Would you push back the cuticles of a 10yr. old DD?

[ppeatfruit]

We had DHs friend and DD to stay (he's separated) she was saying that her mum does this and how dry they became. I was

I have a manicure about once a year, and hate the cuticle pushing back bit.
Never do them myself.
I think it's totally unnecessary on a child.

I push mine back because they grow over my nails if I leave them and I don't like the way it looks. Ds's cuticles do the same, but he's only 2 so I won't be pushing them back! His dad's cuticles don't grow over the nail and don't need to be pushed back. I would be reluctant to push a child's cuticles back because of the risk of pain or infection, although I've never had problems with mine.

Anyone else have not very visible lunulas?
(Apart from on thumbs?)

wtf is a lunula?!

with oracale - wtfv is a lunula?.
Hvae never given my cuticles a seconds thought until this thread, have managed to exist perfectly well without worrying about them and having just loked at them they look just fine and dandy. Should we infer then that the actual practice of messinging with ones cuticles causes the hangnails and splits?

I feel a bit silly now, but my girls are 5 and 3 and I've always pushed their cuticles back- I thought it was normal and everyone did it! My mum always did mine as a tiny girl- she said it was 'pushing my moons (lunulas?!) back'. Girls always expect me to push their moons back when I trim their nails.

To answer your question - the purpose of pushing back the cuticle is as someone else has said, which is essentially to prolong the life of the manicure.

But secondly, although this isn't very common, the cuticle can in theory grow up to cover the nail if not pushed back regularly. This is also more common in men, I know when I look at my dads hands his cuticle are half way up his very short nails!

It is also more common on toe nails.

Unnecessary in children though in my professional opionion and actually dangerous. Apart from the immediate risk of causing infection and/or pain, there is also the possibility that you would cause lasting damage to the nail bed and the growth of the natural nail.

Well I had to google to be certain of what a cuticle is. So we are talking about small pieces of skin at the base of the nail? Who on earth gets close enough to see those on other people? So far down my list of things to do or to worry about that if I had nothering to do for the next 10 years I might not even get round to it!

lunula

Some children's cuticles do grow up very thick though.

DD's do...I don't push them back, but they they would look much better if they were.

I'm pretty sure my mum had her cuticles checked at boarding school in the 40's when she was was 11.

Loshad YOU ARE RIGHT!!!! Believe.. I have never seen cuticles growing up nails (I suppose it could happen if there's damage).

MY lunula's; nice word, i always called them half moons, only show a little on my thumbs