Manicure services in our country are becoming more and more popular with the female population every year. According to market research, every year a woman spends an average of 5 thousand rubles to put her nails in order and maintain them in a presentable condition. And this is only the bottom line of indicators. The list of services of nail salons is very diverse, but nail extension is considered the most profitable procedure. Any modern salon is now unthinkable without the provision of this service, as it is in high demand among customers.
Pros of building
To have beautiful and well-groomed hands has become as much a necessity as a regular haircut and a visit to a cosmetologist. Hands are the business card of any woman, and in order to look no worse than others, people are ready to spend money. The idea to build artificial polymer nails came to us from the United States of America, where this technique is successfully practiced, firmly entering everyday life 50 years ago. Artificial nails are much easier to care for, and for those ladies whose nail plate is not perfect in nature, or when thin and weak nails cannot be grown to optimal sizes, the extension is just a panacea.
It is worth noting that currently men began to turn to nail modeling services as well, for whom their appearance is important as part of their image, profession or status.
The artificial nail modeling procedure has a number of undeniable positive properties. Let's consider in more detail what this benefit consists of:
- the use of polymeric materials allows you to increase the length of a natural nail, significantly strengthening the nail plate itself;
- using certain techniques, you can correct the shape of the nail if there are any hereditary defects or traumatic consequences, and it is impossible to fix them in another way;
- perfectly executed extension procedure helps even visually adjust the shape and length of the fingers;
- the problem of broken and bitten nails is radically solved, moreover, artificial nails wean their owner from addiction, because beautifully made nails want to admire, not to bite them;
- polymer nails help many women get rid of complexes that they often have in connection with ugly nails;
- sometimes an artificial nail plays the role of a kind of implant in case of extensive damage to the nail, when it takes time for it to grow and not cause pain.
The beauty industry owes much to the birth of nails from polymer materials to dentists. By trial and error, manicurists came to the conclusion that dental materials based on acrylic are most suitable for modeling nails. Acrylic powder and a liquid for its polymerization became the first preparations for building. Today, to simulate the nail plate, in addition to acrylic, a special gel, shellac, fiberglass is used. Each material has its own characteristics, not only by the application method, but also by the characteristics of the finished result.
Determining which material is better is clearly impossible. Each of them has its own advantages and disadvantages. For example, acrylic nails during their creation require more time and skill of the master, but in the process of work you will have to endure the unpleasant smell of polymerizing liquid. Gel nails have their own peculiarity - polymerization of this material occurs under the influence of ultraviolet rays, and you will not experience unpleasant odors during the procedure.
But when removing such nails, large quantities of solvents are used, and here you can’t do without odors.
Minuses
The procedure for building the nail plate, in addition to its advantages, has some drawbacks, which you, of course, need to know before making a decision - to do this manipulation for yourself or to refrain from it. Most often, troubles arise not through the fault of polymeric materials, but because of insufficient qualifications of the masters performing the building. In the process of work, the master needs to take into account many nuances, and for this he needs to undergo specialized training so as not to cause harm to the client unknowingly.
Of course, a professional will ask for certain money for his quality work, and it is possible that his tariffs will be an order of magnitude higher than that of self-taught masters. But as you know, avaricious pays twice and he harms his nails in the hope of saving.
If the technology of building up and using low-quality polymeric materials is not followed, the consequences after performing a low-quality procedure can be very different. We list the most common.
- Infection of the nail plate. Loose adhesion of the polymer to the nail plate leaves a small gap where moisture and dirt get into when washing your hands. It sometimes happens that the nail plate is forgotten to be sanitized before applying polymer materials. All these reasons are the culprits of reproduction under the artificial coating of bacteria and algae. Outwardly, this situation is manifested by the appearance of green or black spots under the extended nail.
- Thinning or injury to the nail plate. Before applying the artificial polymer composition, the nail needs to be slightly sanded with a file to remove excess grease and smooth the surface.And when carrying out corrective work, it is often necessary to cut off the remnants of polymeric materials. If you overdo it, the nail plate can be thinned, it will become soft and thin, like paper. Sometimes self-taught masters can tear off an artificial nail with forceps, while removing the layer of your nail plate. You will not feel pain, but your nail will be noticeably thinner and softer.
It is useless to apply materials to the thinned plate, since there will be no strong adhesion to the nail, and peeling is guaranteed.
- Injury due to excessive nail length. With the wrong ratio of the size of the nail bed and the length of the artificial nail, you can get a very significant injury in the process of wearing polymer nails in the form of a deep fracture of your nail plate. If the so-called lever of the free edge of the nail is too long, then at the slightest carelessness it will break out part of your nail plate from the opposite side. There have been cases when your nail simply plucked from the nail bed. This is a very painful injury, since a person has nerve endings under the nail plate.
- Sawn nails. Often, to simplify the procedure for removing polymer materials from the nail, manicure masters use electric machines with various nozzles in the form of a so-called cutter. Sawing off the material, the master can damage your living nail by sawing a transverse groove on it. This happens quite quickly, since the cutter removes in one pass much more than a simple file. In addition, with this procedure, the nail plate heats up very quickly due to friction, and you can feel pain. Damaged nails in this way take a long time to repair, they are prone to breaking off and cracking, and transverse grooves will cause peeling of materials during extension, which is very harmful to a living nail.
- Traumatic cuticle damage. In preparation for the extension procedure, the master should process your cuticle. Most often, it is removed by cutting with special tweezers. Injury in this case is very likely.
In addition, you must be sure that the master uses sterile tools, otherwise hepatitis C infection or HIV infection can become a reality for you.
- Allergic manifestations. Such troubles can happen when the master begins to mix products for modeling various manufacturers, arbitrarily begins to change the proportions and consistencies of the drugs, or violates the technology of work. For example, there is a rule - do not touch the chemical components of the skin and cuticle, in violation of which there may be irritation of the epidermis or even a chemical burn.
These disadvantages can be completely avoided if the work is done efficiently, without violating the technology of using materials. As a rule, troubles most often occur with self-taught masters who work at home at home or with a client.
In the salon, such neglect of the client’s health can cost the reputation of the entire establishment, therefore, all conditions are created for the safe execution of the procedure.
Common myths
Since the advent of nail modeling services with polymer materials, she has appeared supporters and opponents. Around this topic there are various myths and speculations about how harmful it is to the body's health to use artificial chemical materials. Manufacturers of polymeric materials provide clarification and comment on the truth and speculation from a scientific point of view.
- Polymeric materials for modeling spoil their nail plates - such conclusions sound often from the lips of a layman. On this occasion, the American chemist Shun Douglas, the author of a scientific paper entitled "The structure of nails and chemical products", once spoke out. He writes that not modeling materials spoil natural nails, but masters.And it’s hard to disagree. It happens that customers do not distinguish modeling with polymers from the usual gluing of plastic tips, which can be bought at a stall selling low-quality cosmetics. Tips can be colored, with drawings, a tube of glue must be attached to them. Glue does not stick tips well, but it damages the nail plate well. Sometimes, in order to firmly stick the tips, they use universal glue for household chores, which glues everything from paper to metal.
The results of such creativity are shocking - the nail plate is simply burned through. And of course, those who invented building up with polymers, who did not bring information about what this procedure is, and why it cannot be repeated independently in your kitchen, are to blame.
- Materials for polymer building cause oncology - this myth was debunked back in the 70s in the United States. As already mentioned, the ancestors of polymers for nail modeling were materials that were used in dentistry. Over time, they were replaced by more plastic products, since those that are used for filling seals were too hard and led to breaking off or chips of nails. However, the basis of these materials is the same. Agree that the materials used by dentists have passed hundreds of tests and studies, confirming their non-involvement in oncology.
- Pregnant women should not be contacted with polymeric materials. Let us again turn to the research of Douglas Shoon from the USA. According to research, it was found that polymers are no more harmful than ordinary nail polish. And although they contain components of toluene and formaldehyde that are harmful to the fetus, their amount is present in such micro doses that there is no danger to either the mother or the baby. Of course, the master (especially if the client is pregnant) during the procedure must comply with sanitary standards - wash hands, do not eat food in the workplace, close the lids with chemicals.
The only nuance during pregnancy may be the fact that due to the hormonal characteristics of the body, the humidity of the nail plate may increase, and the adhesion of the polymer will be reduced - the nails may not hold well.
- Dust from polymeric materials is harmful - this is the opinion. Professionals say that nails are created with a brush, and not with a file. The higher the skill and professionalism - the less you have to cut and get dust. Inhaling any dust is harmful to our lungs, therefore it is necessary to apply safety measures - wear a respirator and clean your workplace in a timely manner.
Before deciding for yourself the question of nail extension, consult with the masters, ask them all the questions that concern you. It is better to get information from a professional source than to believe rumors and speculation.
Professional Tips
If you become the owner of extended nails, you must remember that you need to treat them carefully so that they do not become a source of injury for you. Artificial nails do not need any special additional care, but the skin of your hands needs it. Professionals advise softening the skin of the fingers and the area of the cuticle by rubbing special oils or creams. You need to do this daily, and the procedure takes only 1-2 minutes.
After 3-4 weeks, you need to come to a correction. Self-correction or removal of nails is strictly not recommended. And if you have a material detachment or breakdown, you need to get to the master as soon as possible to eliminate this problem, since it can lead to more serious consequences.
To see if nail extension is harmful, see the next video.
