Urgent advice needed with very damaged nails, please!

[Russian doll]

I had a new client come in last week. She just had her enhancements removed. She said it was gel (it was in some black jar), but they soaked it off (?). I'm not sure what kind of product it was, some sort of soak of gel (they did it over the tips)? Anyway, her nails were in a horrific state (too bad I didn't take a picture). Super thin, weak, peeling, pink and sore. They also had this weird texture, almost like a fish scale or something like that, not smooth at all. Not sure if it was from removal with a drill or from constant refills (which she did every 2 weeks). I did IBX and a manicure, but could not buff her nails at all, because they were so sore and thin already. So obviously I could not fix the texture...I put Vinylux on them, just to make them look a bit prettier.
She's coming tomorrow again, and texted me that her nails are really bad, all peeled and broke and if I could put some gel on them to make them stronger. I explained to her last time that her nails need to grow out and get a bit stronger before I could proceed to apply gel again. Otherwise she'd end up with the same problem because of which she had them removed (very bad lifting). My original plan was to do the IBX again and put Shellac on this time to give her a bit more strength. But now I'm not sure Shellac will last either.
What would you do with nails like this? Normally clients understand that it will take some time for their nails to get back to normal, and are fine with doing natural nails treatments for awhile and giving it time. But this particular client, I can tell, is very impatient, and really wants her nails to be beautiful again like NOW, lol. Any suggestion on what's the best to do to make her happy?! I do Shellac, hard gel (Brisa), l&p (although not much experience there) and manicures.
Thank you very much for your help!

 

[TLC beauty]

I'd be tempted to advise against hard gel and l&p but recommend shellac with ibx and explain due to her condition she may need to return sooner. Lots of solar oil needed

 

[Carolin]

I reckon that black jar is the cheap bluesky uv/led soak of gel, as I've seen it on web looking for led gel (for less time) it is in a black jar look it up. Seen it on amazon aswell. Probably why so sore and damaged.

 

[sal365]

I have a client just like this, her nails after years of acrylic are paper thin and just crumble when I file. The damage nail is nearly grown out now so I am praying the new nail will bring strength when it reaches the free edge. Also praying that ibx will help her when I get it on Monday. I see her every week to 10 days at the moment and her brisa smoothing and shellac will be chipping off by then. I am really hoping ibx does the trick otherwise I am stumped.

 

[Russian doll]

I have a client just like this, her nails after years of acrylic are paper thin and just crumble when I file. The damage nail is nearly grown out now so I am praying the new nail will bring strength when it reaches the free edge. Also praying that ibx will help her when I get it on Monday. I see her every week to 10 days at the moment and her brisa smoothing and shellac will be chipping off by then. I am really hoping ibx does the trick otherwise I am stumped.

That sounds pretty much like this client. I KNOW she needs to grow the damage out, and have told her exactly that. I also know she's not going to keep coming back every week (this week is an exception because she has a party to go to), and she really wants to see a quick improvement. I don't see Shellac lasting on her very long IBX has done wonders for my other client (obviously with much less severe problems!) even from the first treatment. But sounds like it did nothing to help her, although I could swear I could feel her nails get stronger after I've done IBX!!! I hope she wasn't picking at them!
I really want to help her, but I don't see anything I can do at the moment to get her that instant beauty for her nails she's looking for! What if she keeps insisting on getting the gel?!

 

[sleepingbeauty]

Do you not use Brisa Lite? That followed by Shellac?

If not I would layer those damaged nails with a layer of silk. Apply a clear soft layer of either something like Bio Sculpture or failing that clear Shellac and proceed with the overlay...

With Bio Sculpture Gel, I'd have that sorted no problem. But if you don't have that system then you'd have to improvise with your Shellac & silk...

 

[Russian doll]

Do you not use Brisa Lite? That followed by Shellac?

If not I would layer those damaged nails with a layer of silk. Apply a clear soft layer of either something like Bio Sculpture or failing that clear Shellac and proceed with the overlay...

With Bio Sculpture Gel, I'd have that sorted no problem. But if you don't have that system then you'd have to improvise with your Shellac & silk...

I don't know how to do silk, never learned it unfortunately Sleepingbeauty, can you tell me how is Bio Sculpture Gel different from Brisa hard gel? I mean how it would have a different kind of effect on this kind of nails then any other gel?
I never got Brisa lite just because I never saw a point in it for me personally (well, as of yet-just started my business a few months ago!). I either have natural nail clients or every 2 weeks Shellacers and neither of them would pay for it every time they see me. Or I have enhancement clients that love their hard gel! I was actually thinking to finally get it for those few clients that can't keep Shellac on very long because of their nail condition, but then got IBX-and it seems to be working!

 

[Russian doll]

Just wanted to update after the client left in the end I did talk her out of getting gel done just yet, and we just did the IBX again and put some light Shellac on. I was actually pleasantly surprised at the condition of her nails, I guess because of how she described them to be so horrible in the text. They were much better then last time, and after taking the polish off (yes, it was still there after a week!) and buffing a tiny bit and doing IBX again they were not so bad at all! I now could clearly see the texture came from frequent refills (those rings of fire!). But Shellac covered it really nicely. My only worry is that with her nails being so weak and no free edge at all Shellac will not last her long. But she was very happy when she left and I just hope she will have a bit of patience thanks to Shellac and let her nails heal!