Overgrown eponychium advice

[Ibi Lashes]

I've tried to search for help but can't find the threads although I'm sure this has been well covered before, so apologies.

I had a client for a first time Shellac. She said she has manicures but clearly not for a while. Very dry hands and not in a very good condition overall.

Two of her nails had really heavy growth of the epinicium down over the nail, one was literally half across the nail. One pushed back ok with plenty of Cuticle Away but the other pushed back a way but left a large fold, I stopped pushing any further as didn't want to damage it or make the fold larger!

I was taught not to cut it but I really wasn't sure what the best way forward was as it was pretty unsightly, in the end she said to trim it back a little way, which I did very very carefully.

I gave her a little pinkie Solar Oil and some disposable gloves and told her to use both in the hope that it will be better for the next appointment.

I just want to ask what others do in this situation. Should I have just left the fold? Need to know for future.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Envy]

Ok well first of all let define the difference between eponychium and cuticle

Eponychium - this is the fold of epidermal skin that grows up from the matrix and then folds back over and up the finger - If you can feel it, it is eponychium and is needed to protect the nail unit

Cuticle - is the very bottom layer of sticky skin cells that shed off the eponychium and stay attached to the nail plate

During a manicure on very overgrown nails you are sometimes dealing with both excessive cuticle and stretched eponychium

Any tissue that is protruding from the fold can be removed (assuming you can not feel it)
The rest of the fold once released will shrink back quickly and should not be cut away (again, assuming there is feeling in it - making it eponychium)

Home care and breaking the cycle of neglect is the proper prescription:
Plenty of solar oil daily will help keep the eponychium tissue soft and supple, this will stop it adhere to the nail plate by way of the cuticle and allow it to shrink back rapidly.
Adding to this cuticle eraser to exfoliate the non living tissue will also help dramatically allowing fresh healthy tissue to restore the shape and balance to the skin

The fact it was only on two nails suggest some trauma or poor habitual usage of these fingers and they (along with the rest) would really benefit from some TLC

hth's