Once again: too much freakin’ information! ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Serpentine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3be4f8/32.png) [@Silver\_Serpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Serpentine)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2004, 10:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-regularly-push-your-cuticles-back/282232/4 "2004-12-30T10:16:11Z")
I don’t so much push the cuticals back as snip them off with nail clippers after pushing them back. I’ve been on meds for the compulsion to chew the skin off my fingers, so I might not be the best sample. ---
**Author:** ![sturmhauke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47c2d/32.png) [@sturmhauke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sturmhauke)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2004, 10:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-regularly-push-your-cuticles-back/282232/5 "2004-12-30T10:22:45Z")
I used to slice them off with a pocket knife, but then I would have gouge marks in my nails so I stopped. If I don’t at least push them back I tend to get painful and inflammed skin when it peels. ---
**Author:** ![Burnt\_Sugar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee59a6/32.png) [@Burnt\_Sugar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Burnt_Sugar)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2004, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-regularly-push-your-cuticles-back/282232/6 "2004-12-30T10:39:05Z")
> [@Silver Serpentine](#): > > I don’t so much push the cuticals back as snip them off with nail clippers after pushing them back. > > I’ve been on meds for the compulsion to chew the skin off my fingers, so I might not be the best sample. Unless you’re actually talking about biting your fingers off isn’t medication a little overkill? I chew the skin around my fingers off and have never thought it was something wrong. ---
**Author:** ![UntouchedTakeaway](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d78d45/32.png) [@UntouchedTakeaway](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UntouchedTakeaway)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2004, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-regularly-push-your-cuticles-back/282232/7 "2004-12-30T11:22:10Z")
> [@Cinnamon Girl](#): > > If so, how often do you do it? What’s the benefit? Other than prevention of hangnails. > > I don’t do it very often. I just forget. I wonder if I’m neglecting a fairly important personal grooming habit. The cuticles on my pinky fingers won’t push back when I try because they’re too thin (I guess), so my pinky nails are pretty small. I have half moons on only my thumbnails. When I push back my cuticles, it leaves a little layer of skin on the nail that mildly bugs me. And then the cuticles tend to catch on things because they’re raised. So I don’t really like doing it. > > Other than that, my cuticles don’t really bother me too much. I don’t get hangnails all that often. Except in the winter, which I can avoid if I just use hand lotion more often. Can I just forget about my cuticles altogether? I do it in the bath. After my hands soak a bit, I just use the washcloth to push them back. No pain, no problem. If they’re looking particularly ragged, I’ll use a cuticle remover. VNCJ~ ---
**Author:** ![Silentgoldfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@Silentgoldfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silentgoldfish)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2004, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-regularly-push-your-cuticles-back/282232/8 "2004-12-30T12:35:04Z")
> [@Burnt Sugar](#): > > Unless you’re actually talking about biting your fingers off isn’t medication a little overkill? I chew the skin around my fingers off and have never thought it was something wrong. Grrr. That was me, sorry. **'Sugar** was logged in on my computer and I didn’t notice. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![AsecretK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7ab992/32.png) [@AsecretK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AsecretK)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2004, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-regularly-push-your-cuticles-back/282232/9 "2004-12-30T13:41:52Z")
I do this all the time. Sometimes several times a day. I also pick at the skin around my thumbs with my index finger to the point that sometimes they bleed. It has been a nervous habit of mine for as long as I can remember. ---
**Author:** ![Cinnamon\_Girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@Cinnamon\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cinnamon_Girl)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2004, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-regularly-push-your-cuticles-back/282232/10 "2004-12-30T16:19:43Z")
This thread seems to be skewing to one side. The upside of cuticle maintenance can only be the avoidance of the downside of neglect or abuse, if this thread is representative. There are some pretty unhealthy relationships with cuticles out there. 😉 **Silentgoldfish** , I can understand medication for chewing the skin off fingertips if it’s coupled with other compulsive behavior and results in persistent infection. I’m speculating here, but it must have caused quite a problem for **Silver Serpentine** that medication helped control. Whatever works, right? My son has a nail-biting/cuticle-chewing habit that leaves his fingers perpetually enflamed and painful. He probably couldn’t count the number of papers he’s turned in at school with his blood on them. (Way EWWW!) I, too, bit my nails as a youth, but never dreamed of tearing off a hangnail past the cuticle. I’m hoping he gets it under control before he tries dating. It’s quite unattractive! :eek: **Veuve\_ClicquotNJ** , hi and welcome to the SDMB! Great idea! All manner of personal grooming is effeciently performed during bathtime. I’d wager you’ve got pretty healthy cuticles. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Cymbeline](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_cymbeline/32/9244_2.png) [@Green\_Cymbeline](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Cymbeline)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2004, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-regularly-push-your-cuticles-back/282232/11 "2004-12-30T16:57:22Z")
I do it all the time. Maybe it’s partly a nervous habit, but it makes my nails look nicer. I have long nails naturally, so I just push my cuticles back with my nails. It doesn’t hurt or anything and seems natural to me. I always kind of cringe when I see someone with really long or thick cuticles. It’s interesting to me to find out that some people cringe at the thought of pushing cuticles back, I don’t get it! I never knew there were people who didn’t like to do it… ---
**Author:** ![tremorviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@tremorviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tremorviolet)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2004, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-regularly-push-your-cuticles-back/282232/12 "2004-12-30T17:23:01Z")
My mother taught me to push 'em back with the towel right after I got out of a shower. So I do it religiously. The only benefit I can see this that it makes your nails look longer and neater. I have short wide-ish nails (or I did until I plopped big, acrylic stripper nails atop 'em) so I’ve always paid extra attention to pushing them back…