Tamoxifen & gel enhancements - are they compatible?

[elmojo]

Good evening everyone,

I have got a new client, and upon completing her record card she advised that she is taking tamoxifen post breast cancer and that her nails were quite flaky. I asked her to, and she provided a letter from her GP saying she was okay to have nail treatments done, and in particular acrylic/gel.

I did her a set of gel enhancements (overlays, no tips) and she came back after 2 weeks to see how they were getting on. There was a bit of lifting, and one had come off - and looking at the nail there was no evidence of picking! She works in a shop and I can tell she is fairly heavy handed just by the way she uses her hands.

She's now come back again today after 3 weeks and had lost 8 nails - which is soul destroying. She was fine, said they only came off over the weekend and told me not to worry! I don't have any other clients with lifting problems. Do you think the drug might be having an effects on the life of her gels, or do you think it's me...?! I follow good prep procedures, but would it help to dehydrate more/keep gel even further away from the sidewalls etc?

I've told her I'll ask and do some more research, but bless her - I don't want her to waste her money if gel isn't going to work for her. Research is difficult and mainly looks at the health of the natural nail, with not much information on enhancements whilst taking the drug.

Thanks for listening, and your thoughts would be most welcome. Thanks x

 

[littlekate]

Reading your post her nails were ok bar some lifting after 2 weeks but she had problems when she left them 3 weeks so maybe they just got too long and out of balance and she would be better having infills every 2 weeks? I doubt it's anything you've done. Some people just don't look after them x

 

[elmojo]

Thanks, I have booked her in for 2 weeks again to see how she gets on. I'll drop her a text after a week or so to see how they're doing too. I've changed her from the almond shape she wanted to more square for a bit of added strength.

I was just worried the drug may have been a part of the problem.

 

[beesam]

Hi Elmojo,

I too have a client on this drug with the same problems in keeping the gel on. My client also has long ridges on most of her nails which is also not helping and seems to have been caused by the treatments she's had etc. Two weeks was the max she was getting, until I started using scrubfresh before applying first layer of gel and using Gelish Top It Off which seems to be working and have now managed 3 weeks! HTH

Sam x

 

[Mrs.Clooney]

Drugs taken for cancer treatment can and do have this effect on gel enhancements. If you are following your prep correctly, i would put the lifting down to her medication and previous illness.

 

[gillian w]

I wonder if they had Chemo and their nails have been affected by that and until the nail has completely grown out from the matrix from the time they had the treatment there will be problems as we know this can take months.My sister in laws nails were dreadful but are now fine and healthy although i have never put enhancements on her.She is on Tamoxifen as well as other meds.She had her last chemo session about 18 months ago and is now in remission.

 

[elmojo]

HI Ladies,

Thanks for your replies. I think I'll keep going with her, and just make sure I am doing the best job I can of her nails.

I haven't used scrubfresh as I use NSI products - but I do use their equivalent 'nail pure plus'. I'm not trained with CND therefore not able to open an account.

Thanks again xx

 

[gillian w]

HI Ladies,

Thanks for your replies. I think I'll keep going with her, and just make sure I am doing the best job I can of her nails.

I haven't used scrubfresh as I use NSI products - but I do use their equivalent 'nail pure plus'. I'm not trained with CND therefore not able to open an account.

Thanks again xx

You can open an account with Sweetsquared who supply CND in the uk you can purchase everything except their enhancement products like Brisa gel and their acrylic powders without training.

 

[souz]

any kind of medication or surgery that clients have had will take its toll on the body and quite often affects the hair and nails first, even pregnancy. as said 3 weeks is prob too long for her so would suggest 2 to 2.5 weeks at the moment between infills and then when she is better can extend x