Knife and Nippers function discrepancy

[paws]

Guys,
I'm really stuck here.
I have my practical exam for ITEC Manicure & Pedicure tomorrow and last night in class we did our pre-asessment.

Whilst I was carrying out the manicure I said, "I am using the knife to remove all non living tissue and debris from the nail plate" and "I am using the nippers to remove any hang nails".

After the asessment our tutor said we were all wrong.
She said
The knife is for loosening the eponychium and
The nippers is for removing any non living tissue.

I am totally confused now, which is right?
I looked up our book "The encyclopedia of nails" and what I said appears to be right and the only reason we all said that is because that's what she's been telling us in class. Now she says we're all wrong and the above is correct?

I don't want to say the wrong thing in the exam tomorrow but I really feel I should go with what is in the book and now what she said.
We have already had other discrepancies about issues, ie ITEC say Beaus lines are single horizontal ridges whereas most books say they are multiple.

Please help, I need to get this sussed by tomorrow!

thanks guys
Linda

 

[Bryony]

Guys,
Whilst I was carrying out the manicure I said, "I am using the knife to remove all non living tissue and debris from the nail plate" and "I am using the nippers to remove any hang nails".

After the asessment our tutor said we were all wrong.
She said
The knife is for loosening the eponychium and
The nippers is for removing any non living tissue.

I am totally confused now, which is right?
We have already had other discrepancies about issues, ie ITEC say Beaus lines are single horizontal ridges whereas most books say they are multiple.
Linda

Hi Linda,

You are right, she is talking out of her .....

Use the knife to loosen the Eponychium????? The Eponychium is the bit of skin that touches the nail plate - the bit most people call the cuticle. This is living tissue. It can be GENTLY pushed back if needed, need to take care not to push further than it natuarlly grows or you could break the barrier it forms with the nail plate and allow yukkies to invade.

The knife is used (held flat to the nail plate) to loosen/remove the true cuticle - dead tissue that attaches to and grows out with the nail plate. The nippers are then used to remove any leftover cuticle (NOT eponychium).

Maybe the tutor meant Pterygium when she said eponychium? I was told pterygium is excessive overgrowth of the cuticle but have heard some people use this phrase when referring to the dead skin growing on the nail plate (not necessarily excessively).

Beaus lines - I THINK these can be multiple OR single (depending on the cause) but they are horizontal and affect ALL nails, not just one. They are caused by the nail stopping growing for whatever reason (usually serious illness) which is why you see them on all nails. If there are horizontal lines just on one nail it usually indicates trauma to the matrix of that nail.

HTH,

Good luck hun, you'll be fine

xx

 

[Lily]

Hi Linda,

You are right, she is talking out of her .....

Use the knife to loosen the Eponychium????? The Eponychium is the bit of skin that touches the nail plate - the bit most people call the cuticle. This is living tissue. It can be GENTLY pushed back if needed, need to take care not to push further than it natuarlly grows or you could break the barrier it forms with the nail plate and allow yukkies to invade.

The knife is used (held flat to the nail plate) to loosen/remove the true cuticle - dead tissue that attaches to and grows out with the nail plate. The nippers are then used to remove any leftover cuticle (NOT eponychium).

Maybe the tutor meant Pterygium when she said eponychium? I was told pterygium is excessive overgrowth of the cuticle but have heard some people use this phrase when referring to the dead skin growing on the nail plate (not necessarily excessively).

Beaus lines - I THINK these can be multiple OR single (depending on the cause) but they are horizontal and affect ALL nails, not just one. They are caused by the nail stopping growing for whatever reason (usually serious illness) which is why you see them on all nails. If there are horizontal lines just on one nail it usually indicates trauma to the matrix of that nail.

HTH,

Good luck hun, you'll be fine

xx

I agree, the cuticle knife is for scrping away any non-living tissue whilst the nippers are for nipping away any hang nails. The eponychuim should'nt be pushed back, just gently lifted, if it's excessive then you can gently push back. Beu's line are horizontal ridges, if on one nail a trauma to the matrix if on all nails usually a systemic cause.........can appear as one ridge or multiple

I did itec and i had the same probs, there were alot of discrepencies esp with the exams, have a word with your tutor!!!

Amanda

 

[paws]

Thanks for the replies everyone.
I went with what I felt was right and thankfully you all agreed.
The exam went well but I wont get the overall results for another month or so. Fingers crossed.I start the Nail Tech now on Monday, really looking forward to that!!

 

[Deb379]

Definitely query her on this, in my manicure training the nippers were for hangnails but not to be overused, and the knife for lifting any dead tissue left after cuticles had been removed. My knife has a rounded end at one end which I use first to do cuticles and the other end has the knife part, which I use if there are still stubborn bits especially down the sides.

Deb379