Are Gel Manicures Good for Your Nails?

Photo by Element5 Digital on Unsplash

Gel manicures used to be my favorite thing to get at the nail salon. I was never a fan of acrylic nails because it was expensive, it always hurt to remove them, and I am the most impatient person. So I never had time to wait for my nails to dry from regular nail polish. By default, gel manicure was my go-to.

With gel, my nails dried instantly! It stayed on longer compared to regular polish, and it barely chipped. After a couple of months of getting gel manicures, however, I noticed something. My nails were becoming weaker and thinner. In fact, they were so thin that when I did not have gel polish on they almost hurt. It made me wonder if gel manicures are good for your healthy nails? The short answer is no.

That’s right, the most common manicure (gel) is not entirely healthy for your natural nail.

Why gel manicures are problematic

According to a study by the Miami School of Medicine, gel manicures do cause your nails to thin and weaken. (Pretends to be shocked). Okay, I’m joking, but the study showed that people who continually get gel manicures have weaker nails compared to people who do not. The study is not entirely sure why, but it’s believed the way the nail technicians remove the gel or because of the acetone. Also, the LED light is not the best for the skin on your hands. Sure, the LED light is better for your skin than the previous UV lights. However, this light can still cause some damage if you continually get gel manicures.

All hope isn’t lost though!

Okay, so gel isn’t the most TERRIBLE thing you can do for your nails. If you love your gel manicures and don’t want to rid of them, consider the following:

• Do NOT get gel manicures back to back. This will thin out your nails and lead to breakage.

• Don’t pick off your gel polish, even if you want to! When you peel off the gel polish, you’re also peeling off a layer of your actual nail. YIKES!

• After placing your nails in under the light, moisturize with lotion.