Nail Care and Nail Services
Foundations
The nail domain covers manicuring, pedicuring, and artificial nail enhancements. Know the anatomy of the nail: nail plate, nail bed, matrix, lunula, cuticle, eponychium, hyponychium, free edge, and sidewalls. The matrix produces the nail plate, so damage there affects growth permanently. Understand nail shapes (square, oval, squoval, pointed) and how filing direction affects the free edge - file in one direction to avoid splitting.
Services and safety
Know the difference between basic manicure, spa manicure, and pedicure, and the tools each requires. For artificial nails, distinguish acrylics, gels, and wraps, and know that proper prep and dehydration of the nail plate determine adhesion. Understand MMA vs. EMA - MMA is prohibited in many jurisdictions because of damage to the nail plate.
Traps to watch
- Confusing the cuticle (nonliving tissue on the plate) with the eponychium (living tissue at the base) - you push the cuticle, but cutting living tissue risks infection.
- Forgetting that pedicure tools must be disinfected between clients and that foot baths require an EPA-registered disinfectant.
- Mixing up nippers (cuticle) and cuticle pushers.
- Ignoring contraindications: fungal infections, paronychia, or open cuts mean no service and referral.
Rule of thumb
Sanitize, disinfect, sterilize - know the difference. Sanitize reduces; disinfect kills most pathogens on surfaces; sterilize destroys all microorganisms. Implements that contact skin or blood require disinfection at minimum.
Worked example
A client presents with a greenish discoloration on the nail plate. Correct response: do not service; refer to a physician, as this suggests a bacterial or fungal infection. This protects both client and technician.