Gel nails lifting: the causes and why you should not pull them off
If you find your gel nails lifting, the gel has lost its hold on the natural nail at one spot, for example at the base near the cuticle, along the side or at the tip. The cause may already lie in how the gel was applied, or it may come later, as the nail grows out and is exposed to water and knocks in everyday life. Until your next appointment, the best thing is to keep the nail dry and leave the loose gel alone, because pulling it off can take parts of the natural nail with it. If it is the nail itself lifting from the nail bed, though, that is something for a dermatologist.
Why gel lifts from the natural nail
Oil and water during application
A coating such as gel has to adhere to the top layer of the nail plate, and according to Doug Schoon on the trade site NailKnowledge, too much moisture and oil on that surface can stop the coating from bonding with the nail (NailKnowledge on oil and adhesion). Kevin Nicholls, also writing on NailKnowledge, says that a coating lifts easily if it is applied to a nail plate that has soaked up water (NailKnowledge on the cuticle). So do not put cream on your hands before a gel appointment, and try not to come straight from the bath or the washing-up.
When gel nails lift at the cuticle
A thin layer of dead skin sticks to the back of the nail plate, and according to Nicholls it joins the nail fold to the nail plate and so forms a seal that keeps germs away from the matrix, the part the nail grows from. He writes that only the part lying exposed on the nail plate is removed before a manicure, so that artificial nails do not lift, and that the seal at the nail fold has to stay intact. When artificial nails lift around the cuticle soon after they have been applied, Samuel Sweet writes in the trade magazine Nails Magazine that this is usually a sign that product has got onto the skin or the cuticle, and the most common reason for that is cuticle left on the nail plate (Nails Magazine). If this keeps happening to you, mention it at your next appointment.
The nail has grown since your last appointment
The gel moves forward with the nail, which leaves a strip without gel at the base. The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), the US professional association for dermatologists, says that if you want to wear artificial nails for longer than a few weeks, they need touching up every two to three weeks to fill the gaps that appear as the nail grows (the AAD on artificial nails).
Water and knocks in everyday life
Gel only holds as well as the layer of nail it sits on, and if that layer gives way itself, the gel comes away with it. According to the AAD, too much water can weaken your nails so that they split, peel or break, which is why it recommends wearing gloves when cleaning and washing up (the AAD's tips for healthy nails). Nails that are used as tools, for instance to open a drinks can, can also chip, split or even lift from the nail bed, the AAD says.
Why you should not pull gel nails off
Wherever the gel is still attached, it is firmly bonded to the top layer of the nail, so if you pull at a loose corner it can take parts of that layer with it. Schoon puts lasting damage to the nail down to mechanical force, such as scraping, prying or picking a coating off. An article from Cleveland Clinic calls peeling it off one of the worst things you can do to your nails, and the dermatologist quoted there, Chey Ranasinghe, names cracking and peeling as the most common results when gel is not removed carefully, adding that it can take months for the damaged nail to grow out (Cleveland Clinic on gel polish).
The AAD also warns that picking or filing off gel polish can seriously damage your nails, and according to dermatologist Shari Lipner it takes about six months for a fingernail to grow out completely (the AAD on removing gel polish). Peeling off Shellac is just as harmful, because a dermatological review describes Shellac as a combination of gel polish and regular nail polish that, like gel polish, hardens under a UV lamp (Wang and Lipner, 2024).
Gel lifting at the base or the edge: what to do until your appointment
The AAD advises against picking at gel or using other nails or tools to get it off, and recommends having it removed at an appointment instead (the AAD on gel manicures). Until then, you can do the following:
- Leave loose gel at the cuticle or along the side alone until it is removed at your appointment. If the free edge of the natural nail catches, file only that edge smooth with a fine file, always in the same direction, because according to the AAD filing back and forth can weaken your nails (the AAD on trimming nails). There is more on filing short nails in the article How to file short nails.
- If the nail has grown long, shorten it a little, because Lipner advises trimming nails with growing-out gel once a week so that they catch on clothing less often.
- Keep the nail as dry as you can and wear gloves when cleaning and washing up, because according to the AAD bacteria and fungi thrive in a moist environment.
- Keep looking after your hands and cuticles every day with cream and nail oil, because according to Ranasinghe this helps keep the nail under the gel strong.
- Book an appointment soon for a refill or for gel removal.
When the nail itself lifts off the nail bed
If only the gel is lifting, the gap lies between the gel and the nail, and the nail itself stays on the nail bed. With onycholysis, on the other hand, the nail lifts off the nail bed, and according to the AAD you will usually see white discolouration (the AAD on nail changes). Cleveland Clinic says that onycholysis usually does not hurt and that the part that has come away does not reattach to the nail bed (Cleveland Clinic on onycholysis).
The AAD names a fungal infection, psoriasis and injury from an aggressive manicure as common causes, and among other things Cleveland Clinic lists nails that are kept in water for too long, as well as chemicals in nail polish, nail polish remover and artificial nails. The AAD advises having any nail that lifts off the nail bed examined by a dermatologist, because an infection may need treating. Under opaque gel you sometimes only notice such a spot once the gel is off, and in that case it is better not to have new gel applied until it has been checked.
See a dermatologist as well if the nail or the skin next to it is painful, red or swollen, if there is pus or if the nail changes colour, because according to the AAD redness and swelling around a nail can be a sign of infection.
Refill or gel removal at Anni Nails in Meidling
If you would like to stay with gel, Anni Nails offers "Gel Refill + Manicure (short & medium length)", which includes a manicure, the gel refill, levelling and strengthening of the natural nail and a single gel colour or French, takes about two and a half hours and costs €60. Anastasia works only with short nails for this and does not do extensions.
If you would rather get rid of the gel, "Gel Removal" takes about an hour and costs €25: about 70 per cent of the material is taken down to the base layer with the drill, the remaining 30 per cent is softened and removed carefully so that the natural nail is not damaged, and finally a nourishing serum goes on the nails. A manicure is not included, and for that there is "Manicure (File / Classic)", which takes about 50 minutes and costs €40. What to watch out for if you take gel off at home is covered in the article Gel nail removal.
Anastasia has been doing manicures for more than ten years, and every treatment includes a personal consultation on caring for your nails and the skin on your hands. If you have any allergies, skin conditions or health concerns, please mention them before the treatment.
The studio is at Schönbrunner Straße 253, 1120 Vienna, and is open from 9 am to 8 pm Monday to Saturday and on Sundays on request. The prices of all treatments are listed under Services and prices, and you can find a free slot under Book an appointment.
