Is Acrylic Overlay Bad for Your Nails?

1. Thin Out Nails

As acrylic overlays need to be placed on your natural nails it can damage your nails. There is a possibility that it can weaken your nails and thin them out. Thin nails are the main reason for unhealthy nails as they can break easily. When you are sanding out your nails, you are thinning out your nails leaving barely any nails.

2. Difficult Removing process

Acrylic overlays can damage your nail beds while removing them. The most popular way to remove acrylic overlays is to cover your nails with acetone-soaked cotton balls. Acetone is a powerful solvent that not only gets rid of stubborn nail polish stains but also strips natural oils from your skin.

3. UV Lamp

To cure acrylic overlays, we need UV. UV lamp has long-term side effects. It can damage DNA and increase the chances of skin diseases. Those people we love to get their acrylic overlays done within weeks, they have constant exposure to UV lights. This exposure can break down the nails or make them thin out.

4. Bacteria or Fungus Infection

If you do not clean your nails before application or apply acrylic overlays properly, bacteria or fungus can develop under the acrylic. It can lead to infections. When you notice a gap between the material and your natural nail, a nail fungus can attack your nail beds. As soon as you notice discoloration on your nails, you must contact a doctor.

5. Allergic Reactions

Some people may experience allergic reactions to acrylic overlays. You may face mild skin irritation and anaphylaxis. When these chemicals come into contact with your skin, they can cause rash anywhere in the body including the eyelids, face neck. You can also experience breathing problems.

1. Choose a Reputable Nail Salon

If you do not apply acrylic overlays properly, it can damage your nails. You need to choose a reputable nail salon so that they can add or remove your acrylic overlays professionally. UV lamps are more harmful to our skin than LED lights. So you can still cure your acrylic overlays using LED. You need to choose a salon that uses LED curing instead of UV curing. LED lights also take less time to cure which reduces your UV exposure.

2. Waterproof  Gloves

If you want to make your acrylic overlays last long, you need to take proper care of them. You need to wear waterproof gloves when you are doing household chores or gardening. These gloves will protect your artificial nails from dust and keep them fresh and shiny. Water can weaken your nails and make them loose. This glove will also keep your acrylic overlays dry and protect them from chipping.

3. Nail Oil

You also need to keep your nails moisturized so that they do not become stiff. This stiffness can be the cause of acrylic overlay breaking. Consistently applying cuticle oil can make your acrylic overlays last longer. You can apply two drops of nail oil twice a day to keep your nails moisturized and healthy. This oil can also protect your nails from bacterial and fungal infections. This nail oil also softens your cuticle so that you can push your cuticle back easily without any pain.

4. Retouch Acrylic Overlays

If you notice that your nail has regrown, your nail technician will retouch your nails every 2 to 3 weeks to keep them fresh and clean. They will fill out the area where the nail has grown out. Then they will file, buff, and oil the nails to keep them fresh and new. If you avoid retouching your nails, the regrown nail will have the highest chance of fungal infection. If you notice chipping on your acrylic overlays, contact your nail technician immediately.

5. Give Your Natural Nails a Break

If you continuously apply acrylic overlays over your natural nails, it can damage your nail growth. After using acrylic overlays for a long time, you should avoid applying acrylic overlays for 3 to 6 months. This time period will help your natural nails to grow and you can take care of your nails properly. You must get your nails off by a professional nail technician.

6. Alternative Nail Treatments

You can also protect your nails by applying alternative nail treatments. Gel extensions are one of the best options. You can also shape and choose different colors similar to acrylic overlays. Or you can simply take a break from long nails and apply regular nail polish.

1. Strong and Durable Nails

Acrylic overlays provide extra protection that makes your natural nails prone to breakage. As they will protect and strengthen your natural nails. Acrylic overlays are more durable than acrylic nails, as they will not fade their colors after some time and keep up with their realistic appearances.

2. Extra Protection

Acrylic overlays are put on your natural nails. Doing this protects your natural nails from dust, bacteria, and discoloration. If you have thin nails that break every time, you can also prevent this by doing acrylic overlays.

3. Proper Maintenance

When you are prepping your nails avoid pushing your cuticles too hard, using sharp objects to clean, scraping your nails, and biting your nails. You should clean your nails with soap, apply moisturizer and trim them short.

4. Versatile and Customizable

You can customize your acrylic overlays in any shape and color you desire. If you have a bad habit of nail biting and want long nails, you can apply acrylic overlays. You can also customize the length of nails. This also saves time as you do not have to wait for your nails to grow long. You can also add designs on top of your acrylic overlays and decorate them as you wish.

5. Enhance Appearance

If you are looking for a way to improve your appearance, you can start by getting your nails done. You can choose a subtle color to enhance your beauty or you can choose a bold one for dramatic looks. Your appearance depends on how you are presenting yourself.

6. Affordable

Acrylic overlays are less expensive than any overlays. You can get your acrylic overlays done without wasting too much money. As acrylic overlays are made with powder polymer and liquid monomer which costs less than resin that is used in the gel. They are also widely available.

Acrylic Overlay Vs Acrylic Nails

They may sound similar, but they have some key differences. Acrylic overlays are a thin coat of gel that is applied on your natural nails and acrylic is an extension that is applied to the nail plate and then shaping them.

Acrylic Overlay Vs Gel

Acrylic overlays are a nail enhancement method where acrylic powder and monomer mixture will be placed on your nail surface to create strong and durable nails. On the other hand, gel overlays use gel to create strong and flexible nails. Gel overlays are more expensive than acrylic overlays and use UV lights to cure.

Acrylic Overlay Vs Dip Powder Nails

Dip powder nails use gel to spread over your natural nails and dip the nails in dipping powder. Acrylic is used to extend your nails but dip powder works as a substitute for nail polish. The big issue with dip powder is that it needs to be replaced every 4 to 6 weeks, on the other hand, acrylic overlay only needs retouch as your nail grows.

Acrylic Overlay Natural Nails

There is always an option to grow your nails any length you want and add regular nail polish to make them attractive. If you are using nail polish regularly, it can give your nails a yellowish tone, which is not attractive. You may have also noticed that your polish color fades after 3 days. If you are using acrylic overlays you can get rid of this issue.

• Acrylic nails are a better replacement for natural nails. You can have long-lasting nail color.
• There are some potential risks in applying acrylic overlays and we need to be aware of them.
• You can minimize your risk by having proper maintenance of your acrylic overlays.