Please help - worried sick

[mum]

Stop panicking lol! And breathe!

Don't soak in tea tree oil as this will do nothing and may make bonding a problem. You've been given good advice (except for the post that disagreed with replacing the overlay).

The bacteria (not mould) only took hold because of lifting and it sounds like it was only down the sides? This probably means that there was some cuticle left or the area wasn't cleaned sufficiently with an alcohol based product.

You don't have to remove the whole overlay, only areas that have lifted. This is one of the problems with opaque hard gels, you can't see any lifting. How about trying a gel polish or Shellac which is removed each time?

You don't need to overdo the prep! Just use everything as it is meant to be used. Fingernailfixer has done a fabulous video showing a thorough cuticle removal. I really recommend you (and everyone else) to watch it. It's on YouTube.

Stopped panicking yet?

 

[crumpet]

Stop panicking lol! And breathe!

Don't soak in tea tree oil as this will do nothing and may make bonding a problem. You've been given good advice (except for the post that disagreed with replacing the overlay).

The bacteria (not mould) only took hold because of lifting and it sounds like it was only down the sides? This probably means that there was some cuticle left or the area wasn't cleaned sufficiently with an alcohol based product.

You don't have to remove the whole overlay, only areas that have lifted. This is one of the problems with opaque hard gels, you can't see any lifting. How about trying a gel polish or Shellac which is removed each time?

You don't need to overdo the prep! Just use everything as it is meant to be used. Fingernailfixer has done a fabulous video showing a thorough cuticle removal. I really recommend you (and everyone else) to watch it. It's on YouTube.

Stopped panicking yet?

Thankyou, that was very helpful and I appreciate it xx

 

[crumpet]

There is a fair amount of to-ing and fro-ing going on in this thread plus some misinformation too.


Someone used the word 'mould'. A green nail is NOT caused by mould and the word should never be used as it just confuses.

This sounds like a classic 'greenie' problem and it is caused by by a simple bacterial infection that is easy to get rid of. As mentioned, just removing the product and exposing the bacteria to air will kill it .. plus a good thorough prep and scrub with Scrub Fresh to sanitise and dehydrate further before a normal re-application.

People are all saying it is not your fault and not to worry. I say, you are right to be concerned and it may very well be your fault. Your lack of experience for one in that you used an opaque coloured gel and of course it is very hard to see what is going on underneath the enhancement if you use an opaque product. You have to be very secure in your application ability and to have the confidence to use an opaque gel or powder on a persons nails. At this point in time you say you are not confident. If a client wants colour then use polish until you are skilled at what you are doing.

Another thing to bear in mind is the length of the nails that you gave this client. If nails are too long they are inclined to bend under pressure (gardening in gloves!!) and when the nails bend, they kink in the corners and lift and allow moisture to become trapped between the product and the overlay ... instant recipe for a bacterial infection to get going and when they get going, they multiply fast. With an opaque gel, you cant see it happening and the client can't see it so make sure the nails are never too long for the client's lifestyle. Even short nails can be too long for some if they are very active with their hands.

It is our job and our responsibility to annalyse the lifestyle and the activity level of our clients when doing a consultation and then to prescribe the right length for that client. This is a huge part of what we do to customise the service for our clients.

I am quite surprised by some of the posts you have received in this thread and that so many still do not understand the issue of a bacterial infection and tell you not to worry about it! Of course you have to worry about it and more importantly, you need to look out for it and prevent it from happening. Doing good maintenace is primary and if you can't see what is going on under the overlay, then you cannot do good preventative maintenance as this incident has proved only too well. HTH

Thank you. But of course I accept my responsibility which is why I am having sleepless nights worrying myself sick over it!I was still worrying as I was being told different info. I was confused because some people say to remove ALL of the old gel and some people say NOT to remove all of the old gel. By talking down to me you have made me feel even worse and I now feel like packing the whole thing in anyway. I never even take any money for my nails as I am not 100% happy with them yet but if I didn't feel responsibility, I wouldn't be worrying. Nobody in my training ever told me not to use coloured gels on people. My friends' mum currently has opaque bright pink and when she comes back will be having a French Manicure but obviously the stains need to be masked with a pink opaque colour so do you mean that I can't even do that??
My lady doesn't get on with Shellac or gel/polish as she doesn't have great natural nails and needs the strength of a hard gel but she only has a tiny amount of free edge showing and they do not appear to be too long for her lifestyle. No matter what you think of me, I am actually responsible which is why I am having sleepless nights worrying over this. However, I will try and put things right with this lady but that will probably be the end of nails for me.

 

[geeg]

Thank you. But of course I accept my responsibility which is why I am having sleepless nights worrying myself sick over it!I was still worrying as I was being told different info. I was confused because some people say to remove ALL of the old gel and some people say NOT to remove all of the old gel. By talking down to me you have made me feel even worse and I now feel like packing the whole thing in anyway. I never even take any money for my nails as I am not 100% happy with them yet but if I didn't feel responsibility, I wouldn't be worrying. Nobody in my training ever told me not to use coloured gels on people. My friends' mum currently has opaque bright pink and when she comes back will be having a French Manicure but obviously the stains need to be masked with a pink opaque colour so do you mean that I can't even do that??
My lady doesn't get on with Shellac or gel/polish as she doesn't have great natural nails and needs the strength of a hard gel but she only has a tiny amount of free edge showing and they do not appear to be too long for her lifestyle. No matter what you think of me, I am actually responsible which is why I am having sleepless nights worrying over this. However, I will try and put things right with this lady but that will probably be the end of nails for me.

For goodness sake .. you really are being silly. What I said was that it is "OUR resposibility as nail techs". What I said was that "you were right to be worried" which shows that I realise that you are taking responsibility. Read my post as it was intended and don't use me or my advice to blame as an excuse for giving up!! That decision is up to you and you alone.

You can mask the stains from the infection with either polish or Shellac ... both of which are removable so you can track the healthy re-growth of the nail.

Finally, I put allot of my personal time into writing that post to not only help you but others who may be reading it. Why not learn from it instead of finding fault or a 'tone' that isn't there?

It is you yourself who said you were new to nails and not confident in what you were doing. I have given you excellent advice on how to improve on what is good and not good to do. How you use it and choose to interperet it is up to you.

 

[crumpet]

I appreciate the advice thank you.

 

[scottishjoy]

You could do a clear or sheer pink enhancement and then either do a shellac french or a polish french ontop? Then she gets length & strength and you can adress any application or lifting issues you may have while also keeping up the practice of using the product? X

 

[crumpet]

You could do a clear or sheer pink enhancement and then either do a shellac french or a polish french ontop? Then she gets length & strength and you can adress any application or lifting issues you may have while also keeping up the practice of using the product? X

Thank you. I've never used polish over clear gel before so do I need to still use a basecoat or do I just put a french pink polish straight over the gel and will it hide the stains do you think? Also, how often should I remove the polish to check on the nail?
She's going abroad so won't be able to come back for at least a fortnight. Would the polish last? x

 

[geeg]

Thank you. I've never used polish over clear gel before so do I need to still use a basecoat or do I just put a french pink polish straight over the gel and will it hide the stains do you think? Also, how often should I remove the polish to check on the nail?
She's going abroad so won't be able to come back for at least a fortnight. Would the polish last? x

I always use a base coat even over enhancements.

The polish should normally last for the 2 weeks. You may need to do several coats of the french pink to mask the staining depending on how severe it is. I would talk her intoa nice bright colour myself.

You remove the polish as normal with polish remover before doing the maintenance.

 

[waffle4]

I always use a base coat even over enhancements.

The polish should normally last for the 2 weeks. You may need to do several coats of the french pink to mask the staining depending on how severe it is. I would talk her intoa nice bright colour myself.

You remove the polish as normal with polish remover before doing the maintenance.

Hello, sorry to butt in but I've been following this thread. What's the difference between applying a pink polish instead of a pink gel if they are both going to be removed in the same timescale (2 weeks) anyway??
Just curious. x

 

[geeg]

Hello, sorry to butt in but I've been following this thread. What's the difference between applying a pink polish instead of a pink gel if they are both going to be removed in the same timescale (2 weeks) anyway??
Just curious. x

She could apply either polish or shellac or a thin coloured gelpolish, but using an opaque enhancement gel which is rebalanced is risky unless you are sure of your skills.

 

[crumpet]

She could apply either polish or shellac or a thin coloured gelpolish, but using an opaque enhancement gel which is rebalanced is risky unless you are sure of your skills.

Yes, I will do as advised but it's worth mentioning that I ALWAYS remove ALL of the old coloured gel at every visit anyway to check on the nail health underneath and I have never left any of the old colour gel still on the nail and just rebalanced it and thus not been able to see what the nail was like underneath it.

 

[geeg]

Yes, I will do as advised but it's worth mentioning that I ALWAYS remove ALL of the old coloured gel at every visit anyway to check on the nail health underneath and I have never left any of the old colour gel still on the nail and just rebalanced it and thus not been able to see what the nail was like underneath it.

That's good. Thing is that bacteria grow exponetially. In other words, 1 becomes 2, 2 become 4, 4 become 8 and so on ... so unless detected and noticed early, there can be thousands of bacteria in a very short time.

Both clients and tecnicians can normally see it ... usually the lifting is enough of a clue to trigger a visit to the salon, but if it is 'pocket lifting' in the middle of the nail and the sides are still sealed (usually caused by nails bending and the onerlay popping in the middle leaving a bubble) then it is hard to spot under an opaque colour.

http://www.salongeek.com/nail-geek/136557-pocket-lifting.html

http://www.salongeek.com/general-articles/2631-pocketful-woe.html

Could be your client needs something stronger on her nails. She sounds pretty active with her hands.

 

[crumpet]

Hi folks, just updating you on what hapened when my friends' mum came back. Well, it is very strange, when I removed all the gel NOTHING WAS THERE!!! just pink, healthy nailbeds!! I was soooo shocked, coz they were defo greenie/brown looking at the previous visit. My mates mum said maybe they were previously stained from her gardening gloves as her gloves are green/brown colour but how could a stain from the gloves get underneath?? I am at a loss as to what occurred. Obviously I am very happy that her nails are perfectly healthy but what was the stain previously? - any ideas???............... xx

 

[waffle4]

could the stain have just got under the colour layer but not under the actual base layer of gel?

Sent from my GT-I5500 using SalonGeek

 

[crumpet]

could the stain have just got under the colour layer but not under the actual base layer of gel?

Sent from my GT-I5500 using SalonGeek

Yes I expect it could couldn't it, do you think that's what may have happened then? Is this quite a common occurrence?? xx

 

[crumpet]

Does anyone else have any theories too????? xx

 

[waffle4]

Hi, I see no one else had any theories! Maybe there was a tiny bit of lift down to the base layer but not UNDER the base layer and some water got in under the lift and stained the base gel??.........

Have you stopped worrying now hun? , I do hope so xxxx

 

[crumpet]

Hi, I see no one else had any theories! Maybe there was a tiny bit of lift down to the base layer but not UNDER the base layer and some water got in under the lift and stained the base gel??.........

Have you stopped worrying now hun? , I do hope so xxxx

Thankyou. Yes, I expect that's what happened - can't imagine what else may have caused it. Have stopped panicking now but find myself being even more ocd with hygiene now and totally vigilant at spotting any tiny amount of lifted gel. God, this whole episode has aged me lol. Thankyou for your help, really appreciated:hug: xxxx

 

[chel1966]

I think you will find that once a greenie is thoroughly cleaned there is no "infection" as you call it. I have reapplied acrylic before and it was fine. The stain on the nail will just grow out. Make sure that the bateria which caused the bloom on the nail is cleaned away with 100% alcohol and off you go.

 

[geeg]

Thankyou. Yes, I expect that's what happened - can't imagine what else may have caused it. Have stopped panicking now but find myself being even more ocd with hygiene now and totally vigilant at spotting any tiny amount of lifted gel. God, this whole episode has aged me lol. Thankyou for your help, really appreciated:hug: xxxx

Re being even more OCD with hygiene ... Be very careful ... Some go over the top and use so much sanitiser that they saturate the nail .. The nail is not then thoroughly dry before you apply and you can help CAUSE an infection that way.

Normal procedure is all you need and to make sure the nail surface is DRY.

A bacterial infection will die off when exposed to air. Remove the environment it is thriving in and life will not be sustained. It is not life threatening! No need to go over the top about it. These things sometimes happen but need to be kept in proportion. A bacterial 'bloom' (I like that word much more than infection) is much more commonly seen here in Spain even when nail technicians are most vigilant. CLIENTS need to be extra vigilant themselves and need to be warned that if they bend or bash a nail that has a coating, then they need to have it checked out pronto. They won't know if you don't tell them.