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Anyone else have problems after removing a Shellac manicure?

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  • Anyone else have problems after removing a Shellac manicure?

    I had this done back in the middle of January prior to my cruise trip. It looked very nice and I was impressed with how it stood up to even my working with my horse and treating her abscess just before I left.

    However after about 10 days, my nails had grown considerably and since I didn't feel like dropping more $$ on a manicure that I really don't need, I had it taken off in the salon on the ship only 2 days before we got back (appx Jan 27). They did use the official nail wraps (she took them out of the package in front of me and the label clearly said CND -the company that makes Shellac), nothing else, to remove it.

    Afterwards my nails were thin and weak. They have continued to grow out and then continue to split and break. I can see the difference in the new part and the part I had the Shellac on. It will probably be another month before the healthy nail reaches my fingertips.

    In the mean time, I have 3 of my nails actually now detaching from the nail bed! Only one of them is giving any discomfort.

    I have searched and searched online for anyone else that has had issues with this 'new' type of manicure. However anyone that seems to bring up concerns like mine, is shot down like a duck by avid defenders of the product. Those who seem to raise concerns are chastized or just told that they must have not gone to a reputable salon or the removal process done wrong, etc. No acceptance that it might just be the chemicals used in the manicure and removal process. Always a "Never heard of that problem. It is totally safe so maybe your salon used inferior products or imitations".

    The point is it doesn't seem like anyone is willing to look deeper into a potential problem surrounding the chemicals used.

    Anyone else have this issue or heard of it? I am afraid if I raise my concerns to the manufacturing company, I will be ignored. I could visit a doctor, but that may not be good enough.
    "We go through our careers and things happen to us. Those experiences made me what I am."-Thomas Keller

  • #2
    I wish I could say I've been through it but this is the very reason I haven't. What I can suggest is use band aids or athletic tape to keep the nail tight to the skin. Which will help keep the new part of the nail from separating.

    As for using inferior products... I've seen nails be ripped off with the fakes.

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    • #3
      My best friend tends to wear fake nails of different sorts for her work. She finds that every type of fake nail weakens the nail when it's removed - acrylics and shellac and whatever else she's tried.

      For that reason, she keeps up the faux nails: as long as there's a fake nail there, it's strong (the bonded pair of natural and fake). But when she retires, she's leaving her nails au naturale for good.

      Also, because my nails are naturally weaker than hers, she recommends against me ever wearing anything stronger than nail-stickers.

      For treatment... yes, see your doctor. She might have suggestions for keeping your nails attached to the nailbed.
      Splitting nails can be stuck together with superglue, so long as the split surface is thick enough to provide enough contact for the superglue to hold. Or a thin layer of clear plastic can be superglued onto the faulty part of the nail (and just that part), to provide it with support while it grows out.
      The plastic-nail/healthy nail join can then be disguised with nail polish, if you're self-conscious about it.

      Possibly some of the stronger 'nail stickers' will be enough to protect the faulty part of your nail without damaging the healthy nail. I can't promise that, of course, but it may be worth a try.

      Note that I'm recommending superglueing the faulty section only, or the faulty section plus a small amount of healthy section that you're willing to keep glued until it grows out. I'm expecting the superglue to be a permanent attachment to that bit of nail!
      I, personally, am about 75% sure that it's the solvents that do the damage. Of course, this is me having a wild-ass guess: so take it with a whole spoonful of salt.

      I am NOT going to make ANY recommendations regarding the nail separating from the nailbed. That's doctor territory. The nail itself is dead tissue, the worst that happens if I'm wrong is that you have to grow out the mistake.
      The nailbed is living tissue. I'm not a doctor. I'm NOT going to risk being wrong.

      So please take my superglue suggestions to your doctor when you go talk to her about the nailbed. I am pretty sure she'll either say 'that's a good idea' or 'that's okay but this is better'.
      But don't try anything about the nailbed separation problem without medical advice. Please.

      Oh, and because I'm sure you need to know: no, you're not the only one. And no, you're not imagining it.
      Seshat's self-help guide:
      1. Would you rather be right, or get the result you want?
      2. If you're consistently getting results you don't want, change what you do.
      3. Deal with the situation you have now, however it occurred.
      4. Accept the consequences of your decisions.

      "All I want is a pretty girl, a decent meal, and the right to shoot lightning at fools." - Anders, Dragon Age.

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      • #4
        The ones that are 'detaching' aren't completely coming off, nor are they close to that. They just look as though I shoved something between my nail and nail-bed a little too far, mostly up the center. The sides and cuticle are all fine.

        Only the one has discomfort, which is the one that is pretty far in, the rest aren't 'deep' enough. However the one that is a bit painful, I am concerned with dirt getting in there, especially as dirty as working with my horse can get.

        I will see if I can get a decent photo to show what I mean.
        "We go through our careers and things happen to us. Those experiences made me what I am."-Thomas Keller

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        • #5
          Yes.

          The removal wraps are basically pure acetone. That, combined with the acrylic (i.e. plastic) that the shellac is made from, means your nails have been stripped of their proteins. Apply something like Sally Hansen nail hardener for a while, and let your nails grow out.

          I *adore* the gel/UV manicures. I'd get them all the time if I could afford to - they're the only manicures that stand up to my job. But I hate what they do to my nails after being removed.

          I have found that OPI is slightly better than CND - but YMMV.

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          • #6
            I didn't have the nail detachment problem, but yes, both times I had acrylics done, my nails were considerably thinner and more fragile until new nail came in.

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            • #7
              I know what you mean about the slight nail detachment. Sometimes when I'm fidgety, I stick the nail from one finger under another nail or pinch my knuckle between a nail and the finger it's on. I know it sounds a little odd and I have no idea how the habit but it means that sometimes if I'm especially bored and fidgety, the nail gets slowly pulled away a little and it will hurt some. Bandaids help. It means that the nail isn't getting tugged during regular activities and helps reduce that pain as well as preventing further detaching. Hang in there. I'll second the nail strengthener polish. I have horribly weak nails sometimes and it at least keeps them from chipping while it grows out.
              "Man, having a conversation with you is like walking through a salvador dali painting." - Mac Hall

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              • #8
                My nails have pretty much always been weak. (Biting your nails down to the quick from the age of two will do that.)

                That said, for about the last twenty years I've been doing my own false nails. I use acrylic tips (Sally Beauty Supply) with an overlay of Sally Hansen Triple Strong. It's not good for the nails, no; but if I don't have some sort of nail on there my fingertips hurt. (Did I mention I used to bite my nails until they bled?)

                I've never had a Shellac manicure, but it sounds to me like you did everything right. Contact your doctor and do what he/she tells you. Then contact the company. Then, if you get no satisfaction from the corporation, consider contacting a lawyer.

                This ain't right.

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                • #9
                  What the OP mentioned is a known side effect of the shellac manicures. The company has made no attempt to hide it (even if they haven't broadcast it). What you are doing is applying a polish directly to the nail that is intended to be applied to false nails - the result is that the real nails will be damaged. It's one reason they recommend only removing the polish if you plan on having it re-done.

                  Whether or not it's "right" is up for debate. But I would doubt that any lawyer would be able (or willing) to do anything, as the company has never falsely represented the product. It's like hair dye - you know there are potential (or likely) side effects from the chemicals, but you use it anyway, and the hairdresser doesn't warn you each and every time you go in for a touch-up.

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                  • #10
                    My nails are a mess from Shellac nails. The nail tech suggested I try them because they would be healthier for my nails. I have several nails detatching from the nail bed!! My nails are a mess!

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                    • #11
                      Something I didn't see mentioned....forgive me if it was and I missed it. I was just at the salon on Thursday and my hairdresser mentioned getting hers "redone". She has a technician in her shop that is doing the shellac. She loves it. However, she did mention that you have to apply oil to the nails everyday. I'm assuming at the cuticle and massage it in. Her reasoning was that the shellac pulls all of any moisture in the nail out. You might try a good nail/cuticle moisturizer in the meantime until you come upon some other solution. My nails are very thin and tend to split in layers. I have work acrylics in the past but never longer than 3-5 months ever, at the most. I was considering the shellac based on my hairdresser's experience. Now I'm not so sure.

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                      • #12
                        Any tech who says it's healthy for your nails is a moron.

                        They will provide a strengthening agent for the nail, AS LONG AS THE POLISH IS APPLIED REGULARLY. Once the polish is removed, the nail will become weak and brittle.

                        UV-treated acrylic is not recommended for anyone with anything other than normal nails.

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