Gel manicure lifting, nail tech blaming breastfeeding

[Ida]

Hi,

I'm not sure if this forum is only for people who do nails, I hope it's OK that I post this question here. I recently got a gel manicure and after only 5 days it started lifting, I contacted the nail tech who did my nails and she refuses to fix it free of charge. She says my nails have grown too fast (according to her my nails grow too fast because I'm breastfeeding?!) and caused the gel to lift... Is this true? My nails has always grown really fast, I typically get about a two week regrowth in only a week, I've had gel manicures before and this has never happened, only time they started lifting was when I didn't get them redone in more than 4 weeks. I feel like I'm getting tricked here. But as I am not a gel tech I find it hard to argue with her... I don't want to go and ask in a different salon since I'm worried they'll just say she's lying in order to get me to do my nails there instead. I'm a bit of a coward and I don't want to confront her unless I have something to back me up. I hope I can get some answers here.

Thanks in advance.

 

[asteropi]

Excess growth and lifting are two separate issues so that, on its own, shouldn’t cause any problems
However, if you are taking any specific medication or using hand sanitizers or cream, than can easily cause lifting. So, besides breastfeeding do you have any other habits now like the ones I mentioned that you didn’t have in your previous times?

 

[Ida]

Excess growth and lifting are two separate issues so that, on its own, shouldn’t cause any problems
However, if you are taking any specific medication or using hand sanitizers or cream, than can easily cause lifting. So, besides breastfeeding do you have any other habits now like the ones I mentioned that you didn’t have in your previous times?

Thank you for replying! The only thing I use on my hands is cuticle oil every evening and a regular hand lotion. No hand sanitizers, and I wear gloves when cleaning and doing dishes etc. No medication other than a multivitamin daily... The only habit that has changed is possibly that I wash my hands more often, due to diaper changing etc... But on the other hand, I was on a tropical vacation last time I had gel nails and spent 50% of the day in the pool/sea without any issues with lifting, so I don't think the wetness from washing my hands would cause more damage then soaking in salt water all day...


So when she says that the speed that my nails grow can cause the gel to lift, it's completely false? She basically said that my nails grow too fast and that caused the gel to warp and lift...but then she also said that it could be due to breastfeeding... I'm not really sure if she meant the nails growing fast is due to breastfeeding or the gel lifting is due to breastfeeding...I'm in France but not a native so I sometimes have trouble understanding...

 

[asteropi]

Are we talking gel polish here or gel enhancements?
If indeed it is gel enhancements and you have a fast growth then I could imagine your nails getting out of balance and breaking. I can’t however imagine that happening in a week but I can’t say without seeing them.

You hand lotion may be the culprit here or your hand soap. Or even your multivitamin pill. Generally vitamins do not create problems but we never truly know what we sallow. All of these contain certain chemicals that sea water doesn’t.

Or she could just be less experienced than she thinks and managed to touch your cuticles, hence the lifting. Before we point any fingers here however, would you mind posting some pics?

 

[Ida]

Are we talking gel polish here or gel enhancements?
If indeed it is gel enhancements and you have a fast growth then I could imagine your nails getting out of balance and breaking. I can’t however imagine that happening in a week but I can’t say without seeing them.

You hand lotion may be the culprit here or your hand soap. Or even your multivitamin pill. Generally vitamins do not create problems but we never truly know what we sallow. All of these contain certain chemicals that sea water doesn’t.

Or she could just be less experienced than she thinks and managed to touch your cuticles, hence the lifting. Before we point any fingers here however, would you mind posting some pics?

I'm guessing enhancements is when you lengthen the nail with the gel? That's not what I have, just gel polish on my natural nails.

I'm pretty sure the gel didn't touch the cuticles, I think I would see that, especially since it's a red polish. It started lifting around the edges near the cuticles but now it's come off completely on two fingers, my nails underneath looks to be in ok condition.

Here's a link to the photo I sent her when the gel started lifting on day 5: https://imgur.com/a/BCVZS

After seeing this photo she said my regrowth looked like what usually happens in like 14 days not 5.

By now it's already been over two weeks since I had the manicure. She was supposed to redo it last week but cancelled the morning of due to sickness. I have her booked this upcoming Friday, but I'm not sure if I should get it done with her or find another nail tech... If it's caused by something I used on my hands then I don't want to change nail girl. She was really nice and everything, so that's also why I'm here asking for advice, to not blame her if it's my doing... I suppose I could give her another shot, and stop using my hand lotion etc and see if I experience the same issues.

 

[Kuredute]

I do understand You had a baby recently and this is the first time you have gel polish on after giving birth, is that correct?
If so, it must be understood that pregnancy and labor are huge shock factors for organism. It's a hormonal tornado really! And hormones regulate everything in your body - temperature, hunger, sleep, content of tissues etc., etc., including nail plate growth. I think people really underestimate the endocrine systems impact on nails. It's also the case when using hormonal birth control - most will say that it has nothing to do with condition of nails, when in reality I have seen it can make a big difference.
I know this, because I have a degree in pharmaceutical science, have done my own research on this and clients pretty often tend to share their health concerns with me.
Due to your specific case. It could be anything, my best "guess" is that it could be combination of few factors - hormonal change due to giving birth, nail techs' doing (bad prep work or application), bad product suitability, doing home chores. It's really hard to tell without knowing which products and how have been used and without seeing your nails in person.
However, I haven't seen problems with gel polish due to too fast growth, even more - in the cuticle area. That I think is highly unlikely!

 

[blossom]

If it's because of products, I would normally expect it to start to lift/separate at the free edge.

Did you happen to go to her straight after a swim, long soak, hot tub etc? Just wondered if the product didn't adhere properly to begin with.

If she's nice, in all honesty, I'd go back to her, explain without blame what happened and just give it another go. X