Can I recover damages from a nail salon who ruined my nail permanently?

[VioletteValentia]

I’ve always work false nails until recently due to somewhere I was studying being against them. I recently went to a wedding and my partner’s mom booked me in to have a full set. I’d never been to the salon before. It was a “Chinese” salon, and I’ve since heard horrible things about these, but hadn’t had any experience before.

I was immediately uncomfortable because I noticed after cutting my skin the instruments weren’t sterilised. I’m a clean freak and that made me feel sick (and I’m now paranoid about all sorts of viruses).

Anyway, the nails looked fine when they were done. A couple of days later, I caught one of them. It lifted my nail off. My actual, natural nail. There was loads of blood and it was incredibly painful, and I’ve had it looked at by an expert who thinks it’ll never grow back because it’s damaged the nail plate. A friend of mine who’s a nail tech said they use a cheap, crap acrylic that isn’t meant for nails, since it’s too strong and ruins them.

I’m really upset by this, I know it’s only a nail and nothing serious but I’ve always enjoyed having my nails done and my one nail is ruined.

Can I do anything legally? I’ve googled and the chemical is banned in the US but not here.

Pics attached.

If you caught the nail and lifted your natural nail I don’t think you can claim against the salon.
I’m no expert on the law, but common sense says that it was your fault your nail was ripped off because you caught it.

common sense says that it was your fault your nail was ripped off because you caught it.

But if the false nail was applied properly, it wouldn’t have lifted my nail off. That’s the issue.

A lot of us have legal cover on our house insurance, check your policy, you may be covered for help seeing if you have a claim, or advice at least.

Another bit of reassurance about your nail, I had a nasty accident two years ago and severely damaged the nail and nail bed (among other injuries). I was worried, and it took a long time, but nail eventually grew back as normal.

Sounds like trading standards would also be a good place to go to.

I don’t think you’ll be able to sue successfully, they sound too dodgy.

You keep banging on about your nail wouldn’t have lifted if it had been fitted with an acrylic nail properly. I don’t know why you asked mn for advice.
You will not be able to sue, because the first thing any solicitor defending will do is look at your medical records. You had an accident that involved a visit to a&e for a hand injury. That is what caused your natural nail to lift off is what they will say.

Let it go, report the salon if you think it is involved in modern slavery.

hat involved a visit to a&e for a hand injury. That is what caused your natural nail to lift off is what they will say.

You’re missing the point. Had the nail been applied properly, my nail wouldn’t have lifted. It wouldn’t have if I didn’t have a fake one on, and a properly applied one would’ve just broke.

That’s what my point is, that if they’d done a decent job my nail wouldn’tve lifted off.

Hang on...this exact thread has been on here before...the OP is word-for-word! I remember it!

I’ve never posted this before. It happened about 3 weeks ago.

Oh, sorry! I must be having major déjà vu.

Have you had advice about your nail from an actual medical professional?

When they thought my hand was broken, I was told to clip the nail to make it even. No advice about whether it’ll grow back was given.

Why would your nail not grow back? Has a medical professional told you this? Myself and my dd have both ripped toenails (or parts of) them off and they grew back fine.

Damage to the nail bed. It was a nail expert and not a medical professional who told me that though.

I think you need a medical opinion on it really before anyone can ascertain if you have a valid claim. It must have hurt!

It was very painful! My son wanted me to play in the park with him, I ended up falling and really injuring my hand.

Dear Lord you cannot get HIV from dirty tools in a nail salon.

Dear Lord you cannot get HIV from dirty tools in a nail salon.

Using tools that cut skin without sterilising in between can certainly transmit viruses. At the very least it can cause infection.

@VioletteValentia, the only way I could possibly imagine for you to get infected with HIV with these “dirty tools” - and this is a long shot here - is the: Someone with a really high HIV infection (ie not on meds) would have to bleed copiously onto said tools, and then you’d either have to have sex with these tools pretty much immediately, or cut yourself really badly and rub the blood into your cut vigorously.

You can’t catch HIV from dirt - HTH

OP your nail will grow back.
I lost a nail when I was a kid as I caught it in a door. It ripped off, but grew back fine.

You’ll be fine. It will take about six months, but it will grow down again.

HIV is actually a very fragile virus and is only transmitted blood to blood, or through semen, vaginal liquids, or breast milk.

If there are any viruses to catch it’s most likely to be hepatitis, but that would depend on the person before you having hepatitis and having got blood on the tools and then you having that bloody part of the tool stuck into your body.

I understand you’re upset by the experience, but I think you need to calm down.

See a GP if you’re still upset tomorrow, but don’t take advice from nail technicians, they’re not medically qualified.