Is UV gel manicure right for you?

Posted in: Manicure by weddingcometrue | June 24th 2010 | no comments

One of the most popular manicures of our days is the UV gel manicure. Everybody knows about it, but most women don’t really know what it is all about and this is why I am going to give you the most information possible about it in this article. It might also be a good idea to ask your manicurist about it and ask whether it is available at the salon that you usually visit. You might really like the idea and it might work out for you just fine.

The first thing you should know is that the thickness of the gel has a good effect of the nails. Most manicurists apply two layers of gel coat, but it is better to have three or four coats applied but these should be thin coats. The advantage of the thin layers is that they allow the light to penetrate the layer and so the shrinkage is a lot smaller. Shrinkage is normal but it is said that about 12% of the problems that might occur with the manicure like lifting or cracking are caused by it. The gel manicure products usually shrink with about 20%.

There are a lot of clients who say that they feel that the gel is too tight and the shrinking might also cause throbbing or a heat sensation. If it is the case, you will experience these sensations in the next 24 hours from when you got the UV gel manicure and this depends solely on how much the manicure shrinks. This is not only uncomfortable for you, but it might also damage the nails. Because the gel acts kind of like glue, it might squeeze the nail plate and it might make it pop free.

This means that the link between the nail and the nail bed will be gone. Once this happens, it doesn’t stop at the place it happened, but it might travel further up and the appearance of an infection is very likely to happen. Other things that might go wrong include over-filling, over-priming, heavy abrasive or high speed drills, nail length that is not appropriate for the lifestyle of the client and so on.



As I have mentioned before, the shrinkage can be reduced by applying more thin layers than two thick layers. Those women that have damaged nail plates are a lot more easily affected by the shrinkage. In case the nails and the skin around it are healthy the chances of having problems are a lot smaller than in any other case.  It is very important to know about the features of the product and it is also important to read the manufacturer’s recommendations. In most of the cases the look and the effect of the UV gel manicure is up to the manicurist that is serving you and don’t forget that under no circumstances are you to blame for the problems that might occur.

I hope you know more about the UV gel manicure and you can decide whether you want to get it.