Help! Client-allergy! Can I Shellac?

[Katmoz33]

I've got a lady coming tomorrow who has had an allergic reaction to acrylc nails (after 15 years of wearing them) her sister has done them for the past 10 months after a short nail course.
I'm guessing it's due to overexposure to monomer as she says it's round the cuticle and underneath the nail tips. I'm guessing maybe she was working too wet and the monomers run round the cuticle and underneath the nail?
I'm wanting to let her know as she does other girls nails so she can learn to avoid it happening to them also.
Do you think shellac would be the best thing to put on her nails, as she is wanting something on?
I was thinking it maybe the least likely to irritate her as there's no way it would come into contact with her skin?
Any help would be much appriciated x Ty

 

[busybee32]

I cant see that shellac would cause a problem.
It is 3 free.
Just watch that you dont get any on her skin and if it does cause a problem it is easy to take it off as soaks off in 10 mins.
Hth
Jen xxx

 

[geeg]

Even more important than being 3 free is that Shellac is actually 6 free! lol

Shellac is hypoallergenic (like Brisa Gels) and contains none of the well known allergens found in coloured gels. No acrylates, gluteraldehyde or formaldehyde to which clients most commonly become sensitive.

The hypoallergenic hybrid Shellac has this 6 free formulation as just one of its many unique selling points ... your client should be quite happy.

 

[Katmoz33]

Just to update this thread the lady had lost all her nails!

 

[Katmoz33]

Should say has lost all her nails, they lifted from the beds.
Not due to shellac, could this be due to the reaction she had from the acrylics?

 

[geeg]

Should say has lost all her nails, they lifted from the beds.
Not due to shellac, could this be due to the reaction she had from the acrylics?

This is very sad for the client. Are you saying she has actually shed the whole nail from all of her fingers? This is extreme. Or has she just got horrendous onycholysis?

What she has had is a reaction to one or more of the chemicals in the monomer liquid to which she has been repeatedly overexposed on her skin. This could be and most likely is due to sloppy brush work; bad habits like cleaning around the eponychium with her brush or touching the skin at the side walls with her brush, using neat monomer to try to smooth the surface .... all very potentially harmful ... As well as incorrectly mixing the powder & liquid. She wasn't allergic to the enhancements themselves.

It will be a long and unsightly journey back to normal-looking nails again. The technician should be made aware and to get some decent education. She will be very lucky if she does not get sued for this debacle. I hope your client has pictorial evidence (weekly) until they grow out if she wants to take any action.

 

[Pooh8bear]

Even more important than being 3 free is that Shellac is actually 6 free! lol

Shellac is hypoallergenic (like Brisa Gels) and contains none of the well known allergens found in coloured gels. No acrylates, gluteraldehyde or formaldehyde to which clients most commonly become sensitive.

The hypoallergenic hybrid Shellac has this 6 free formulation as just one of its many unique selling points ... your client should be quite happy.

Geeg, you say 6 free "No acrylates, gluteraldehyde or formaldehyde", what are the other 3 & are they just as allergy causing as the above?

 

[geeg]

Geeg, you say 6 free "No acrylates, gluteraldehyde or formaldehyde", what are the other 3 & are they just as allergy causing as the above?

Those are the three contained in most gels that are known sensitisers ... the other three are normally contained in polish: Formaldehyde resin, toluene and dibutylphalthate. Shellac is free of all of the 6.

 

[Pooh8bear]

Those are the three contained in most gels that are known sensitisers ... the other three are normally contained in polish: Formaldehyde resin, toluene and dibutylphalthate. Shellac is free of all of the 6.

Many thanks Geeg for getting back so quickly.

Hope you had a lovely Christmas with everything you wished for.x

 

[Katmoz33]

She did have onchylosis slightly before the enhancements.
When I shellacked them they were lifting away from the nail bed pretty bad,I clipped them down as I didn't want to do lots of filing on them.
I put solar oil on and under the nails and told her to continue with the oil. the nails have since come off leaving her with little stumps where I'm guessing new nails are growing.
I've never seen anything like it.
The girl rang the company she trained with and apparently they just said oh she must just be allergic, and not to wear gel nails as they contain monomer also...which I found abit bizzare?!
She was never told to wash/scrub the nails after applying and buffing the acrylic so I'm guessing like you say sloppy brush work and product just left sitting on the skin.
She's related to the girl that has done the nails so she won't do anything about it but I've told her she needs to change her technique or she will have this problem with someone else in the future xx

 

[katiebbaby]

That is to me unbelievable ??? As for a client to loose all 10 nails is very rare,, it takes a long time apprx 6mths for an overexposure reaction to appear !??

 

[geeg]

There is no "set" time in which a reaction to over exposure will appear.

This whole thing of loosing all ten nails may be something medical and not at all related to wearing nail enhancements or to overexposure.

You say she has been wearing nails for years. You think it was an allergic reaction. Was there blistering or itching around her nails initially? Did she in fact have an allergic reaction at all? Was there pus around the nails? Was she illmor taking a medication for something you no nothing about? I'm surprised she did not seek medical attention if she had such a severe allergic reaction. Personally I think her loosing all her nails could be something else entirely.

 

[Katmoz33]

She's not on any medication I know of, no ongoing illness' I'm aware of.
Her fingers were red raw all round the cuticle, swollen, burning, itching.
And underneath the nail tips was the same. She said it was worse if she put her hands in warm water.
She's been wearing acrylics for 15 years, then she had been having these done since feb this year.
Hopefully they will just grow back normal and no long lasting problems! What a nightmare.

 

[geeg]

Ah .. well with that extra information, it does sound like an allergic reaction. Sorry, just trying to look at everything.

 

[Katmoz33]

No worries thanks for your help, hopefully she will avoid them for a while! Well at least till she can get a tip on lol
She should stick to the shellac, no probs at all with that!

 

[jnkmp8]

Hi,
I realise that this thread was posted some time ago but after reading... the reaction of this client sounds the same as i have to working with gel nails and all acrylates & gluten.
Which are found in the majority of nail products esp false nails and fixatives as well as dental products etc.
It sounds like she has pomphylx eczema and needs to visit a dermatologist.
I followed this thread as i was looking for a acrylate free gel that i could use on my own nails as a tech....did they work for this client without any reaction?
Although my post is very out dated I hope this helps others.
xx

 

[geeg]

Hi,
I realise that this thread was posted some time ago but after reading... the reaction of this client sounds the same as i have to working with gel nails and all acrylates & gluten.
Which are found in the majority of nail products esp false nails and fixatives as well as dental products etc.
It sounds like she has pomphylx eczema and needs to visit a dermatologist.
I followed this thread as i was looking for a acrylate free gel that i could use on my own nails as a tech....did they work for this client without any reaction?
Although my post is very out dated I hope this helps others.
xx

Well you found one (I think the only one) as Both Shellac and CND Brisa gels are acrylate free. Welcome to the site and Enjoy. CND is available from Sweet Squared on 08452106060 or www.sweetsquared.com (professionals only).

 

[jnkmp8]

Hi

Thank you. I do hope so as I have an order placed with CND shellac to trail! Ive not tried thje Brisa gels either as Im not sure I want to have mix the individual colours....although in time I may change my mind !
although I will say with the allergy do becareful of the nail prep lotions, alcholol and acetone in removals again due to thew acrylates as once you have this allergy it does not go away- I have to double/triple glove everytime i treat a client!!
x

 

[Krr607]

After about a year of wearing Gelish and Geleration I developed an allergy, probably due to exposure due to undecuring over a long period of time with a cheap nasty LED lamp.
Fortunately I never lost any nails but I did suffer a lot with erythema, oedema, blistering and intense itching.

Shellac was my saviour, I just did it on one nail waited 48 hours and when all ok did all my nails. No problems since. I can also tolerate Brisa.
CND make great quality products I think, and they seem to be a very ethical responsible company with research and science behind all their claims.

 

[Krr607]

Didn't realise this post was so old when I 'chipped in' still, allergies shouldn't be disregarded, so hopefully it will raise awareness to a potential problem.