Gravitas | The hidden truth of gel manicures | Gel nail polish linked to ‘life-changing’ allergies
“With gel polish, your manicure can last from two to three weeks, but with regular polish you’re lucky if it lasts five to seven days without chipping,” Kristin Pulaski, owner of Paintbucket Nails in Brooklyn, tells SELF. According to Pulaski, in addition to staying power, another great benefit of gel is that it provides a harder layer of protection over the natural nail, which can result in increased nail growth.Since removing and applying gel nail polish can cause a lot of wear and tear on your nails, you should space out your manicures. “By getting gel nails every two weeks consistently, the nail plate gets extremely suffocated,” explains Hadley. This can lead to nail dehydration and eventually breakage, so make sure to give your nails downtime between gels. “It’s important to have a professional nail technician assess your nail health between applications to determine if your nails could use a sabbatical from polishes,” explains Harpring.Harpring agrees, adding that overextending gel manicures can not only lead to weakened nails, but also introduce potentially harmful bacteria. “It is important to remember that once the gel begins to lift, it does allow for moisture to get under the gel and possibly lead to bacterial growth,” explains Harpring.Once a gel manicure is on its last leg, you may be tempted to remove it yourself, but experts advise against it. “The safest way to remove gel polish is by a professional,” says Harpring.
If you absolutely can’t make it to the salon for removal, she advises you first gently file the top of the polish to remove the shine, which allows the acetone to penetrate and dissolve the gel easier. Next, soak cotton balls in acetone (a chemical commonly used in gel nail polish removal), apply a cotton ball to each nail, and wrap it in tin foil. Leave the wraps on for 10 to 15 minutes, and then, using a wooden cuticle pusher, gently push the gel off of the nail plates. To finish, lightly buff the surface of the nail with a buffing tool, and apply oil to your nails and cuticles to rehydrate.According to Hadley, you can assess nail damage based on their flexibility: Normal nails are somewhat flexible, but the harder and sturdier the nail, the more likely it is to break. Since cold weather tends to make skin drier overall, proper cuticle hydration can make a big difference. Additionally, acetone can be extremely drying to the nail bed, causing nails to break or become brittle over time.Keeping my nails looking good, with or without polish, is definitely a priority. So while I probably won’t give up on gel nail polish altogether, I’ll definitely think twice before trying to stretch my manicure for longer than two weeks at a time.