What To Do When Acrylic Nail Lifted Real Nail?

Discover a straightforward step-by-step of what to do when acrylic nail lifted real nail.

Getting acrylic nails has been popular for a long time now and has become a necessity for a lot of women. Although they look nice, maintaining an acrylic manicure can be much more complicated than it looks; not only do you have to keep your manicure looking nice and fresh, but you also have to protect your real nails from any damage.

However, one common thing that happens is your acrylic nails start lifting and sometimes cause your real nails to lift. This is something you need to deal with as soon as possible as it can cause your nail to end up in serious damage. But, what to do when acrylic nail lifted real nail?

If your acrylic nail has lifted your real nail, you need to remove it as safely and quickly as possible. In this post, I’ll be giving you a straightforward step-by-step of what to do when acrylic nail lifted real nail. This is the easiest and best way to remove the nail yourself, without using too many products and causing any further damage to your real nail.

What to do when acrylic nail lifted real nail?

When your acrylic nail has lifted your real nail, these are the five steps to follow to ensure your acrylic nail comes off in the best way to keep your real nail from coming off completely.

Firstly, you need to clip the acrylic nails as short as possible. When your acrylic nail is lifting your real nail, the weight of the acrylic can make it worse, so clipping it down as low as possible will take the weight off and relieve your real nail. 

Once you have clipped it down, pry the edges with the pointy end of the tweezer. This will help the acrylic nail to come off easier in the later stage. If your real nail is lifting from the side, then don’t try to pry it from that side; you don’t want to cause any further irritation to your real nail. 

Now you have prepped your nail, pour acetone-free nail polish remover in a bowl. You need to fill the bowl up enough so that all your nails will be covered once you put your hands in it. You mustn’t use acetone as it may irritate the nail underneath and can lead to infections or burning the skin under your nail. 

Soak the nails in the nail polish remover for at least 30-40 minutes. Keep your hands in the nail polish remover for as long as possible to get the best results and make it easier in the next step. If where your real nail has lifted started to hurt or get irritated, take your hands out and rinse with warm water, you’ll need to keep your hands clean so it doesn’t get worse. 

Once you feel the nail loosened, pull it out gently with tweezers. This step can become tedious as you need to take your time and do it gently, but this is the most important step, so don’t rush it. When you get to the area where your real nail is lifting, try to separate the acrylic nail from your real nail with the tweezers. If it doesn’t come off or your real nail starts lifting more, put a plaster over it and get it taken off professionally so that you don’t make it any worse.

Frequently Asked Questions 

What do I do if my acrylic nail rips your real nail off?

If your real nail rips off, you need to keep it covered to protect it from getting any infections. First of all, if your nail is hanging off or there is a part that can come off without making it worse, remove it, preferably do it with nail clippers or nail scissors.

You don’t want any nail hanging as it can get caught on things and make your whole nail much more painful. When you have removed the nail, cover the nail with a plaster or a bandage and medical tape, make sure the entire nail is covered. You will need to keep it covered for a while until your nail has healed and started to grow back.

To keep your nail clean and prevent any infection, you’ll need to change the dressing and clean it. To do this, you need to soak your finger in warm water for 5 minutes. After the 5 minutes, pat dry your finger with a kitchen towel paper; make sure your entire finger is dry; otherwise, the dressing won’t stick. Finally, reapply the dressing and repeat once a day.

What causes nail lifting with acrylic nails?

Acrylic nails can start lifting for multiple reasons. The main reason for nail lifting is your real nail wasn’t prepped correctly.

If your real nail wasn’t stripped from its natural oils and a primer wasn’t used, then the acrylic won’t be able to grip to your real nail and then won’t be able to adhere to it properly. The daily use of your nails causes wear and tear, and over time the acrylic will get weaker. As it hasn’t adhered to your real nail properly, it will also weaken your real nail and cause lifting.

Another reason for nail lifting is having your acrylic nails on for too long. It is advised that after two weeks of initial application of acrylic you get infills, and then every six weeks, you take your acrylic nails off and give your real nails a break to repair. So, if you do leave your acrylic nails on for longer than the recommended time, it can be very damaging to your real nails, and it is common that your nails will start to lift.

Can I still get a fill if my nails are lifting?

Yes, you can still get infills if your nails are lifting. It is common for your nails to lift after having them on for a long time, so it is perfectly normal for infill to be done over nail lifting. Usually, if your acrylic nail has started to lift and is only small, the nail technician will remove the lifting part and infill over it.

If the acrylic that is lifting is big or covers most of the nail, the nail technician will remove the existing acrylic and start with a fresh layer. However, if the lifting acrylic nail causes your real nail to lift, it is best not to get it infilled and give it time to repair.

This isn’t to say it’s impossible to get an infill over it, but it is not recommended, and you may find that your nail technician refuses to do it, which can cause further issues for your nail.

Summary 

I hope this has been helpful and given you a clear guide on how to treat a nail that has lifted. This is a common issue that many people have, so as long as you treat it accordingly, your nails can grow and repair back to a healthy nail. However, if this happens frequently, you might want to look at reasons as to why it keeps happening as it can cause serious dame to your nails over a long time.