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Knowledge Base
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- Bruised nail
- Calluses and corns
- Chloronychia
- Dermatitis
- Dermatophyte and non-dermatophyte fungi
- Erythronychia
- Habit-tic
- Hangnails
- Hapalonychia
- Heller's Median Nail Dystrophy
- Hyperhidrosis
- Introduction to Nail Conditions
- Koilonychia
- Lamellar Dystrophy
- Leukonychia
- Nail biting
- Nail Clubbing
- Nail Grooves / Depressions
- Onychocryptosis
- Onycholysis
- Onychomadesis
- Onychomycosis
- Psoriasis
- Pterygium
- Splinter haemorrhages
- White Superficial Onychomycosis
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Ask the Experts
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- Can I cut the keratinised proximal nail fold?
- Can I use just acetone to cleanse the nail plate before a service?
- Can Nail Polish be Organic?
- Can the cuticle cover the whole nail?
- Do all nail plates grow 1mm a week?
- Do manicures ruin your nails?
- Hangnails. What's your advice?
- How do I save a cut nail?
- How does cold weather affect the nails?
- Is calcium good for nails?
- Is cuticle remover a must-have?
- Is nail polish safe to use for repetitive use on clients because it 'can't store pathogens'?
- What are these thin black lines under the nail?
- What is a dry manicure?
- What is a Japanese manicure?
- What is a wet manicure?
- What is the safest type of manicure?
- What's the best type of manicure to get?
- What's the difference between a French manicure and an American manicure?
- What's the harm with a water soak?
- Which is better? Soap and water or hand sanitiser before a service?
- Which way to brush off the dust?
- Why do nail polish top coats get stringy when applied?
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- Acid-based or acid-free primers?
- Can I e-file the natural nail underneath an enhancement?
- Do acrylics have a limited future?
- Does a universal monomer exist?
- How much product to remove during rebalance?
- Pinching enhancements?
- To infill or to soak off?
- To pinch the nail enhancement or not?
- What do I do with my leftover monomer?
- What is the difference between a French manicure and pink and white?
- What size brush to use?
- Why do nails feel thin after the removal of a nail coating?
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- A chemical burn?
- Can I get a headache from working with nail products?
- Can I use my oven to sterilise my tools?
- Can I work on diabetic clients?
- Do I need qualifications to do nails?
- Enhancements on Nail Biters?
- Fluff vs synthetic brush for dusting
- Is an E-File safe to use?
- Is Covid or hand sanitising affecting nail services?
- My client has chipping/loss of enhancement and I’ve never had this before?
- Should a mask be worn throughout the whole service?
- Should I use a ‘protein bonder’ to prevent lifting?
- Should you pour the end of an old bottle into the new?
- Some of my clients are getting heat spikes when curing the base and top coat.
- UV light cabinets for nails files?
- What are the legal requirements for the treatment of minors?
- What is a Brazilian style manicure?
- What is a combi manicure?
- What is a Russian manicure?
- What is the difference between cleaning, disinfection and sterilisation?
- What is the difference between HEMA and di-HEMA?
- When do nail products expire?
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- Acrylates in gel-like nail polishes?
- Can I get a headache from working with nail products?
- Can my client be allergic to acetone?
- Do I have an allergy or an irritation?
- How did I get an allergy to gel?
- Is acetone safe for removing nail products?
- What UV gel brands do you recommend?
- Why are we seeing more reactions from gel polish services vs gel enhancement services?
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- Are hard gels for everyone?
- Are UV gels better for nails?
- Can I e-file the natural nail underneath an enhancement?
- Do gel nails ruin your nails?
- Does freeze curing interrupt the curing process?
- Does using UV gel with full cover clear tips cure properly?
- How can I find a non-toxic UV gel polish range?
- How much product to remove during rebalance?
- Inhibition layer and no-cleanse gels
- Removing undercured gel
- Should I buy my nail lamp based on wattage?
- Should I get gel or dip nails?
- Should my clients wash their hands before I apply oil?
- Should UV Gels "Burn Like Crazy"?
- To infill or to soak off?
- To pinch the nail enhancement or not?
- Using cuticle oil during soak-off?
- What does 'overcured' really mean?
- What is the correct method for applying a 'BIAB' type product?
- What is the difference between a French manicure and pink and white?
- What is the difference between HEMA and di-HEMA?
- What UV gel brands do you recommend?
- Why are we seeing more reactions from gel polish services vs gel enhancement services?
- Why do nails feel thin after the removal of a nail coating?
- Why do some UV gel colors fade?
- Why do you advise wiping a no wipe to coat?
- Will an LED table lamp affect LED-cured gels?
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- Do Nails Need to Breathe?
- How do I avoid ‘greenies’?
- How do I treat ‘green nail syndrome’?
- How does cold weather affect the nails?
- I'm pretty sure my UV gel manicure client has WSO
- Leukonychia or not?
- Lichen Planus. What do I do?
- The onychomycosis (fungal nail) test is positive... Now what?
- What are these thin black lines under the nail?
- What is Onycholsyis?
- What to do with unhealthy nails?
- Why are there ridges in my nails?
- Why is silk or fibreglass good on thinner / damaged and weaker nails?
- Why should we NOT cover "greenies"?
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Support
Can I cut the keratinised proximal nail fold?
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The Proximal Nail Fold is living tissue and the more it is damaged, i.e., cut, nipped, or abraded, the thicker and coarser it will grow. That is a fact of the skin’s physiology.
The PNF forms part of an important seal of the nail unit together with the cuticle (shed from the eponychium and made very ‘sticky’ so it sticks to the nail plate below and the PNF above it.) This seal needs to remain intact.
The frame of clear skin that is the distal edge of the PNF can grow wide because it is connected to the cuticle that grows along with the nail plate, so it gets stretched.
What should be a ‘pleasing look’ is the seal intact and a very narrow and neat edge to the PNF. Many choose to create a look where there is no evidence of the seal. This leaves the area clearly open to the invasion of pathogens. This is an unfortunate perception of a “pleasing look” when, in fact, it is damaging.
Both many nail professionals and clients refuse to have any patience in creating a safe “pleasing look”. They want instant results. This can even go to the lengths where there is a wide gap between the damaged PNF and the nail plate. This, without exception, results in swollen and inflamed skin.

Instead, if the clear frame of the PNF is gently lifted from the cuticle and massaged daily with a good nail oil, it will shrink back and not be so obvious. But the seal will remain intact and the skin healthy.
The right oils are the answer to SO many problems with the nail unit! It may not be the instant result that many want but it is the safest. The “pleasing look” has come about due to the “instant gratification” that has grown in popularity. However, all it takes is just a little patience and understanding what is safe and what is harmful. (“Trout pout” for nails anyone?? No!)
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