The nail extension procedure allows you to acquire nails of the desired length in just a few hours. These nails look perfect for at least two weeks and do not require special care. With extended nails, you can still do all your housework and not be afraid that your fresh polish will come off after washing the dishes, for example.
There are many advantages to extensions, but are there any disadvantages? Often representatives of the fair sex think about the possible harm of extensions to their own nails. And, as it turns out, not without reason.
What influences the negative outcome of the nail extension procedure? And is it possible to somehow avoid unpleasant consequences?
Advantages and disadvantages of extensions
Nature does not reward everyone with strong and healthy nails of the correct shape. And this is where extension comes to the rescue. It allows you to have beautiful and well-groomed hands, regardless of your natural predisposition. But you still shouldn’t get carried away with frequent extensions. You need to give your nails short periods of rest, during which they can recover.
It is not recommended to get nail extensions if you have a weakened immune system or while taking antibiotics. In this case, there is a high risk of detachment of the built-up layer.
The extension procedure does cause some harm to natural nails, which can negatively affect their health and beauty in the future. To minimize the possible risk, we will tell you about the main causes of harm when doing nail extensions.
Sources
- Bungartz M., Matziolis G., Layher F., Horbert V., Maslaris A., Brinkmann O. Biodegradable cement augmentation of gamma nail osteosynthesis reduces migration in pertrochanteric fractures, a biomechanical in vitro study. // Clin Biomech (Bristol, Avon) - 2021 - Vol84 - NNULL - p.105327; PMID:33773169
- Fassier FR. Osteogenesis Imperfecta-Who Needs Rodding Surgery? // Curr Osteoporos Rep - 2022 - Vol - NNULL - p.; PMID:33646506
- Hollensteiner M., Sandriesser S., Hackl S., Augat P. Custom-made polyurethane-based synthetic bones mimic screw cut-through of intramedullary nails in human long bones. // J Mech Behav Biomed Mater - 2022 - Vol117 - NNULL - p.104405; PMID:33621867
- Kim HY., Yang DS., Bae JH., Cha YH., Lee KW., Choy WS. Clinical and Radiological Outcomes after Various Treatments of Midshaft Clavicle Fractures in Adolescents. // Clin Orthop Surg - 2022 - Vol12 - N3 - p.396-403; PMID:32904052
- Zhang W., Hao M., Chang Z., Wu Y., Tang P., Chen H. Comparison of a multidimensional cross locking plate versus a locking compression plate for the treatment of femoral shaft nonunion: Finite element analysis. // Med Eng Phys - 2022 - Vol83 - NNULL - p.106-111; PMID:32507679
- Kim J., Cho HD., Suh JH., Lee JY., Lee E., Jin CH., Wang Y., Cha S., Im H., Han SB. Analysis of Nicotine Metabolites in Hair and Nails Using QuEChERS Method Followed by Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry. // Molecules - 2022 - Vol25 - N8 - p.; PMID:32290380
- Aggarwal R., Targhotra M., Kumar B., Sahoo PK., Chauhan MK. Treatment and management strategies of onychomycosis. // J Mycol Med - 2022 - Vol30 - N2 - p.100949; PMID:32234349
- Shah JK., Szukics P., Gianakos AL., Liporace FA., Yoon RS. Equivalent union rates between intramedullary nail and locked plate fixation for distal femur periprosthetic fractures - a systematic review. // Injury - 2022 - Vol51 - N4 - p.1062-1068; PMID:32115204
- Milligan D., Henderson L., Tucker A., Ballard J. Elastic nail fixation versus plate fixation of pediatric femoral fractures in school age patients—A retrospective observational study. // J Orthop - 2022 - Vol19 - NNULL - p.153-157; PMID:32025124
- Montgomery AB., McClinton A., Nair L., Laurencin CT. Nail matrix regenerative engineering: in vitro evaluation of poly(lactide-co-glycolide)/gelatin fibrous substrates. // J Biomed Mater Res A - 2022 - Vol108 - N5 - p.1136-1143; PMID:31981298
Low qualification of salon technician
Oddly enough, this is also possible. If the master is not highly qualified, he can file your nails. What does it mean?
At the preparatory stage of nail extension, the master removes the top shiny layer of the nail. To carry out this procedure, files from 180 grit are used.
Grit is a unit of measurement that indicates the number of fine particles deposited on a file. The more grit, the greater the number of particles located on one square centimeter of the file and, accordingly, the smaller the size of each of them.
This means that such a file will remove a small layer of keratin plates in one movement and have a gentler effect on the structure of the nail.
Files with an abrasiveness of 80, 100 or 150 grit are designed for use on artificial materials. When applying them to natural nails, there is a risk of removing too much of a layer, which often causes pain.
Heavily sharpened nails become very thin and turn red when pressed. Such aggression undoubtedly negatively affects the subsequent development of the nail plate. And the fault in this case lies entirely with the master.
Is it dangerous to get a manicure?
At first glance, the procedure for applying gel polish looks quite harmless. But there is some harm from salon and home nail treatments.
Why is nail dust dangerous during manicure?
Before applying fresh gel polish to your nails, you must remove the old coating. If the procedure is performed using hardware or a file, tiny dust inevitably rises into the air. It consists of particles of the nail itself and a frozen substance. When you inhale, a certain amount of suspended matter enters the bronchi and lungs. Over time, this leads to the development of chronic diseases.
Is the smell of nail polish harmful?
Any gel polish has a sharp and not very pleasant aroma, which is emitted by the chemicals included in its composition. Prolonged inhalation of this odor causes poisoning and provokes nausea, headache, increased heart rate and a feeling of lack of air. The harm is that the toxic vapors of the varnish dry out the mucous membranes of the nasopharynx and can lead to allergic rhinitis.
Doing a manicure at home or in a salon should be done with good ventilation. To reduce the health hazards of gel polish, you should choose products with a minimum content of toxic substances when treating your nails.
Is a lamp harmful for manicure and drying gel polish?
When applying gel polish in a salon, ultraviolet lamps are used to quickly dry it. Their health safety remains a controversial issue.
On the one hand, ultraviolet treatment lasts a matter of seconds, and the radiation does not have time to cause serious harm to the skin. If there are modern lamps in the salon, regular annual procedures in terms of the degree of danger can be equated to one ten-minute walk in the sun.
However, the negative health consequences of gel polish and drying become more significant in the presence of moles on the hands, especially those that have a risk of malignant degeneration. In such cases, it is better to refuse this type of manicure due to the potential harm. Even minor additional UV radiation increases the likelihood of moles becoming malignant.
Harm of hardware manicure
Correction of the nail plate before applying gel polish can be done not only manually, but also using hardware. In this case, the procedure takes place without preliminary steaming of the cuticle, which is more useful for dry skin types.
But at the same time, manicure using a special device should only be performed by a very experienced master. Reviews claim that unqualified specialists can cause serious harm. Cuts and abrasions remain on the skin, ridges appear on the nails, the plates begin to peel and crack, and the condition of the cuticle deteriorates.
Harm from chemical fumes for manicurists
Chemical fumes from harmful components of gel polish are dangerous for the artist in the same way as for the client. The specialist suffers even more from inhaling toxic compounds, since he is forced to come into contact with them throughout the whole day.
If there is no ventilation in the cabin, constant poisoning with chemical vapors can lead not only to the development of allergies in the technician. The risk of severe diseases of the heart, central nervous system and respiratory organs increases.
Is it dangerous to get a manicure in a salon?
The undoubted advantage of salon procedures is the speed and quality of nail treatment. But along with this, there are several dangers of manicure for clients:
- Infection. If the instruments are not properly disinfected, you can catch any infection or fungus in the salon, as well as very dangerous diseases - from HPV to hepatitis and HIV. Such cases occur infrequently, but are still recorded by statistics.
- Injuries. If the technician is poorly qualified or simply made a mistake, a painful and difficult to heal cut or burn may remain on the finger.
Poor quality disinfection
Before performing any manicure procedures, nails need disinfection. Moreover, not only tools and work surfaces are subject to it, but also the hands of the client and the master.
If there is any disease of the nails or skin of the hands, the client risks infecting not only the master himself, but also his subsequent clients. That is why it is important to first cure the existing disease, and only then take care of the beauty of your hands.
Any infection that gets under a layer of gel or acrylic will progress. After all, absolutely nothing interferes with her, not even environmental factors, and there is no treatment. Therefore, if you experience any uncomfortable sensations on your nail extensions, you should contact your nail technician. You may need to remove the artificial nail and visit a dermatologist.
The master is also solely to blame for insufficient disinfection. It’s unlikely that anything depends on you.
Acrylic is very toxic, as evidenced by its strong chemical smell.
Not long ago, a famous American chemist conducted a series of experiments with various materials for modeling nails. Based on these data, a ranking table was compiled for the possible occurrence of allergic reactions in humans. The closer to one the drug number is, the more allergic it is. That is, powder and odorless monomer are recognized as the leaders among the most allergenic drugs, which completely refutes this myth. The presence of a strong odor in a substance does not always indicate its toxicity and potential harm to humans. For example, many perfumes have an individually intolerable odor, which absolutely does not mean they are allergic or toxic. To determine whether acrylic is toxic, it would be better to ask for a safety certificate for it, rather than relying solely on your own sense of smell.
Myth four
Incorrect modeling
Any nail shape has its own modeling features, but the basic principles are the same. During the extension procedure, the master must comply with the modeling geometry. Particular attention should be paid to the apex zone, stress zone, correctness of C-curves and parallelism of lines. All main zones are shown in the figure below.
If a layer of gel or acrylic is applied to a stress area that is too thick, there is a risk of breaking not only the artificial, but also the natural nail. Indeed, in this case, the main center of gravity falls on the free edge of the nail.
Even with correctly done extensions, you can damage the nail plate if you do not comply with the correction times. The natural nail grows and over time the center of gravity begins to shift. This process is perfectly illustrated in the figure below.
There is a risk of damage to the nail, because even with a slight impact, the natural nail cracks along with the artificial one. Moreover, the crack is located approximately in the middle of the nail.
That is why compliance with the timing of correction is important not only from an aesthetic point of view, but also for the safety of your nail plate. Moreover, if the master is to blame for incorrect modeling, then you can only blame yourself for failure to comply with the correction deadlines.
Is it dangerous to get a manicure?
At first glance, the procedure for applying gel polish looks quite harmless. But there is some harm from salon and home nail treatments.
Why is nail dust dangerous during manicure?
Before applying fresh gel polish to your nails, you must remove the old coating. If the procedure is performed using hardware or a file, tiny dust inevitably rises into the air. It consists of particles of the nail itself and a frozen substance. When you inhale, a certain amount of suspended matter enters the bronchi and lungs. Over time, this leads to the development of chronic diseases.
Is the smell of nail polish harmful?
Any gel polish has a sharp and not very pleasant aroma, which is emitted by the chemicals included in its composition. Prolonged inhalation of this odor causes poisoning and provokes nausea, headache, increased heart rate and a feeling of lack of air. The harm is that the toxic vapors of the varnish dry out the mucous membranes of the nasopharynx and can lead to allergic rhinitis.
Doing a manicure at home or in a salon should be done with good ventilation. To reduce the health hazards of gel polish, you should choose products with a minimum content of toxic substances when treating your nails.
Is a lamp harmful for manicure and drying gel polish?
When applying gel polish in a salon, ultraviolet lamps are used to quickly dry it. Their health safety remains a controversial issue.
On the one hand, ultraviolet treatment lasts a matter of seconds, and the radiation does not have time to cause serious harm to the skin. If there are modern lamps in the salon, regular annual procedures in terms of the degree of danger can be equated to one ten-minute walk in the sun.
However, the negative health consequences of gel polish and drying become more significant in the presence of moles on the hands, especially those that have a risk of malignant degeneration. In such cases, it is better to refuse this type of manicure due to the potential harm. Even minor additional UV radiation increases the likelihood of moles becoming malignant.
Harm of hardware manicure
Correction of the nail plate before applying gel polish can be done not only manually, but also using hardware. In this case, the procedure takes place without preliminary steaming of the cuticle, which is more useful for dry skin types.
But at the same time, manicure using a special device should only be performed by a very experienced master. Reviews claim that unqualified specialists can cause serious harm. Cuts and abrasions remain on the skin, ridges appear on the nails, the plates begin to peel and crack, and the condition of the cuticle deteriorates.
Harm from chemical fumes for manicurists
Chemical fumes from harmful components of gel polish are dangerous for the artist in the same way as for the client. The specialist suffers even more from inhaling toxic compounds, since he is forced to come into contact with them throughout the whole day.
If there is no ventilation in the cabin, constant poisoning with chemical vapors can lead not only to the development of allergies in the technician. The risk of severe diseases of the heart, central nervous system and respiratory organs increases.
Is it dangerous to get a manicure in a salon?
The undoubted advantage of salon procedures is the speed and quality of nail treatment. But along with this, there are several dangers of manicure for clients:
- Infection. If the instruments are not properly disinfected, you can catch any infection or fungus in the salon, as well as very dangerous diseases - from HPV to hepatitis and HIV. Such cases occur infrequently, but are still recorded by statistics.
- Injuries. If the technician is poorly qualified or simply made a mistake, a painful and difficult to heal cut or burn may remain on the finger.
Low quality materials
With the low cost of nail extension services, you need to think about why the cost is so different. Perhaps this master uses cheap materials of dubious quality. Where is the guarantee that they have passed certification? The use of such materials threatens not only the peeling of the extended nail, but also much more serious consequences.
At one time, the United States banned the production of materials containing methyl methacrylate (MMA). This substance not only causes various types of irritation, but can also lead to serious damage to the nail, including its complete loss.
Acrylic is chemical, but gel is natural
Here the masters themselves play a big role, spreading such rumors. Some who work with acrylics claim that dust from the gel coating is very dangerous for the client’s respiratory tract. Others who prefer gels in their work claim that the gel is absolutely natural, unlike acrylic, which with its smell can cause terrible allergies. All this is the result of competition. In fact, all sane people understand that neither one nor the other material can be classified as an absolutely natural or terribly chemical preparation. Both of these drugs are produced chemically and even belong to the same type - acrylates. But the toxicity of the drug as a whole can really depend on what kind of acrylate is included in the artificial coating.
Myth fifth
Harm from removing extended nails
The harm from removal comes from grinding, which we have already mentioned. It is not recommended to remove extended nails and create new ones too often. With this approach, you risk reducing the natural thickness of your natural nails.
The ideal option is to cut off half of the built-up layer, and grind off the remaining part gradually as it grows. In this case, aggression towards the natural nail will not be very pronounced. Of course, the appearance will not be ideal for at least 4 months, but it can be slightly revived by covering it with a layer of gel polish. Shellac can be removed by soaking and does not require additional cutting.
To summarize, it becomes clear that the main harm when doing nail extensions is a low-qualification technician who skimps on materials. Trust your hands only to trusted salons and be careful with professionals working at home.
- Nail extensions
Care
Any nails after extensions require constant care. If this is not done, problems will arise and their appearance will suffer. You need to follow simple rules:
- You only need to grab things with your fingertips.
- It is forbidden to cut artificial plates, because this will cause injury.
- When coming into contact with chemicals, wear rubber gloves.
- You should regularly remove dirt under your nails using a toothpick.
- The edges of the nails and cuticles should be lubricated with oil twice a day.
- It is recommended to lubricate your hands with vitamin E cream daily.
It's very easy to follow these recommendations. They will help keep your nails healthy and beautiful for as long as possible.
Lack of clear boundaries
Actually this one is like that. Even those women who regularly visit salons do not fully understand what the difference is between these materials. But it lies not only in the properties, but also in the application technology itself, which is more important for the master than for the client himself. The formation of an artificial nail begins with filing of the native nail plate. Then one or another material is applied to it. Acrylic hardens very quickly, which makes it difficult to work with, especially for beginners. Gel, on the contrary, has a fluid structure and takes its final form only under a special lamp. But this also has its downsides. If you leave a jar of gel in the sun, then the time required for one client will be quite enough for it to become completely unusable.
