Much like Sandra Ballentine, author of the Vogue Beauty article about gel nail polish in this April issue, I am absolutely religious about my weekly (sometimes biweekly) manicures. I haven't gone longer than a week without one since Pink was putting out her very first album. However, I have never gotten anything more than a pedicure done at a nail salon. I pride myself in the natural strength and length of my nails and I would never let anyone else touch them. According to this article, that is a very good thing.
A couple years ago, I noticed friends and family were starting to talk about a brand new nail phenomenon called "gel." Acrylics had become notoriously known for nail damage and women were beginning to look for an alternative. Enter gel-polish, which claims to last like acrylic but look and feel as natural as the real thing--not to mention how good it is for the health of your nails. I remember having a slight desire to try the gel out, but decided against it--I've always had naturally healthy and strong nails; why let a good thing go to waste? Turns out I chose wisely.
Dermatologists have been dissecting the fad and found that, although it is a slight improvement from the evil acrylics, gel-polish is not at all damage-free. Manhattan dermatologist Gervaise Gerstner, M.D. found that gel polish can lead to nail thinning, splitting, and even fungus. The gel causes the nail to lift from the nail bed, causing a moist new foundation for fungus to form. Disgusting enough?
If it is not taken off carefully, gel-polish can be as damaging as acrylics in the way that it peels off layers of your nail with it. It also can cause wrinkles around your cuticles, which are described to resemble "fine lines around a smoker's mouth" by dermatologist Tabasum Mir, M.D.
Much to my advantage, Jin Soon Choi stated that many women are going back to an "old-school" nail, consisting of a long, rounded shape with a natural or beige coloring. What are the odds that my nails are beige and rounded as I'm typing this? I think I'm a little ahead of the game here.
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