Korean-Style Cuticle Care: Why No Deep Cutting Keeps Nails Clean Longer

Cuticle care is the step guests ask about most — and the easiest to get wrong. Some want a deep cut for a "clean" look; others skip it for fear of pain. The Korean approach sits in between: thorough cleaning without cutting into living skin. Here is why, and what a Korean-style cuticle treatment involves.

Two layers around the nail

• Cuticle: a thin, clear layer of dead skin stuck to the nail plate near the base. It has no feeling and can be removed.
• Eponychium: the living skin around the base of the nail, with blood vessels and nerves. It protects the nail root from bacteria.

Cutting deep means cutting into the second layer. It looks clean that day, but within days the skin grows back thicker, tears more easily, and the cut is an entry point for bacteria.

The Korean method

1. Soften the skin so it pushes back without force.
2. Push back the living skin gently to reveal the cuticle on the nail.
3. Remove the cuticle — the thin dead layer on the nail plate.
4. Trim only loose bits that have already lifted, never the living edge.
5. Finish with oil.

The result is neat, soft cuticles that stay clean into the second week. VESSCA's owner trained in Korea, and this method is used throughout the salon.

Does it hurt?

Done properly, no. Stinging, burning or any bleeding means the tool has touched living skin — tell your technician straight away so they can adjust.

Clean tools matter most here

Cuticle work is where metal tools come closest to skin, so VESSCA cleans and sterilises tools in a sterilizer after every guest.

Between visits

• A drop of cuticle oil per hand each evening.
• Don't bite or pull hangnails; snip only the lifted part with clean nippers.
• Don't cut your cuticles at home before a visit — freshly cut skin swells and hides the line between the two layers.
• Wear gloves for washing up.

Prices at VESSCA

VESSCA is at 251/30 Le Quang Dinh, Gia Dinh ward (Binh Thanh), Ho Chi Minh City, open 9:00–20:30 daily.