Expert: Elyse C Perry - 6/6/2008

Question
About a month ago (for my birthday on May 9th), I got acrylic nails.  I finally got a fill about a week ago.  Last time, the nail tech just used tips and applied a powder.  This time, the nail tech (a different person) used the powder to fill.  But then, she placed a gel on top of that.  After the gel, I had to use a UV light to dry the gel on my nails.  Well, yesterday I noticed that my pinky nail on my right hand looks like it's peeling.  Today I noticed a few more nails look like the gel (or the acrylic) may be trying to come off.

My question is this normal?  Should I get my nails fixed or removed?

Answer
It sounds like the gel topcoat wasn't cured properly (either the bulbs are old, or they're the wrong wattage, or they didn't keep you in the light long enough), and that does cause peeling. Either that, or they didn't take enough shine off the acrylic (gel doesn't stick to shiney surfaces.). You can go back and have them re-do the gel, but if the problem is with their lamps, you'll still have peeling issues.

And if you're having lifting issues as well--you might want to consider finding a more skilled nail tech. You should definitely get any lifted nails repaired, to avoid bacterial "greenies".

You can go to www.cnd.com, or www.beautytech.com and check out their salon locators to find a reputable, skilled nail tech in your area.

Hope this helps! Feel free to follow up if you have any other questions.