Q&A time!

One of our lovely students asked –

“I’ve got a lovely friend coming tomorrow to let me practice BIAB and she has a split in her nail. She has no recollection of any trauma to her nail bed and has had SNS or gel to help hold it together a few times before.
It’s reoccurring and she has a ridge down the middle of her nail. I don’t want to do anything to cause more damage or create an environment for infection by layering an unsuitable product over the top. My first instinct is to shorten the nail and wait for it to grow out , but as it’s a reoccurring problem I’m a bit hesitant.”

One of our Mentors said –

“Vertical lines indicate damage to the matrix where the nail grows from. So that part of the matrix where that particular line of cells grows is damaged which is why it stays like that”

And then another chimed in –

“I have had good success with a similar client and using BIAB. You just need to be very mindful of not buffing that ridge thin, scrubbing in your base coat and mapping layer. You will likely need to build up the product to meet the ridge in order to get a smooth finish. These types of nails can be problematic for lifting and moisture getting in. The client needs to practice good aftercare to prevent this eg wearing gloves when cleaning or doing dishes etc cuticle oil regularly and maintenance appointments You could use a form under the gap at the end also”

What would you do?