May sound like a silly question but Im just curious if anyone here has regular gel nail polish? Is it considered safe when nails are delicate due to lupus and raynauds?
Ive had gel polish before, but I found the removal of the gel painful with the scraping technique the nail technician does. My hands are very discoloured generally due to lupus and severe raynauds, but my nails just look unsightly, and Im almost hiding my fingers as Im embarrassed. Pretty nail paints is such a thing now, Im considering just going ahead and treating myself to a gel polish despite the pain of removal as I hate looking at them. Regular paint just chips off within a few hours, so I dont bother with it.
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Shann07
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I do but it’s really important to find a good salon and technician and pay a bit more if need be.
I always insist that they only use a nail file to buff up the old polish and then wrap the nails in foil. Never let them use the drill tops to get rid of polish. If the foil is left on long enough it will soak off the gel and it just flakes off.
Also I always only use OPI or shellac polish as I find no issues with those. I hope it works for you.
also check which type of lamp the salon uses to cure the polish older lamps were UV light, newer lamps are LEDs, if you are concerned about the light exposure you could buy light blocking fingerless gloves which just expose the tips of the fingers.
I also find if your nails are a bit dry after the gel removal use a cuticle all every day
I have mine done all the time on and refilled then off and straight back on again so I always got nails on and I have never had any problems with it. I do have a good place that I go to though which does help a lot. I hate my nails that’s why I have mine done and I have to have the LED light the UV light does effect me a lot that’s the only thing I had trouble with so as long as I don’t use that I am all good with them.
My own nails are atrocious and whenever I can't have both acrylic nails and gel Polish (hospital stay for instance) the ends of my fingers hurt and my own nails continually flake, split and bend painfully. I have to carry an emery board with me and file several times a day.
That is nothing new and as a teenager I despaired of ever having nice nails but for the last 15 years at least I've always had my nails 'enhanced'! 😁
I do have SLE, Raynauds, CKD, Sjogrens , etc - all those usual Lupus extras but have not had medical problems with my nails.
Pumpkin72 and Star23 have given good advice to consider. Probably once a year I have my acrylic removed completely by soaking and gentle removal but I have it replaced immediately and then colour changed around every 3 weeks. My toenails are done as well with the gel nail varnish only but not so frequently as it's not needed.
I'm retired now but when I worked it meant I never had to worry about how my nails looked or felt as they always look good. I have a very natural and short shape so most people think they're my nails!
Best of luck to you and I hope you love your nails if/when you have them done. 👋
I’ve always had my nails done, When I first got diagnosed and came to this site a lot of people put me off and I got scared so I stopped doing them. I then became more confident with my condition and 3 years on I still get them done and it’s perfectly fine.
I have my nails done every 3 weeks with no problem and have done for years. I would just make sure you go to a good salon (no-one should be scraping your nails with anything, they should be wrapping your nails in foil). However every so often I just leave the gel off for about a week to give my nails a breather. Also I have a gel called Builder Gel which helps your nails stay stronger.
Really I cannot see a problem, just try it - Good Luck!
Hi, sorry this is more of the negative side. I used to have gel nails as my nails were so bad and some even go black under the nail. Until some got accidentally pulled off and the left my nails partly detached from my finger and they have never repaired themselves since the trauma. Because all the trauma of removing the gels left my nails very thin and damaged I can’t go without them now so I do my own. They don’t last as long but is much more gentle on my nails.
Hi Shann I pay a bit more for a really good nail technician who uses shellac on my fingernails.
I suffer from split,and broken fingernails which sometimes got infected before I started going to her. I am now complimented on my nails and feels that her care adds a layer of protection,it’s nice to feel good about your appearance.
She also cuts my toenails and keeps them free from ingrowns which I am also prone to.
Well it was/is hard for me to give up but I have. Only had my nails done for kids’ weddings last 12 years then off it comes. Your nails are a siren of your health status sometimes before anything else. I keep them short and put a pale pink on if anything. It’s like anything else really. Sooner or later the consequences of the nail vanities will show themselves. Just like getting our hair dyed. I asked myself if it was worth it and came up Empty. Lupus takes away and pares us down. But you know, I’m okay with that. 🌼🌼
Thank you everyone for taking the time to reply. Its very reassuring that so many of you have no issues with treating yourself to a gel manicure. I will tak the advice and seek out a well experienced technician and I definately will be requesting the gel is soaked off for removal! Lupus has robbed me off so much i.e thinning hair, rashes and pain, Im going to treat myself to nice manicured nails for summer lol 🌸
I do my own gel nails. I got a light box from Argos and buy my gel polish from a company called Mylee, available in Boots. They do a wonderful gel remover in a bottle so you don't have to use foil or scrape. I suppose you could buy a bottle of that and ask the technician to use it. I know we're not supposed to use the light box because of the UV, but I really miss my nails as my hands are full of arthritis and I already feel punished enough on my bad days and feel sorry for myself. I gave up wearing gels last year because of the UV advice, but I felt so rubbish, without my gels and my nails were awful, splitting vertically, peeling and just looked generally like I couldn't be bothered. So this year I've decided to risk it again. I feel so much more human now. Vain? shallow? maybe? I do all the other stuff - SPF 50; Solbari clothes and hat, not going out in the sun, etc, that I've decided to give myself permission with my nails. Doing your own gels is much easier than painting your nails with nail varnish and some of that is pretty toxic tbf. Hope you get it sorted.
HelloI have Lupus and have my nails painted every 3 weeks. I have acrylic infill with gel polish and finish but I suggest you try something simpler if you find paint removal painful. Good luck 🩷💜
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