Anyone know what these marks are?

[kirsty]

Hi peeps,

I haven't posted anything on here for a loooong time but I need some help!

I've been doing my step mum's nails for a while now, started out with just gelish then added IBX as well. Her nails are not particularly strong but have always been in good condition (compared to a lot I've seen!)

Last time I removed her gelish there was a white mark on one nail, looked like either dehydration or damage. She had recently fallen off her bike and dislocated and broken one finger and scraped her hands up pretty bad. We assumed the mark was probably trauma to the nail due to the fall.

This time however, after removing the gelish every single nail has white marks. The marks are only where the gelish has been, the regrowth looks perfectly healthy. Now I know some of you are going to point out the obvious, maybe I'm damaging the nails during the removal process. I assure you I am very gentle and this is not the case. I've been using gelish for 4 years and not a single client has ever had anything like this.

Anyone have any ideas or suggestions please?

 

[Cindy2021]

Could it be dehydration? Is she using cuticle oil daily?

 

[blossom]

Did she have someone else remove them at some point? Like about 3/4 months ago?

No damage on the lower half of the nail at all so obv not recent.

 

[PicklePie]

Does she have really bendy nails? It looks like it could be a stress point where the nails have bent and maybe gel polish isn't suitable and she needs something stronger. Failing that, I'd go with dehydration.

 

[kirsty]

It could be dehydration, I don't think she uses cuticle oil. Any reason they would only be dehydrated where the gelish was? I would have expected the entire nail to be in the same condition if that was the case.

She has always come to me, which is why I'm really hoping it's nothing I've done that's caused it!

They are slightly bendy which is why I started her on IBX, but I have clients with with much weaker nails who keep gelish on for 3 weeks without any problems.

It had to happen to a family member didn't it

 

[Pashaboutnails]

I would support Pickle Pies response. I have thin bendy nails. I get 7-10 days out of CND shellac and a couple of other gel polish brands I have tried. If I leave it on longer than that and leave my nails too long in length I get damage very similar to your photo.

 

[vikki sanshia]

I'm not a nail tech ( I do Spmu ) but I get this on my toes after shellac or gel all the time! So does my mum,
Doctor said no infection etc but could be trauma or dehydration, I always have red ? X

 

[Carla-laa]

When I did my IBX training last week, Linda Nordstrom said that white spots like these were thought to be caused by dehydration but they now know that they're actually 'micro pits'- damage to the nail plate, usually caused by the removal process of gel polish.
Obviously I don't know if this is! But that's what she said, if this is damage it looks like it's growing out as you can see healthy nail at the base of all the nails. How long have you been using the IBX? Could the healthy nail growth be since you were using that?

 

[Mellynn]

I had a white mark like this on my little finger nail recently, when I removed my shellac. I left it off and the next day it was gone. I did a new set that day and I removed those was no marks at all. I just thought it was from not using my oil as much x

 

[CFBS]

I'm not sure of the cause but CND Rescue Rx used daily for a month or so rectifies the problem

 

[Cindy2021]

It could be dehydration, I don't think she uses cuticle oil. Any reason they would only be dehydrated where the gelish was? I would have expected the entire nail to be in the same condition if that was the case.

She has always come to me, which is why I'm really hoping it's nothing I've done that's caused it!

They are slightly bendy which is why I started her on IBX, but I have clients with with much weaker nails who keep gelish on for 3 weeks without any problems.

It had to happen to a family member didn't it

Because the gel polish has acted as a barrier so nothing has penetrated it. If she'd been using cuticle oil daily it would have prevented/helped any dehydration.

 

[blossom]

I'm not sure of the cause but CND Rescue Rx used daily for a month or so rectifies the problem

Wow does it?? Have you seen these marks disappear CFBS on using RXX?

Fab selling point! [emoji2]

 

[Lorrainiac]

I have a client with white marks like this, she uses cuticle oil every day and i remove her shellac every 3 weeks so its not caused by removal.
I have recently read that cuticle oil should be applied under the finger nail as well as around the cuticle area and rubbed all over the nail. Also occassionally my client will have one of her shellacs ping off the day before and she oils it up and next day the white marks are gone! still not sure of the cause of it tho...? x

 

[noreenoconnor]

Yes RescueRXx definitely helps to reduce the appearance of white spots For best results it should be applied to bare nails 3-4 times per day

White marks like this can be a sign of dehydration, but if it is dehydration it normally disappears within the service as moisture is added back, you most often see this as a pale white cast usually on new regrowth.

The common view now is that these more opaque white marks are caused by improper removal of a gel polish. This can cover a whole array of situations such as pulling, peeling and scrapping etc. The idea is once the nail has been saturated with acetone the surface becomes softened and so is more easily damaged , even using a orange wood stick can leave microscopic gouges in the nail which then show up as white marks.

I also firmly believe that people with thin, weak nails do suffer from a type of improper removal when wearing gel polish. Their nails are too flexible , and with all the movement the bond is broken along the stress area (improper removal). It is literally pulled off the middle whilst the outsides remain stuck down.

Wearing any type of nail coating for long periods of time is dehydrating and by not using her solar oil she has made her nails brittle and so much more prone to damage, I would also hazard a guess that she can not normally growth them to any length without gel polish so the extra length is adding to the pressure on the nails.

Gel polish is not a suitable coating for this particular clients nails and she would get on better with a hard gel overlay

 

[CFBS]

Wow does it?? Have you seen these marks disappear CFBS on using RXX?

Fab selling point! [emoji2]

Hi, Yes my sister has the naffest nails around so I product test on her a lot!! (very, thin, weak nails)
She had shellac every two weeks for a number of months last year. White marks were beginning to show on removal so she upped her solar oil applications at home. This did help. Then IBX came out so I've been using this on her too under the shellac. The nails became a bit stronger and the white marks reduced.
This summer, because of her job and me being away for a month, she stopped having the shellac and I gave her Rescue Rx to use daily.
Her nails are still weak (genetic really) but the general condition has improved and no white marks there now.

Another nail tech friend of mine is using it too and getting good results.