[eigenstuff]

I get my nails done regularly because I struggle badly with compulsive skin picking and chew on my cuticles a lot. They clean up my ragged cuticles for me (so I don't get carried away doing it myself and make them worse), and the nail polish makes my nails thicker so it's harder for me to pick at my skin. I work in a machine shop and regularly work with acetone on the job, so regular nail polish I could do myself is not an option. I recently started getting the powder dip manicures because they're pretty indestructible and extra thick, and it'd be extremely difficult to give one of those to yourself.

Who are you to say nail techs don't contribute to society? Getting my nails done as harm reduction strategy for a mental illness is an enormous boost to my quality of life. I'm often in a lot of pain because of my cuticles or because I've got some picking spot I can't leave alone, and getting my nails done always comes with a sense of relief for me. I've gotten less and milder staph infections since I started getting them done regularly, too.

Don't poo poo on nail techs, man. Most fabulous, glittery "medical treatment" I've ever gotten.