Gel nail removal: what protects your natural nail and what helps it afterwards

Whether a salon takes your gel nails off or you do it yourself, it is often only once the gel is gone that you see how damaged the nails underneath look: they are thin, they bend, they split at the tips or have rough white patches. The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), the professional association for dermatologists in the United States, writes that gel can make nails brittle, peel or crack, and that picking or filing gel off can seriously damage them.

Why nails get thin after gel

Gel bonds firmly to the top layer of the natural nail, and when it is pulled off or levered up with a fingernail it takes that layer with it, so the nail gets a little thinner every time. Filing it off works in a similar way, because if the file or e-file goes too deep, it removes nail along with the gel. Acetone also dries out the skin and nails, and although that passes, the nails are more sensitive for a few days afterwards.

A thin patch stays until it has grown out towards the tip with the nail, and according to the AAD it takes about six months for a fingernail to grow back completely. If you want healthy nails after gel, what you need most is patience, because care keeps the nails supple and protects them from drying out, but the thin patch itself has to grow out. That makes it all the more worthwhile not to cause new damage when the gel comes off.

How gel is removed gently

Gentle removal mainly means working without force and not filing into the natural nail. At Anni Nails about 70 per cent of the material is first taken off by machine, but only down to the base layer, and the remaining 30 per cent or so is softened and carefully lifted off so that the natural nail is not damaged. Finally, a nourishing serum goes on the nails to help protect them from drying out.

"Gel Removal" takes about an hour and costs €25, and it does not include a manicure. If you would also like your cuticles cared for and your nails shaped afterwards, add "Manicure (File / Classic)", which takes about 50 minutes and costs €40. You can read how it works in the article on the file manicure.

If you want to stay with gel, you do not have to have it taken off completely every time. "Gel Refill + Manicure (short & medium length)" includes a manicure, the gel refill, levelling and reinforcing the natural nail, and a single-colour gel or a French. It takes about two and a half hours and costs €60, although Anastasia does not do extensions.

Removing gel nails at home: what matters

Do not pick or lever at the gel, even if a corner is already lifting, because that is exactly when the top layer of the nail comes away with it. For gel polish, which includes Shellac, the AAD describes a gentle method (the AAD's instructions):

1. Protect the skin and cuticles around your nails from the acetone with a little petroleum jelly.
2. For each nail, soak a piece of cotton wool cut to the size of the nail in pure acetone, place it on the nail and wrap the finger in cling film, firmly but not so tightly that you cut off the circulation (cling film, not aluminium foil).
3. Wait about ten minutes, take off the film and rub any remaining gel off the nail with a warm, damp washcloth.
4. Wash your hands with a mild soap, ideally fragrance-free, so that no acetone stays on the skin.
5. For a week, massage a little petroleum jelly into your cuticles and the skin around them every day.

This is how gel can be removed without a drill, but only if it dissolves in acetone, because some gels cannot be soaked off at all and have to be filed off. If nothing comes loose after soaking, it is better to leave the removal to a nail salon than to carry on with more force.

How to care for your natural nails afterwards

• Keep your nails short, so they catch less often and break less easily.
• Every evening, massage a little nail oil or cream into your nails and cuticles, and put on hand cream after washing your hands.
• Wear gloves for cleaning and washing up, because too much water can make nails split.
• File any tears smooth straight away with a fine file so that they do not tear further.
• If you would like colour, classic nail polish is a simple option for this time, because it dries without a UV lamp and comes off with ordinary nail polish remover.

If your hands are very dry after removal, "Paraffin Therapy for Hands" can do them good, and at Anni Nails it includes a gentle scrub, a moisturising serum, a paraffin mask and a nourishing cream mask. The paraffin mask works without a hot bath, and the treatment takes about 30 minutes and costs €25.

A nail break after gel: when it makes sense

The idea that nails need to "breathe" is not really true, because the nail is supplied through the nail bed and the nail root, not through its surface. A break can still make sense if your nails have become thin, because they can then grow out without any new strain and you get to see what your natural nail is really like. How long it should last depends on how far the thin patches have already grown towards the tip.

When to see a dermatologist

Not everything that looks different after gel is harmless, so have it checked by a doctor if

• the nail or the skin next to it hurts, is red or swollen, or there is pus,
• the nail is lifting off the nail bed,
• a nail changes colour, whether whitish, yellowish, greenish or dark,
• the skin on your fingers itches, turns red or blisters after a gel treatment, because that can be an allergy to ingredients in the gel.

If you would like your gel nails removed gently in Vienna, you can book an appointment online at Anni Nails, Schönbrunner Straße 253 in Meidling: Book an appointment. All treatments and their prices are listed under Services and prices.