Gel nails… what condition are your nails after the gels come off?

[sycamo]

Mine are always so brittle afterwards and liable to breaking easily. I cannot fault the nail technician so wondering if this is common with gels or if I need to be doing anything differently? She does always try to sell cuticle oil which I bought and used but hasn’t made a difference ??

I agree with this

The acetone used and harsh removal technique wrecked mine
Dry split painful skin
Thin brittle nails that break when the wind blows

Never again .. this was BIAB

Absolutely horrible.:(

After my last gels my nails were thin as a paper.:/

Mine are shocking underneath but I do peel them off My own fault

Awful - never again. The last time I had them done my nails were so thin and weak they were splitting vertically with gel polish on!

I'm the same.

I only have them a couple of times a year and therefore always remove them myself with acetone and they are fine. But I think doing it regularly would trash them.

I went to a cheaper nailbar last time and they used the electric buffer to remove all the dead skin around the cuticles which gave an amazing finish that last 4 weeks, but when I removed them I found each nail had a shallow groove across it where it had met the cuticle. 10 weeks on and the grooves are about halfway up the nailbeds so at least I will know how long it takes me to grow an entire new set, but I'm not going back there again.

I’ve had my nails done every 3 weeks for 2 years with BIAB with no ill effects. However, 2 weeks ago, I noticed my nails seemed to lift. I had the gel removed. This is what they looked like.

And now…

Mine did exactly the same after BIAB!

while gels and acrylics made my nails a little rough and thin I changed to BIAB after the salon raved about it. On my last appointment they noticed my nails were ‘ski sloping’ and lifting so took everything off any my nails were white and had lifted entirely under the gel.

My nails tech said she would have to speak to the salon manager as i was the 8th person in a month it had happened to. Ended up with no nails for months! BIAB never again!

I do my own nails every 2 weeks using a gel kit and have done for years. When I take it off they seem fine, but I put another gel colour on straight away so I wouldn't really know. I love having my nails done and won't stop until I physically can't do them anymore.

I tend to pick them off though rather than use acetone so that might help

Just had gels done for the first time and my nails are horrible and brittle since I took them off 2 weeks ago. It was mainly towards the ends and I’ve had to keep trimming them short. Most of the worst bits have come away now but it’s going to take months to get them nice again. Won’t be getting them again in a rush but they did look lovely

Mine were the same as @Soontobe60's after about 6 months of BIAB. It's taken them another 6 months to recover

The salon pushed BIAB so hard and said it was better for my nails than gel, and I loved it when it was on, but it wasn't worth the state they were left in

Oh no! Did your nail tech say anything? Are they sorr or anything? I can’t tell if it’s fungal or a reaction to the BIAB.

I got BIAB and refilled once but it peeled off every nail and lifted layers of my own nail with it - I literally had holes in my nail bed. It's been months and my nails are still breaking and peeling and the cuticles are a state. I haven't even put nail varnish near them since, it's horrifying. The salon was raving about it yet I've heard so many horror stories since!

This looks to be nail psoriasis. I have it. Please see your gp

Oh my - My nails split over the winter particularly - I do not wish to hijack this thread but can anyone suggest something not gel which could strengthen my nails . I will take this post elsewhere if not of interest . I don't want long nails but just reasonably robust nails I can paint, I have various nail strengthening things I have tried but probably not assiduously.

Try looking through the videos of the channel I posted. She has some really good tips. One of the main things she recommends is regularly oil applications and warm oil soaks. Probably keeping the nails short until any damage has grown out too. She doesn’t always recommend strengtheners or hardeners either because they can make the nails brittle and more prone to snapping, where as the oil promotes flexibility and strength, if that makes sense? And as I mentioned, it doesn’t have to be fancy oils either..she says sunflower oil is good enough (though jojoba is her favourite).

Ive had gels every month for about two years now. My nails are always really strong and healthy when the gels come off :s

I can beat that. I had mine constantly for 19 years until lockdown. They haven’t been done now for three years and they’re just beginning to recover.

@BeretRaspberry Thank you ! I have never had gel nails but ( especially during the winter ) my nails flake and split. I will look at that channel - many thanks I keep my nails short anyway - just long enough to be able to have the odd pale polish. Thank you again 🌹

That's awful damage to your nails, looks like a fungal infection.

Yes @Soontobe60 i thought that could be a pretty widespread fungal infection ☹️- please see your GP for advice.

Interesting that the above link says it is nail polish damage, not acetone.

I've had no problem with gels.

Acrylics ruined my nails but the gels are just like nail varnish for me.

I have psoriasis so my nails are pitted and have ridges from that.

Photo taken when I'd had to miss an appointment, you can see the nail growth, just normal nails.

I’ve had gel nails (gel enhancement not just paint) since 2018. The only time I didn’t in that time was lockdown when I had to take them off myself with acetone. My nails were no more brittle than they were before I got them done.

I love my gels and won’t be stopping anytime soon.