What types of nails are there, and do they each require different treatment?
The question often arises: why does the same type of nail result in different outcomes for different clients? Indeed, there can often be differences depending on the client's nail shape and the direction of their growth. Consequently, sometimes we need to correct the growth direction, and at other times, we need to employ small tricks to achieve more elegant nails in the end. What are these cases?
DOWNWARD-GROWING, HOOKED NAILS:
It often happens, either on all nails or just on individual ones, that the nail curves downward as it grows, becoming more curved and noticeable week by week, resulting in nails that curve downward.
WHAT CAN WE DO?
During filling, leave a slightly thicker material at the free edge area, apply the desired material and technique on top, and after curing, file out the edge from underneath, for example, with a Drill Bit - Silver Conic Carbide (for Refining) #2 (PNG4121), thinning it to elevate the nail back to its original straight direction. You can repeat this with every fill, but if it's not enough, it's worth shortening the free edge and correcting the growth direction with raised form application.
UPWARD-GROWING, SPOON-SHAPED NAILS:
Less common than hook-shaped nails, but sometimes nails grow upward, which can be accompanied by a depression in the middle of the nail bed, resembling a spoon shape, creating a negative curve.
WHAT CAN WE DO?
In such cases, we should file the free edge as thinly as possible while retaining a slight thickness in the middle of the nail bed, then create a very minimal apex during the filling.
WIDENING, FAN-SHAPED NAILS:
Here, the lateral sidewalls are not parallel but widen towards the free edge.
WHAT CAN WE DO?
During the sculpting process, we can make them parallel or slightly narrower with pinching, and during filing, we can further correct them with parallel filing. During filling, the slightly narrowing lateral sidewalls counterbalance the widening natural sidewalls.
SHORT, WIDE NAIL BED:
In this case, the nail bed shape is more square (approximately as long as it is wide) rather than a long rectangular shape, and sometimes it's an inverted rectangle (wider than its length).
WHAT CAN WE DO?
Nail bed exension is created for this situation. By leaving the free edge slightly longer and using a covering flesh-colored material, we can visually lengthen the nail bed. Then, with the remaining short white free edge, we create the optical illusion of a long, narrow nail bed. Additionally, the curved, almond-shaped smile line further enhances the elegance of the nails.
With a few small tricks, we can correct the basic characteristics very nicely, and our clients will be very grateful and happy to come back to us.
Author:
Évi Darabos
