Nail Care and Nail Services
Nail anatomy
Be able to locate and define the nail plate, nail bed, matrix, lunula, cuticle, eponychium, hyponychium, sidewalls, and free edge. The matrix produces the plate, so damage there shows up as a ridge, groove, or thinning that grows out with the nail. Fingernails grow faster than toenails, growth slows with age and in cold weather, and the average rate is often quoted as roughly one-eighth of an inch per month.
Disorders and referral
Separate conditions you may work around from those you must not touch. Onychomycosis (fungal), paronychia (bacterial inflammation of the tissue around the nail), and onycholysis (separation of plate from bed) are referral situations. Know leukonychia (white spots), onychorrhexis (brittle, split nails), koilonychia (spoon nails), and the ordinary hangnail (agnail). Never cut living tissue or push back the cuticle aggressively; the cuticle seals the nail against infection.
Services and implements
Manicure and pedicure steps, polish application, nail tips, wraps, and enhancements are all fair game. For acrylics, understand monomer and polymer and why EMA is preferred over MMA, which many jurisdictions restrict. Know grit numbers - a lower number is a coarser abrasive. Track which implements are reusable metal (clean, then disinfect in an EPA-registered hospital disinfectant) versus porous and single-use (files, orangewood sticks, buffers). Foot baths and bowls need cleaning and disinfection between clients.
Traps and rule of thumb
Trap: performing services on a client with a suspected infection. Rule of thumb: when in doubt about a nail disorder, do not treat - refer.