UV Gel Manicures: Are They Right for Your Nails?

Question
I've never been able to maintain long natural nails; they always break once they get to a certain length.  I am now wearing an acrylic filling over my long natural nails but im not happy because i know that if I have the acrylic removed, my nails will be even weaker than before I had the acrylic put on.  Not to mention that the acrylic always makes my nails look big and bulky.  Is UV Gel for me?  I want natural looking nails and I want to minimize the damage to my natural nail.  Is it possible to make a transition from acrylic to uv gel nails with minimal damage?  How will I know if a nail tech knows what they are doing? What is the average cost for removal of the acrylic and to have the uv gel put on?

Answer
Hi Daisy,

First, I'd like to clear things up for you a bit. Both 'Acrylic" and "UV Gel" are acrylics.  Just in different forms. Also, BOTH may be applied to look natural, and NEITHER damage the natural nail.  it's a poor technician that's not doing her job right that damages natural nails.  Neither product is better than the other (except in the case of acrylic that is MMA based).  

Some UV Gel companies/Technicians will try to 'fool' you and tell you that UV Gel is better because it's "natural" and "organic".  It's not natural nor organic in the sense that you might think. Organic means it contains carbons, as do many things.  It doesn't mean it's edible LOL  It's a play on words in advertising because they know how the public thinks what organic means. (see the dictionary for this, you might laugh)  UV Gel is a polymer aka plastic.

Yes, sometimes when enhancements are removed, the natural nail is 'softer' and 'appears' thinner EVEN if the technician is a good one and did NOT damage your nails. The reason for this is they've been protected from the elements and so they are not dried out and dehydrated from air and water and chemicals found in cleaning products.  As for them 'appearing' thinner, this is due to you becoming accustomed to the thickness of an enhancement. Again, this is assuming the tech is not a bad tech, but a very good and skilled one.

On this page of my site, you'll find explanations for the differences in enhancement systems:   http://ongles-chez-victoria.tripod.com/victoriasnails/id16.html

And on this one, you'll learn the dangers of MMA and how to choose a GOOD technician:    http://ongles-chez-victoria.tripod.com/victoriasnails/id18.html

Pricing for enhancements and removal of them differs from one town to the next, from one country to another.  I'm unable to answer your question in this case.

I hope that I've been able to answer your questions.
Please feel free to contact me again.
Best regards.
Victoria