Is hand washing causing nail product lifting?

Question:

I ask all my clients to wash their hands before a service, but the lead technician in our salon says that hand washing causes nail product lifting. I don’t have any lifting problems, so am I right to do this?

Answer:

If the nail plate is immersed in water for more than 60 seconds, enough water could absorb into the nail plate in some cases (e.g. damaged nails), to make a significant difference in the water content of the nail plate.  Therefore, it can cause nail product lifting.

Even so, regular hand washing is NOT likely to significantly add water to the nail plate.  Studies demonstrate that many never wash their hands for more than 5-10 seconds, but health authorities recommend 20 seconds. I recommend asking clients to carefully and thoroughly clean their nails with a clean and disinfected nail brush, before sitting down at the nail table. You never know what clients will bring to your nail station if you aren’t careful. This is one way infections can occur and spread to other clients.  Hand washing before a service begins is a great way to prevent infections.

Read more here:
The importance of hand washing during nail services