Do nails need to breathe between manicures?
No. The nail plate is dead keratin. It doesn't breathe and doesn't use oxygen. The nail gets everything it needs from the blood supply under the skin. If nails feel thin after gel removal, the cause is rough filing or peeling the gel off, not the gel itself.
The myth I hear most often in my chair is that natural nails need a break from gel polish or extensions so they can breathe. Clients ask me if wearing a coating all the time will suffocate their nails. Here is what I learned from Douglas Schoon's book Nail Structure and Product Chemistry.
Nails don't have lungs
The visible nail plate is made of dead keratin cells, stacked tightly in layers. Dead cells don't breathe and don't use oxygen.
The living part of the nail is hidden under the skin. The nail matrix, where the nail is made, and the nail bed get their oxygen, nutrients and vitamins from the blood. Nothing comes from the air.
Schoon says it plainly: the nail plate is dead keratin, like hair, so it doesn't need air.
Why nails can feel weak after gel removal
If nails don't breathe, why do they sometimes feel thin once the gel is off? Usually the gel isn't to blame. The damage comes from heavy filing, poor application, or peeling the coating off. That strips the top layers of keratin and leaves the nail thin, bendy and sensitive.
What I do to protect your nails
- I work around the cuticle gently and don't over-file the natural nail.
- When I remove or rebalance with the e-file, I leave a thin layer of base so the natural nail is never filed directly.
- I use good quality, flexible products.
If a manicure is applied and removed correctly, you can wear gel continuously and your natural nails will be fine.
A break is still up to you. Some clients simply like the look of bare nails, and a neat manicure without any coating, with a clean cuticle line and a healthy shape, looks great and shows real confidence in your own nails. I'm happy to do that too, and it is on my menu as Manicure – No Polish (Uncoated).
Do my nails need a break from gel polish?
No. Nails are dead keratin and don't breathe, so a break gives them no medical benefit. What protects them is correct application and gentle removal. If you like the look of bare nails, a neat manicure without coating is a great choice too.
Why are my nails thin after I take gel off?
Usually from heavy filing or from peeling the gel off, which removes the top layers of keratin. The gel itself is not the cause.
Where do nails get their nutrients?
From the blood, through the living tissue under the skin: the nail matrix, which makes the nail, and the nail bed.
By Volha Zhybuliova
Sources: Douglas D. Schoon, Nail Structure and Product Chemistry (Milady)