Why do nails feel thin after the removal of a nail coating?

Question: Why do nails feel thin after the removal of a nail coating, compared to how they were before? This is not specific to my work, but everyone I know (myself included) who has had their nails done (by many different techs) has said, when they have an enhancement taken off, their nails are so thin. Surely this can’t only be due to overfiling? As that would mean every nail tech that people in my life have been to have been doing it wrong? I myself am so gentle with people’s nails, and I etch the absolute minimum as I don’t want to cause damage but, when a nail service is taken off, nails are still thinner. Is this due to a lack of sun? Or because they’re not being hardened by touch/impact? 

Answer: Good question! I cannot support this with any factual evidence so it must be considered an ‘opinion’.

As you state, this can happen when there has been no thinning of the nail plate through buffing. In my opinion, you need to think about how difficult it is for molecules to pass through coatings, especially with enhancements (as opposed to a thin coating of UV gel polish).
This works in both directions, both down through the coating, and upwards from the nail plate. The nail bed ‘feeds’ the nail plate with oils and moisture to keep it flexible and healthy.

When there is a, largely, occlusive coating on the nail plate, a lot of these are trapped as opposed to evaporating or removed with handwashing, etc. A nail plate with an excess of oils and moisture will feel weak and very flexible. If they are left uncovered for around 48 hours, the excess will go and the nail plates will return to their natural state, and not feel weak and flexible.

I do not think the nail plate is thinned. It stays the same thickness but is just more flexible. If enhancements are reapplied, it won’t get the opportunity to “dry out”. I don’t see this as a problem.