Problems with skin around nails after gel manicure

[Pepper13]

Hello everyone!
As you can see I'm new here,I'm really desperate for some help!
Almost 4 weeks ago I got gel nails,not the tips one,only gel applied to the nail and got them big.I had only done gel nails once about 4 years ago and everything went perfectly so I made the decision to go to the same salon and get them again.During the last 4 years I always did my manicure at home but I thought I needed something new and decided to get gel nails again.Everything went wrong,the woman who did my nails cut my cuticules (I never cut them) too much,until my nail fold,all my fingers bled and I got out of there with the skin surrounding my nails really sore and red.On the following days I couldn't stand the itchiness,burning,the skin was red,started oozing pus,some small parts were even bleeding a bit even two weeks after.The lady at the salon told me to apply Bephanten plus,it's an ointment supposed to disinfect and help wounds and cuts heal faster.I've been to 3 doctors and to the hospital and all doctors said there was no infection,that I just had to wait for it to heal and to keep applying Bepanthen to the area.I've been cleaning it and applying the ointment religiously but it will 4 weeks next tuesday and it's still red,itchy and burns.The gel nails have grown a little bit of course but they are still extremely attached for me to take them off like I did with my first gelnails,some fell out after a while and I just ripped out the ones that were left,this time I can't do it because it's still too early but I can't take them off at the salon either because it will damage the skin surrounding my nails even more.What should I do??Should I keep applying the ointment and it will eventually heal or not?Is it normal to take this long to heal?I forgot to say I have very sensitive skin.This is really driving me insane,even typing is hard,I can hardly use my hands,the itchiness and the burning are driving me mad!Any tips? I'm desperate,afraid to lose my fingers,I don't know,the doctors even had to prescribe me anxiety medication because of this.I'm attaching some pics I just took of my nails,they have rests of ointment on,sorry if it makes it hard to see.Any opinions?

Sorry,I had to edit,I'm having trouble attaching my images,here are the direct links,hope there's no problem.

http://i1288.photobucket.com/albums/b482/VF271990/20130907_092447_zpsc1e56bc7.jpg

http://i1288.photobucket.com/albums/b482/VF271990/20130907_092318_zps69110ffb.jpg

 

[TPB]

Try and wash the ointment off and take another photo? Other geeks might be able to see it better, I'm not a doctor so can't recommend anything sorry, and sorry to hear this has happened, I'm
Sure someone will reply soon!

 

[Dnx]

Sorry to read your woes. The technician should not have cut living tissue. Cut the cuticle yes, it's dead tissue and doesn't bleed. Cut the eponychium, no. You could feasibly take this further.

SolarOil may help, it's very soothing and has helped clients who 'pick' and bite their skin around their fingers.

Good luck, I'm sure a more experienced geek will be along soon x


Seeing, capturing, creating & presenting beauty

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[Miss Pink23]

As said, its difficult to see what's going on with the cream still on. Can you take another clearer photo, minus the cream? Did the doctors tell you to use Bepanthem....as its a nappy rash cream?

Firstly, I would advise you to cut them down, they are very long, for what looks like very short natural nails...this is already putting strain on your nails.

I agree solar oil will help to heal any cut areas.

If they are soak off gels, you could try soaking them off using the pad and foil method, to avoid the acetone touching any sore areas, but if they are buff off, you are going to have to wait until they heal further.

Sorry, just re-read your post, are you saying they are Shellac/Gelish etc? As they look like tips to me? If so, still cut them down, and as long as you dont think you are allergic to the product used, just them it grow out while things heal.

x

 

[Pepper13]

As said, its difficult to see what's going on with the cream still on. Can you take another clearer photo, minus the cream? Did the doctors tell you to use Bepanthem....as its a nappy rash cream?

Firstly, I would advise you to cut them down, they are very long, for what looks like very short natural nails...this is already putting strain on your nails.

I agree solar oil will help to heal any cut areas.

If they are soak off gels, you could try soaking them off using the pad and foil method, to avoid the acetone touching any sore areas, but if they are buff off, you are going to have to wait until they heal further.

Sorry, just re-read your post, are you saying they are Shellac/Gelish etc? As they look like tips to me? If so, still cut them down, and as long as you dont think you are allergic to the product used, just them it grow out while things heal.

x

Won't cutting them hurt or cause harm??Just by looking at them it looks like they will be hard to cut.
Here we have two types of Bephanten,I don't know how it is anywhere else but here there's the one to treat nappy rashes and the one I'm using,called Bepanthen Plus,it's used for disinfecting and help healing cuts or wounds.

I took 4 pictures without the ointment,hope they're better.

Here's my right thumb,I think it's oozing pus again and I don't know why,I've been taking care of it like I was told...

http://i1288.photobucket.com/albums/b482/VF271990/20130907_123451_zpsda2375f8.jpg

The rest of my right hand,my middle finger particularly hurts.

20130907_123200_zpsad989d39.jpg Photo by VF271990 | Photobucket

Left thumb

http://i1288.photobucket.com/albums/b482/VF271990/20130907_123540_zps04aa0aad.jpg

Left hand

20130907_123645_zpse57a909a.jpg Photo by VF271990 | Photobucket

Is there any sign of healing or should I be worried??I really don't know what to do!

 

[Jessica15]

Won't cutting them hurt or cause harm??Just by looking at them it looks like they will be hard to cut.
Here we have two types of Bephanten,I don't know how it is anywhere else but here there's the one to treat nappy rashes and the one I'm using,called Bepanthen Plus,it's used for disinfecting and help healing cuts or wounds.

I took 4 pictures without the ointment,hope they're better.

Here's my right thumb,I think it's oozing pus again and I don't know why,I've been taking care of it like I was told...

http://i1288.photobucket.com/albums/b482/VF271990/20130907_123451_zpsda2375f8.jpg

The rest of my right hand,my middle finger particularly hurts.

20130907_123200_zpsad989d39.jpg Photo by VF271990 | Photobucket

Left thumb

http://i1288.photobucket.com/albums/b482/VF271990/20130907_123540_zps04aa0aad.jpg

Left hand

20130907_123645_zpse57a909a.jpg Photo by VF271990 | Photobucket

Is there any sign of healing or should I be worried??I really don't know what to do!

Ouch they look very sore!! Definitely cut the length down and if possible soak these off with cotton and foil as miss pink said. They will heal but be diligent with using solar oil at least twice a day. And don't go back to this lady! Xx

 

[TPB]

They look sore, I do feel for you. I'd be crying if it was me!!! I'd say try and take the geeks advice, it might help. Hope they heal soon, bet it is really putting you down x

 

[Shiny_Object]

These need to come off ASAP. I've seen this before on my mothers nails. It's allergy from the gel. You may not have had it 4 years ago but that doesn't mean it can't happen now. It was stupid of her to cut living tissue but that, combined with raw gel touching the skin during application can lead to an allergic reaction. In my mothers case i had put gel on her natural nails for nearly 2 years before she had any sort of reaction. It happened suddenly, without any particular reason. After an application of gel she came home the next day with her cuticle and lateral folds red and swallen. She said they started itching after i put the gel on and her scratching them causef the swelling and the redness. I filed the gel off right away and the itching stopped. After a few hours the redness and swelling went away as well.
I was shocked to be honest. After 2 years on the job i had never heard that gel can cause an allergic reaction. That's why i thought it could have been a cleaning product or something else that caused the reaction. After a while we decided to experiment and see if it was going to happen again. Immediately after i applied the gel and cured it the itching started, they swelled and got red. I filed it off yet again and just like by magic everithing went back to normal. I couldn't believe my eyes but it was a fact. She had become allergic to gel.
My advice it to remove it right away. I know you are worried that the dust is going to go on the sore parts of your skin, but the fact that it has not gone away for the whole time you are having the gel on makes me think that this is because it's still reacting and irritating your skin. Otherwise after so much treatment and cream application you should have seen an improvement. In order to remove it as safely as possible, assuming that it can't be soaked off you could apply the cream on the skin, then wrap the cuticle area with something like band aid to prevent the majority of the dust going on there. Besides that it would be good to find a place where they can remove it with an electric file which will not graze the skin the way a hand file would.
After it's removed continue to apply cream and oil and it should get better very fast. Ask in a farmacy if they have any sort of antibiothic cream you can use.
I hope everything goes well with you. Let us know how it's working. Hugs.

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[Mrs.Clooney]

First of all, I think you need to find out exactly what gel was used on your nails. Was it a buff off gel or a soak off gel? If possible, you need to go into the salon to see the lable on the gel container for yourself because some NNS salons don't even have labels on their containers because they are using some nondescript product.

Then, depending on whether it is buff off or soak off, will determine how to remove the gel but only if this is what you wish to do. Personally I don't see how removing it now after four weeks will assist with the awful inflammation at the base of your nails. If this is due to an allergy then the skin around the sidewalks of your nails would also be affected. If the gel was cured by lamp, then I doubt any product sensitivity would be an issue after four week as it should have recovered by now. Sounds and looks like infection especially if pus has been present. Furthermore, a soak off solution containing acteone would only further irritate an already inflamed skin. Buffing it off with or without an electric nail file may damage what may be an already damaged nail plate under the gel.

My recommendation would be to cut the enhancements right back to a very short length and just let them grow out. You describe that you were left bleeding and sore, which means the so called nail therapist cut your eponychium (living protective tissue) and nasty infection has set in. It may even be possible that tools used were no correctly sanitized.

I would also recommend that you insist that the salon take responsibility for this. Just suggesting that you apply bepanthen is not accepting any liability and there is obviously no improvement after 4 weeks. Go back to your GP.

Sorry, but it does look terribly painful.

 

[Shiny_Object]

I also don't understand how can 3 doctors claim that it'd not infected. Having pus come out clearly indicates that your body is fighting off an infection. That's what pus is in fact- dead white blood cells, product of the body's fight against infection.
I hope for your sake that i'm wrong about the gel allergy but it's definately infected. Visit your doctor again as this should not be left to continue. You'll need something more effective than Bepanthen.

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[AcidPerm]

I also think you should try to get the gel removed.

If you do have a gel related allergy, your body will continue to try to fight it until the irritant is removed and that could explain why your fingers haven't healed properly yet.

Definitely go back to the salon and find out exactly what gel was used. Ask to see the bottle and take some photo's of it. Did you get the nails done in Portugal?

When I became allergic to my gel nails, my finger tips split. It was extremely painful to soak the nails when removing the gel. However, when the gel was removed, the itching began to abate and they began to heal. I still have scarring on my finger tips from the experience.

 

[Pepper13]

Thank you all for all the comments.
I'm definitely scared now knowing that I may have an infection:cry: The pus hasn't been there always,I had pus for the first days,then it disappeared and today it looked like there was a little bit on some nails,not sure.I'm on my own with this,doctors tell me there's no infection to my face,I was even denied entrance at the hospital because they looked at my nails and said they weren't infected because they weren't swollen,that I would spend money for nothing.What can I do when the people who are supposed to help me say I don't need it?I'm in a very hard situation,I'm only 23,I'm unemployed,I depend on my mother for everything right now and my mother just doesn't believe it's infected because three doctors said it to her,she simply doesn't care and says it will heal with time.I had to visit my dermatologist because of another skin issue and she told me it was an allergy to the gel and to get them off like many of you did but when I described the methods she totally changed her expression and told me she really didn't knew what to tell me.I should have visited the salon already but it's so hard for me to go out,I can't shower on my own,I even have trouble holding a fork to eat because of the pain.There's also the problem that I don't have a receipt from the salon to prove I was there,they sure remember me but what if they want to pretend they don't??What proof do I have?I really feel like dying because of this,I'm under so much tranquilizers because this has brought me so much anxiety,panic attacks literally.I'll try to go to the nail salon where I got the nails tomorrow and see what they say but honestly I don't trust them to touch my hands anymore.My mother will also ask at this very well known gel nail salon what they think,they have a very good reputation but I won't be present since it's located where my mother works,it's quite far and they won't be able to see how it really looks.Isn't there any way to take them off at home?I'm basically hoping for a miracle,I came from the hospital two days ago because I started puking with no reason,I couldn't hold my food down,they said it was anxiety related,the doctor looked at my nails and said they weren't infected.Now here I am with all my fingers like this,an achy stomach and so stressed out.I wish I could go back in time and get my precious natural nails back :sad:
Someone asked,yes,I got my gel nails in Portugal.

 

[Pepper13]

After some thought I thought maybe I should go to that nail salon I talked about and get them to buff the gel out.They are in the gel nail business since 1999 and are known to be one of the best around here.I wrote them an email talking about my situation,I hope they will help me,honestly I don't know what else to do.I even had a fight with my mother earlier because she insists on saying there's nothing wrong with it,that I should just shut up and wait for it to go away on it's own.I would gladly do that if I wasn't in constant discomfort and also if I could do my daily routine normally but even such a simple thing as holding something is hard for me now imagine showering,getting dressed,preparing food.I don't even know how I can type,when it gets painful i have to use a pencil or a pen.I've been stuck in this house since I did my nails only going out for doctor appointments.I suffer from extreme mental illness and this situation is sure not doing me any good,I know it may sound ridiculous because they're just nails but at this moment I can say i've been contemplating suicide,this is one of the "symptoms" of my disease that has been extremely triggered because of this situation.I'm really sorry,i know this is not a psychiatric forum but i just felt the need to put my feelings out.I feel so lonely,anxious,sad and so tired of feeling this terrible discomfort that seems will never go away,I just want it to end.

 

[eilidh3]

File the gel off / soak the gel off yourself at home.

 

[Dnx]

Please also have a chat with your mental health professional. Whilst it may seem hard, you will get past this and they will heal. Xx


Seeing, capturing, creating & presenting beauty

Sent from my iPhone using SalonGeek app

 

[Delish]

I agree , this could either be an allergic reaction

OR

The person who has done them has cut down on to your living tissue
And possible could have used tools thats hadn't be sterilized/disinfected
And caused an infection that way xx

As someone pointed out we are not medical professionals

From a beauty/nail professional view if you came to me and asked for help
Id advise you to go and see your doctor xx

 

[AcidPerm]

Please get the Gel off. The more you explain about the pain, the more I'm convinced it's an allergy. Especially if a dermatologist agrees and they're a skin specialist after all. File it off, if you have to. Your nails will be thin but they will grow again. I can totally sympathise with the pain. It's bloody horrible. I couldn't sleep for the pain the first time.

 

[2012salon]

OMG!
Hope your ok Hun x

 

[Pepper13]

I don't think doctors here are of much help,they all say the same,that this is completely normal and to keep applying the Bepanthen.I thought my nails were getting better but 4 days ago or something my right hand started feeling awful again,the extreme redness came back,it's sore,the skin around my nails burns,itches...I'm sure they've cut living tissue in all my hands but there's also the dermatologist who talked about an allergy,I wish I knew what's the wisest thing to do...My mother said that as soon as she gets home we're going to the nail salon where I got them done for an opinion.Honestly I don't trust them or their opinions,my mother went to the other nail salon I talked about and they said the same things everyone here has said but they also said they wouldn't take responsabillity for something that happened at another salon.I understand that but I feel like I'm being kicked back and forth between doctors,salons and I don't know what's best for me.Take them off at the same place where I got them done?As I've said I don't trust them anymore or their tools,I'm afraid they will cause even more damage to what's already so damaged.

 

[izzidoll]

I'm afraid we cannot offer more advice than we already have, we are not medical professionals on here and we never diagnose but would send our clients with any problems like this to a Doctor.

You have our utmost sympathy and as much advice as we can offer.
At the very least these nails need to be drastically reduced in length if you can't clip them down file them down. Although complete removal would be the best course of action, advice has already been given about that as you need to find out what kind of gel this is first, although I suspect it is a buff off gel.
If doctors who have actually seen your hands have decreed there is noinfection then how can we on an Internet forum disagree with that?
I suspect your underlying mental health problems are exacerbating your reaction to this and making it more crucial that you get something done, therefore I sincerely hope you find a way to have these nails removed, as that is the only thing that will settle your anxiety.

Good Luck, and I shall close this thread now as I fear the constant repetition and lack of definitive advice may also be increasing your anxiety, which is something we would not want to do.