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

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-cuticles-what-purpose-do-they-serve-and-why-are-they-so-damned-painful/349019>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [March 19, 2006, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-cuticles-what-purpose-do-they-serve-and-why-are-they-so-damned-painful/349019 "2006-03-19T18:13:25Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\
**Post date:** [March 19, 2006, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-cuticles-what-purpose-do-they-serve-and-why-are-they-so-damned-painful/349019/1 "2006-03-19T18:13:25Z")

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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

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**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\
**Post date:** [March 19, 2006, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-cuticles-what-purpose-do-they-serve-and-why-are-they-so-damned-painful/349019/2 "2006-03-19T18:16:28Z")

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Sounds like you’re describing a [hangnail](http://www.goaskalice.columbia.edu/2340.html).

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**Author:** ![David\_Simmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)\
**Post date:** [March 19, 2006, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-cuticles-what-purpose-do-they-serve-and-why-are-they-so-damned-painful/349019/3 "2006-03-19T20:55:42Z")

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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.](http://dermatology.about.com/cs/nailanatomy/a/nailanatomy.htm)

> [@](#):
>
> 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.