I have a client who has natural nail overlays, and i have not been working for a couple of weeks so she went to another salon but has now come back to me now i am working again.

Now when she first came to me when i first started out i was told that she had onycholosis (sorry for spelling ha) in her to thumbs and not to use acetone because of this. Well she has come back and her nails are really thick from other salon so she wants a whole new set, but how would i remove them. Filing down would take days they are really thick, im wanderin should i use acetone on fingers but not on thumbs and file them down slowly, any help i would be very grateful for. thanks

What is the reason for the problem on her thumbs? It's possible that filing thick overlays off could cause even more trauma due to the movement

im not sure i just had a note that the client brought with her (from previous technician) to say she has onycholosis in her thumbs and not to use acetone because of this, tht was it, and i have never seen her thumbs so :S im a bit stuck and i cannot ask the former technician as she has gone on a cruise ship to work.

It's very difficult to advise on specifics that could be a big problem with seeing or even knowing how well you can deal with it.

If you haven't seen what is going on you don't know how bad it is. Didn't you ask questions or see through a thin overlay when she was a new client. This was the time to find out rather than just take very sketchy info from someone you don't know.

Severe separation will make the nail 'moveable'. This will give you a clue.

I would say that acetone is the lesser of 2 evils and a thick overlay needs to come off!

What is underneath will dictate what happens next

Can you not see the onycholysis? I get it on myself occasionally (when ive been too heavy handed) and I can always see it through the overlay if I look really carefully...I would soak off and suggest a very short overlay while it grows out...with plenty of solar oil daily.

as long as the acetone causes no pain , I would proceed, it's often the weight (as well as length) of the nail that can cause this kind of separation.

Get it off, thin it down, shorten it, then I would recommend solar oil one day, then Listerine (original formula the next), it contain alcohol and Thymol, is effective and gentle.

And each day using a soft brush underneath to remove dead skin cells.