Which is the ONLY way to remove excess cuticle around the nail with a nipper?

Trimming is the only method for effectively removing excess cuticle around the nail with a nipper. When a technician uses nippers to trim cuticles, they are removing the dead skin that may extend onto the nail plate, thus promoting a cleaner and healthier appearance. This process involves precise cutting to ensure that the cuticles are not just pushed back but are neatly removed, which helps prevent hangnails and promotes nail health.

Using nippers for trimming is a safe and effective technique when performed correctly. It’s important for technicians to ensure that the nippers are sanitized and that they only trim the cuticle area to avoid injury to the surrounding skin or nail plate.

Other methods like soaking, pulling, or filing do not involve the use of nippers and do not achieve the same result of precise cuticle removal. Soaking generally softens the cuticles for easier handling or trimming but does not remove them. Pulling could lead to tearing the skin rather than careful removal and filing is intended for shaping nails rather than cuticles. Thus, trimming with nippers is the appropriate answer for this question.