Which way to brush off the dust?

Question: Ok, before I was e-file trained I read that you shouldn’t brush dust upwards because you will fill the area you’ve just lifted with that dust. However, on my e file training… you are trained to push back the cuticle then file off the cuticle from the nail plate whilst lifting up the nail fold/ making a pocket and she and others insist you should always brush upwards? Which way is the correct way because it doesn’t seem right to me.

Answer: It’s a shame you were never told the reasons behind these instructions. When you are cleaning a nail plate prior to an application, it is good practice to wipe the nail from the free edge to the base. This avoids bringing any oils from the skin down onto the nail. (The reverse applies when removing the inhibition layer: to avoid taking any unreacted monomers onto the skin).

However, I can see no reason why this should apply to dust!

The ‘pocket’ you describe is something that those who like to do the ‘Russian manicure’ use as a technique. It has been proven numerous times that this is a dangerous technique. It is removing living skin and abrading what is left. It also removes the important seal that prevents pathogens from reaching the matrix.
So, firstly, this should not be carried out. It is dangerous.
Secondly, brushing dust in this direction will mean that dust will collect in this ‘pocket’ that is likely to be full of pathogens. It will get trapped there.
There is no sense in either of these two techniques. Plus they are potentially harmful.