Nail Care and Services
What the exam tests
Know nail anatomy: nail plate, nail bed, matrix, lunula, cuticle (eponychium), hyponychium, free edge, and sidewalls. Understand nail growth (faster in summer, on the dominant hand, and in younger clients; slower with age and poor circulation). Know manicure and pedicure procedure order, the purpose of each implement, and the difference between a nail wrap, tip with overlay, and sculptured nail. Understand acrylic (liquid monomer + powder polymer) versus gel (cured under UV/LED) chemistry.
Traps to watch
Never cut the cuticle-the living tissue is the eponychium; you push back or soften the cuticle. Do not use metal implements on the nail plate aggressively. Disinfection rules for files and buffers differ from porous items that must be discarded. Questions confuse the matrix (where the plate is produced) with the bed (what the plate rests on). A bacterial infection (green discoloration) is not a fungal infection and is not treated by the nail tech-refer out.
Worked example
A client has a green spot under an acrylic. Rule of thumb: green-black discoloration suggests bacterial infection (Pseudomonas). The tech removes the product, does not apply a new enhancement, and refers the client to a physician. Document and disinfect tools.
Rule of thumb
Push, don't cut; disinfect, don't just clean; refer, don't diagnose.