Lifting is when the press on nail begins to come loose around the cuticle area. When you apply pressure to the top of the tip, you can see a gap between the enhancement and your natural nail. When you spot a nail beginning to lift, it's paramount you tend to it as soon as possible.
Why do press on nails lift?
Due to the nature of press on nails, lifting can be inevitable if you're not in a hurry to remove your set. Over the course of a week or two, the glue (or sticky tabs throughout a shorter period of time) that are holding your press ons in place will begin breaking down. This is a result of exposure to all sorts of liquids & chemicals that you might encounter in your day to day life.
As much as you might not want to remove your nail immediately after you spot it lifting, for example: if you're at work or on a night out, it's important that you deal with it as son as possible. You can always go ahead & re-apply after! For this reason, it's a great practice to keep a spare application kit in your bag wherever you go.
Even if the lifting is minor, your nail can come completely loose at any time (or not!).
This is bad news for a few reasons...
- If the press on pops off without you noticing, it'll most likely be lost for good. Any hopes you had for re-application to make your set whole again is lost. That being said, most press on nail techs offer replacement nails for a very reasonable price (normally costing just enough to cover materials). The downside to this, however, is that you still have to wait for the nail to be processed & shipped. If you loose your nail on a Friday night, for example, you've probably got a good 4 days to wait for your replacement to arrive (assuming your tech is working hours from Monday - Friday).
- If you catch your nail on something after it's started to lift, the chances of your press on being ripped right off & taking some of your natural nail with it is much more likely. The potential damage this can cause can be serious, taking a significant amount of time for your nail to restore to a healthy state. Not only can damage happen, but pain can come along with it!
- If your press on nail remains in a lifted state for a longer period of time (from about 2 days & onwards), it becomes the perfect breeding ground for a fungal infection to develop. The gap between your nail & the press on makes the perfect entrance for moisture to seep in. This is where fungi begins to grow. If you notice discolouration on your natural nail (normally green/yellow) after you remove the press on, it's very important that you don't re-apply anything. There are many home remedies to alleviate the symptoms that nail fungus causes; your press on nail tech should be happy to share some knowledge with you & Google will be your best friend!
For the reasons discussed above, lifting is an issue that should be taken seriously.
It should also be dealt with appropriately (by carrying out a swift removal) to preserve the health of your nails & improve the appearance of your press ons.
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