What are cuticles, what purpose do they serve and why are they so damned painful?

[Cartooniverse]

I need to know. There’s the nail. Then there’s the nail bed. That’s the stuff underneath. Then there’s the finger. ( or toe I suppose, though I’ve never had toe cuticle issues ).

What is the DEAL??? This wretched little sliver of whateverwhatever rises up, and causes me sharp pains whenever I use my finger?

What is this thing?

Cartooniverse

[Q.E.D]

Sounds like you’re describing a hangnail.

[David_Simmons]

As Q.E.D. said, you’ve got a hangnail. That is where a crack has developed in the cuticle exposing just a little bit of unprotected flesh to the mean old ouside world.

Here is information on the anatomy of nails.

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.