Questionmy girlfriend has lcn nails and just loves them. in the past i've has both acrylic and gel nails. the gel nails were too thick for me and i know, i know, i know, nails don't breathe, but i felt like i needed to get them off . . . to breathe. also it took two hours to get the gel nails off and i had to rest my fingers in a little container of fluid that vibrated, but it gave me so many shocks she had to unplug the machine. i'm hesitant to try anything anymore concerning nails, but i'm curious about lcn nails and what they are about and how (and if) they differ from gel or acrylic nails. (i've read other posts here and was glad to read that it shouldn't hurt to get gel nails off, but my nails hurt SO much after. they also 'buffed' the nail down to paper !)
AnswerDear Caroline,
It sounds like you unfortunately had the experience of suffering at the hands of a poorly skilled or unqualified technician.
Nail enhancements, whether they are UV Gel or Acrylic A) do NOT hurt to put on, or remove B) do NOT damage natural nails.
An electric file should NEVER touch the natural nail, and should ONLY be used on the product.
Both QUALITY acrylics and QUALITY uv gel are equal in performance.
However, there are technicians that use ILLEGAL and toxic acrylic because it costs 1/3 the price of Quality Acrylic and Quality UV Gel, so they make a bigger profit. Some of these technicians even tell clients that the acrylic is actually a uv gel, simply becuase it says "Uv gel" on the container.
Now, if your friend indeed has LCN uv gel, that's great. And if her tech is qualified and well trained, that's another bonus. There are unfortunately MANY techs out there that are not.
LCN is simply a 'brand' of uv gel, and is NOT a guarantee that the technician is good.
Most uv gels must be filed off OR filed to their thinnest layer and then left to grow out so that the file never touches the natural nail. There are a few 'soakables' that will remove in acetone, but not many brands of UV Gel can be soaked in Acetone. Most are resilient to Acetone.
Also, since enhancements are made to 'stick' the nail, if you pick at them, that will cause damage because you are forcing them off.
Quality Acrylic nails should be soaked off within 20min, 30 at most without any filing. Anything longer, you should be concerned that it's MMA (toxic acrylic)
This page on my site will explain all the in's and out's of toxic products, and how to avoid poorly trained and/or unethical technicians:
http://ongles-chez-victoria.tripod.com/victoriasnails/id18.html
Both UV Gel and Quality Acrylic can be applied thinly. UV Gel is usually 'lighter' in feel and not as heavy as Acrylic.
My best advice to you is to find a GOOD technician using quality products. Usually, this will cost more than the nail bars or discount salons. BUT you will be more satisfied with the performance and likely NOT have damaged nails.
Best of luck, and feel free to ask me questions any time
Victoria
