American Academy of Dermatology<\/a>, a separated nail won’t reattach on its own because it has lost its blood supply and connection to the nail bed.<\/p>\nSeeing a doctor right away gives the best chance for the nail to reattach properly.<\/p>\n
The doctor may remove the damaged part of the nail and bandage the finger to protect it while the nail bed heals. They can also prescribe antibiotics to prevent infection. With prompt treatment, the nail has a good chance of growing back attached normally over the next several months.<\/p>\n
You have signs of a nail infection<\/h3>\n
Nail infections are common after acrylic nail damage. Signs include redness, swelling, throbbing pain, pus, foul odor, and changes in nail color or texture. If you notice these, see your doctor because untreated fungus and bacterial infections can lead to permanent nail deformities or even finger bone infections.<\/p>\n
For nail fungus, your doctor may prescribe oral antifungal medication. Bacterial infections are treated with antibiotic pills or creams. Catching infections quickly leads to better outcomes. Using over-the-counter antifungal creams without an official diagnosis can worsen the infection.<\/p>\n
Home care isn’t improving nails after 2 months<\/h3>\n
It’s normal for nails to look damaged right after removing acrylics – they may have uneven surfaces, ridges, or white spots. With proper home care like moisturizing and filing, nails should start to improve within 8 weeks.<\/p>\n
If your nails still look unhealthy after 2 months, see your doctor to rule out underlying conditions. Damaged nails could result from medical issues like psoriasis, eczema, diabetes, or nutritional deficiencies. Identifying and managing these leads to better nail regrowth.<\/p>\n
The doctor can suggest prescription treatments like ointments, injections, or oral medications tailored to your condition. Following their treatment plan gives you the best chance of getting your nails back to full health.<\/p>\n
How to Prevent Nail Damage When Getting Acrylics<\/h2>\nHave acrylics removed properly by a technician<\/h3>\n
One of the biggest causes of nail damage from acrylics is improper removal. Skipping your nail appointment and trying to remove acrylics yourself can lead to peeling, cracking, and thinning of the natural nail.<\/p>\n
The safest way to remove acrylic nails is by having a professional technician soak them in acetone and gently file off the product. This helps avoid ripping off layers of your real nail. Leaving acrylics on too long can also weaken the nail bed.<\/p>\n
Staying on schedule for fill appointments every 2-3 weeks can help prevent lifting and breakage.<\/p>\n
Give nails a break between sets<\/h3>\n
Giving your natural nails a chance to breathe in between acrylic sets is crucial for maintaining nail health. Acrylic nails don’t allow any moisture to reach the natural nail plate, leading to dryness and brittleness.<\/p>\n
Taking a break of 2-4 weeks between sets allows moisture to get to the nail bed and helps strengthen nails. You can use a nourishing oil to massage into nails and cuticles during acrylic-free weeks. This gives overworked nails time to recover!<\/p>\n
Use a nourishing nail strengthener<\/h3>\n
Using a nail strengthener underneath acrylics can majorly improve nail health. Strengtheners work by providing extra protein to nails to help reinforce thin or peeling ones. When applied regularly under acrylics, strengtheners act as a protective barrier against damage.<\/p>\n
They also keep nails more flexible so they don’t crack or split as easily. Look for strengtheners containing hydrolyzed wheat protein and calcium, both of which fortify weak nails. Using cuticle oil daily will also hydrate the nail bed and prevent excessive dryness from acrylics.<\/p>\n
Avoid very long or thick acrylics<\/h3>\n
The longer or thicker your acrylic nails, the more stress it puts on your natural nails. Very long nails beyond your fingertip add a lot of pressure and risk of cracking or breaking. Having acrylics applied too thickly also strains the nail bed as it has to work harder to support the weight.<\/p>\n
This can pull up the natural nail underneath over time. To reduce the risk of damage, keep acrylics at a shorter, moderate length and ask your tech for a medium thickness. Thinner acrylics are gentler on nails than thick, bulky ones!<\/p>\n
Conclusion<\/h2>\n
While acrylic and gel nail enhancements can damage the natural nail underneath, almost always this damage is temporary. With diligent nail care over the next few months and avoiding additional acrylic or gel polish applications until your nails recover, you should be able to regain strong, healthy nails.<\/p>\n
Be patient through the healing process. It can take 12 weeks or longer to see significant improvement. Avoid picking at nails or peeling layers, which slows regrowth. If you take excellent care of your natural nails moving forward, they’ll soon look and feel better than ever!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
If you recently removed your acrylic or gel nail enhancements and noticed your natural nails are damaged underneath, you’re not alone. Many people struggle with brittle, thin, cracked, or even separated nails after taking off acrylics or other nail extensions that were glued onto the natural nail plate. Here’s the good news: With some TLC,Almost…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2659,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":2,"label":"Nail Guide"}]},"featured_image_src_large":["https:\/\/www.vampy-varnish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/damaged-nail-bed-after-acrylic.webp",1005,699,false],"author_info":{"display_name":"Amanda Smith","author_link":"https:\/\/www.vampy-varnish.com\/author\/chris\/"},"comment_info":0,"category_info":[{"term_id":2,"name":"Nail Guide","slug":"nail-guide","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":1279,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":2,"category_count":1279,"category_description":"","cat_name":"Nail Guide","category_nicename":"nail-guide","category_parent":0}],"tag_info":false,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.vampy-varnish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/damaged-nail-bed-after-acrylic.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vampy-varnish.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/882"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vampy-varnish.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vampy-varnish.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vampy-varnish.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vampy-varnish.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=882"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.vampy-varnish.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/882\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vampy-varnish.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2659"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vampy-varnish.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=882"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vampy-varnish.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=882"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vampy-varnish.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=882"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}