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Do they damage your nails? (Moderated by Deepika, EleanorSews)
Posted on: 12/9/13 12:05 PM ET
Do gel manicures damage your nails? Opinions seem divided, and it all seems to boil down to how the manicurist takes the gel off.
I had my first-ever gel manicure in September and wasn't exactly overwhelmed with the result. She didn't paint right up to the cuticle, so they immediately looked as if there was one week's growth. She applied so much product that the side view showed a pronounced jump from the natural nail to the gel finish. It only lasted 2.5 weeks not counting one nail which broke immediately, which I had to deal with myself. To remove all that, she soaked them then scraped away for over half an hour with an orange stick.
In November I went to a different salon and tried again. The result is much better: she painted right up to the cuticle, there is no bump at all between the nail and the product, and best of all that manicure has lasted a month by the time I return there on Friday. No chips or lifting or flaking, only regrowth at the cuticle.
So far so good. I've already asked manicurist(2) how she's going to get it off. When I mentioned chipping away with an orange stick she was shocked.
No! She has a 'special tool' to do this. I'm going to have a re-manicure for a special occasion coming up at the weekend. 
So, the question is, do gel manicures damage your nails at all?
I had my first-ever gel manicure in September and wasn't exactly overwhelmed with the result. She didn't paint right up to the cuticle, so they immediately looked as if there was one week's growth. She applied so much product that the side view showed a pronounced jump from the natural nail to the gel finish. It only lasted 2.5 weeks not counting one nail which broke immediately, which I had to deal with myself. To remove all that, she soaked them then scraped away for over half an hour with an orange stick.
In November I went to a different salon and tried again. The result is much better: she painted right up to the cuticle, there is no bump at all between the nail and the product, and best of all that manicure has lasted a month by the time I return there on Friday. No chips or lifting or flaking, only regrowth at the cuticle.
So far so good. I've already asked manicurist(2) how she's going to get it off. When I mentioned chipping away with an orange stick she was shocked.
No! She has a 'special tool' to do this. I'm going to have a re-manicure for a special occasion coming up at the weekend. 
So, the question is, do gel manicures damage your nails at all?
Posted on: 12/9/13 1:06 PM ET
In reply to Handshake
A friend gave me a gift certificate for a "shellac" polish. Looked pretty and lasted forever, but really destroyed my natural nails, took weeks for them to grow out and recover. They were very weak and "splintery" while they grew out.
ET fix spelling issue
-- Edited on 12/9/13 1:54 PM --
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ET fix spelling issue
-- Edited on 12/9/13 1:54 PM --
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Viking Lily 545
Viking Ruby
Bernina Activa 210
Brother 1034d
Viking Ruby
Bernina Activa 210
Brother 1034d
Posted on: 12/9/13 1:15 PM ET
I bought my own gel manicure setup because although the gel manicure itself doesn't trash my nails, the shortcuts taken by nail techs at nail salons where I have gotten gel manicures has caused my nails a lot of damage.
When you remove the old gel manicure you have to wrap the nails for 15 minutes with acetone remover, then slide the gel off but I found most techs wanted to rush the process by buffing the polish off, which my nails can't take. Also you seal the very tips of the nails with a little bit of a sealant that is like airplane glue. I had a nail tech slather my nails with the tip sealant, which made my nails peel and peel and peel, and I had to trim them down to nubs. Doing gel at home is not damaging my nails.
-- Edited on 12/9/13 1:16 PM --
When you remove the old gel manicure you have to wrap the nails for 15 minutes with acetone remover, then slide the gel off but I found most techs wanted to rush the process by buffing the polish off, which my nails can't take. Also you seal the very tips of the nails with a little bit of a sealant that is like airplane glue. I had a nail tech slather my nails with the tip sealant, which made my nails peel and peel and peel, and I had to trim them down to nubs. Doing gel at home is not damaging my nails.
-- Edited on 12/9/13 1:16 PM --
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Posts: 5331
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Posted on: 12/9/13 1:20 PM ET
The first chemical they put on to get the nail ready to take the gel permanently ruined two of my nails. They both have a vertical split that just keeps growing out with the nail. the nail salon says it is impossible that it caused it but my dermatologist disagrees. In fact she's the one that picked up my hands to inspect them (for skin cancer
) and noticed the nails and asked.
I don't know if the product has changed in the last 5 years- this was the "Shellac" treatment.
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) and noticed the nails and asked.I don't know if the product has changed in the last 5 years- this was the "Shellac" treatment.
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Sewing: A creative mess is better than tidy idleness. ~Author Unknown
Posted on: 12/9/13 1:27 PM ET
My employer has a rule that we cannot have gel nails nor the other kind of fake nail. That is fine with me. My fingers were butchered by a nail tech removing acrylic nails. I will never enter a manicure station again.
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Be true to yourself. Push your boundaries. Do everything with love in your heart and a grin in your head. Move a little, eat good food, enjoy good health. Spread sunshine.
Posted on: 12/9/13 1:45 PM ET
In reply to Handshake
Quote: Handshake
She has a 'special tool' to do this.
So, the question is, do gel manicures damage your nails at all?
She has a 'special tool' to do this.
So, the question is, do gel manicures damage your nails at all?
From my experience...that special tool is like a pair of pliers and used to pry off the gel...it was not good to my nails.
Also...the prep to put on the gel thinned my nails.
Does gel manicures damage nails "at all"...YES!
Posted on: 12/9/13 1:59 PM ET
Ok, let's think about this. 
The gel or acrylic needs to *adhere* to your nail. Not just sit on top of it like nail polish does. That's why they last so long.
So... if you soak 'em off in acetone, you probably aren't taking alot of your own nail up with it. BUT... the idea of soaking in acetone has always freaked me out. I personally just don't believe it's such a healthy thing to have your skin submerged into acetone - even for a short while.
I get acrylics done... and they grow out with the nail. So every 3 weeks, I have a fill/rebase done. But we don't go through prying/grinding/soaking down to my own nail any more than necessary to get the product to adhere.
Gels (Shellac, Delish, Etc) do look good if they're done right.. but I do think that if you're going to keep them up, acrylics are probably less damaging to nails if done right. They last longer than gels, and there is none of that soaking in acetone.
Rip - who's an esthetician in her other life.
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The gel or acrylic needs to *adhere* to your nail. Not just sit on top of it like nail polish does. That's why they last so long.
So... if you soak 'em off in acetone, you probably aren't taking alot of your own nail up with it. BUT... the idea of soaking in acetone has always freaked me out. I personally just don't believe it's such a healthy thing to have your skin submerged into acetone - even for a short while.
I get acrylics done... and they grow out with the nail. So every 3 weeks, I have a fill/rebase done. But we don't go through prying/grinding/soaking down to my own nail any more than necessary to get the product to adhere.
Gels (Shellac, Delish, Etc) do look good if they're done right.. but I do think that if you're going to keep them up, acrylics are probably less damaging to nails if done right. They last longer than gels, and there is none of that soaking in acetone.
Rip - who's an esthetician in her other life.

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2015: Pfaff Passport, Babylock Sashiko, Babylock Ovation Serger
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Share pics with me on Instagram: RipStitcher
More pics are in my facebook group: Sew Much Nicer Community
2019:Juki TL-2010Q, Babylock Triumph Serger
2018: Babylock Solaris
2016: Bernina 720, 570qe (the wonderful 5.5mm, CB hook model)
2015: Pfaff Passport, Babylock Sashiko, Babylock Ovation Serger
2014: Bernina 880 Sterling Edition, Bernina 550(sold in 2016)
2012: Janome 7700 (sold in 2014) Babylock Ellisimo Gold (sold in 2015)
Granddaughter: Bernina 560
Posted on: 12/9/13 2:11 PM ET
In reply to RipStitcher
Quote:
So... if you soak 'em off in acetone, you probably aren't taking alot of your own nail up with it. BUT... the idea of soaking in acetone has always freaked me out. I personally just don't believe it's such a healthy thing to have your skin submerged into acetone - even for a short while.
So... if you soak 'em off in acetone, you probably aren't taking alot of your own nail up with it. BUT... the idea of soaking in acetone has always freaked me out. I personally just don't believe it's such a healthy thing to have your skin submerged into acetone - even for a short while.
I would never want to soak my fingers in acetone!
Again, soaking in acetone isn't what the instructions say to do, it is another poor service shortcut. A cotton ball the size of the nail should be soaked in acetone and placed over the nail, then wrapped in foil. My kit then has an adhesive bandage to wrap over that to really keep it in place and let the heat from your body help loosen the gel. This way the acetone is only in contact with the gel itself and not your nail. After 15 minutes the gel slides off. Any gel that doesn't slide off should come off with a gentle rub from a rubber-tipped stick.
If you are getting sanded, scraped, filed, etc. then your tech is saving her own time at the cost of damaging your nails

I have the Lomasi Mani/Pedi Gel Manicure System LINK here NAYY YMMV
-- Edited on 12/9/13 2:44 PM --
Posted on: 12/9/13 2:38 PM ET
Gel nails and gel polish manicures are 2 different things. But they both use primer, and that's the bad stuff.
Another alternative is Creative Nail Vinylux nail polish. It's called weekly polish and lasts 7 days. It doesn't use primer, or need more than regular polish remover.
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Another alternative is Creative Nail Vinylux nail polish. It's called weekly polish and lasts 7 days. It doesn't use primer, or need more than regular polish remover.
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My grandmother taught me to sew when I was 10, and I've been sewing ever since.
Posted on: 12/9/13 5:48 PM ET
In reply to diane s
Thanks for all the replies. There are some terrible stories here, but on Friday I'm having the gel nails removed and I'm 90% confident about that. On closer inspection after starting this thread I can now see where they'll slide off the tips easily and today one started chipping around the cuticle end. I'll report back if anyone's interested but meanwhile I have work (my job, paid work) and sewing to do with a deadline of Friday.
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