Hi Uptown girl...
firstly, Pterygium should never be mistaken for cuticle - they are extremely different...
Pterygium is a contraindiction for many services - it is a medical condition whereby the eponychium has fused with the nail plate and is drawn painfully forward (dorsal pterygium)
Alternatively it is when the hypernicium is fused to the underside of the nail plate (inverse pterygium)
DermNetNZ -scroll down for Pterygium
back to your original question - how to deal with over grown
cuticle - this should have been covered by your course....
a proper manicure without cutting living tissue and prescribing good home care products
(such as a combination of solar oil & cuticle eraser) will help the cuticle reduce over time.
Overgrown cuticle is a sign of
a) rapidly growing nail plate such as a nail biter
b) very dry hands causing the cuticle to stay stuck
c) lack of homecare maintenance.
If in fact you are referring to overgrown eponychium (the living skin fold) then this will generally be a defensive growth as the skin is being cut, trimmed, picked or chewed on.
To solve overgrown eponychium is the same as overgrown cuticle + stop the habit that is causing the damage...
Again, I reiterate your course should explain what you need to answer your questions, if it's not in your manual then question your tutor. I have only answered in this instance as your base question had a MAJOR mistake in information..
hth's
