UV Gel Polish Shrinkage

I was discussing with a nail professional recently, and she mentioned that the UV gel polish she uses &#;pulls back&#; when cured.
What some nail pros are calling &#;pull back&#; may be the effects of UV gel polish shrinkage. All nail coatings shrink when they cure, some more than others. In general, the more thoroughly a nail coating cures, the more it will shrink. Here&#;s why shrinkage is related to curing: the molecules in the coating are linking together and therefore becoming much closer to each other, which leads to shrinkage.  That&#;s what happens when millions of molecules that make up a nail coating suddenly come closer together. So a small amount of shrinkage is completely normal and unavoidable. Whenever any type of nail coating shrinks, its edges pull back and will recede toward the center. The more it shrinks, the more it will pull back.

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UV gel polish shrinks as it cures, but so can any type of UV-cured nail coating. Shrinkage is also determined by &#;how&#; these UV coats are cured. Overcuring can cause more shrinkage which may be seen as increased pull back from the edges. As I said, shrinkage of nail coatings always occurs to some degree for all types of nail coatings, that&#;s normal, however excessive shrinkage can cause service breakdown. 

Overcuring of UV nail coatings and excessive shrinkage can be caused by using an incorrect nail lamp. Undercuring often leads to much less shrinkage and therefore less pull back. However, undercured nail coatings can pick up stains more easily, are less durable, and their filings are more likely to cause adverse skin reactions. Undercuring should be avoided. UV gel colors created a special challenge because certain shades or colors can block UV penetration.  

To achieve various shades or colors, certain colorants and pigments must be used, and these may be prone to absorbing or blocking UV energy. Also, these colorants or pigments may be needed in higher concentrations to ensure full coverage or opacity. The increased concentration of these can affect the ease of application, making it more difficult to apply these particular shades or colors. In other words, some shades or colors must be formulated differently from others, in order to account for these effects. Various special additives may then be needed to make application easier. Also, more photoinitiators (PI) may be required to ensure a proper cure. Different shades of UV gel polish often have different formulations and this can affect the ease of application, and may increase &#;shrinkage&#;. 

In general, UV-cured nail coatings tend to shrink more than any other type of nail coating. Cyanoacrylate monomer-based coatings such as fiberglass wraps, the so-called &#;no-light&#; gels, or nail tip adhesives tend to shrink the least. Mostly, this is because cyanoacrylate monomers do not form &#;cross-linked&#; structures when they cure, as do UV systems and the &#;two-part&#; systems often referred to as &#;liquid and powder&#;. Cross-linking improves strength and durability, but excessive cross-linking increases shrinkage and reduces overall durability. Liquid and powder systems are right in the middle, shrinking less than UV systems, but more than cyanoacrylate-based products.

The amount of &#;pull back&#; from the edges can be made worse when the nail plate is not properly prepared in order to remove surface oils. Surface oils can block adhesion to the surface of the nail plate and can contribute to pulling back as well. If the nail coating doesn&#;t adhere well to the surface of the nail plate, it can pull back more easily when the coating shrinks. The opposite is true, as well. Coatings that adhere very well may not pull back as much, even though they have a considerable amount of shrinkage.

Shrinkage happens &#;during&#; the curing process, not &#;before&#; curing and that&#;s important to understand.  Some mistakenly believe the amount of pullback is related to working too quickly or too slowly. Pull back isn&#;t affected by how fast or slow you work, so it doesn&#;t help to &#;allow time&#; for shrinkage to occur before you cure. That&#;s not going to help. 

The amount of shrinkage is directly related to the type of ingredients in the formula and their concentrations, as well as the wavelength and intensity of UV exposure. It&#;s easier to formulate a UV curing product that shrinks excessively and a whole lot harder to formulate one that doesn&#;t shrink excessively. You can&#;t control how the product is formulated, but you can ensure that you are properly curing and cleaning the nail plate.

Since gel polish came onto the nail scene, it has influenced bookings and revenue and means that clients can&#;t smudge their fresh nails. However, this technique comes with its own issues, especially since home kits have become so readily available with no education. That doesn't mean that standard polish should get neglected either, follow these top tips on prolonging traditional nail polish here.

Don&#;t get complacent when it comes to this service, and follow my tips below:

Ensure the correct cure

With gel polish, it&#;s paramount to ensure a good cure so that the colour and overlay will last. If the gel polish is applied too thick, the curing time might not be enough to create a full cure, which can lead to peeling. Ensure that you are using the correct curing time for your lamp, as another gel and lamp can respond differently.

Bubbling, peeling, chipping and other forms of service breakdown can occur when the product hasn&#;t been cured correctly and can be most commonly found on the thumbs where the client has placed these incorrectly in the lamp. If you find this happening, then cure the thumbs separately.

What may appear cured, may not be &#; if the gel polish application is too thick, the outside may be cured but the inside, not. If this is left, then over time, this un-cured gel will become exposed and can lead to irritation and a possible allergic reaction.

To test your gel polish cure, you can use &#;the dry brush test&#;. Using a clean dry brush, wipe over the product once cured &#; if the product is wiping away with the brush it is not cured. With darker, more pigmented colours you can be left with a stain on the brush, but it will not pull away.

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Bulb change schedule

Changing your bulbs regularly is essential to ensure a through cure. The recommended schedule for changing the bulbs in your UV lamp is: If you have 30 to 40 gel clients a week, the bulbs need to be changed every four to six months. If you have 20 gel clients a week, change your bulbs every six to eight months. Once a year is sufficient for nail techs with less than 20 gel clients a week. An easy way to remember this is to write the date on the bottom of your lamp or in your diary when you last changed the bulbs.

If you notice the tacky layer on your client&#;s nails starts getting thicker even after the correct curing time is up or if you are seeing service breakdown and can see a dull grey ring around the bulb, this is a strong indicator you need to replace the bulbs.

Problems with application

Gel shrinks when it cures, so it is paramount to ensure you seal the free edge by applying the gel horizontally at the very edge. Because gel shrinks when cured, it is necessary that the product continues down over the free edge but not underneath so it does not shrink back over the top of the nail.

Capping the free edge should be the last step before curing. Remember, gel is self levelling and will shrink before curing also, if your gel polish is shrinking quicker than you can work, cure a few nails at a time.

Gel polish colour can often bleed with the base coat or if primer is used. You shouldn&#;t use primer before gel polish, apart from a wash at the free edge if the client is prone to lifting or chipping, as it increases the soak off time. To prevent the base coat bleeding into the colour, I prefer to remove the tacky layer of the base coat for a more even colour application.

Have you ever noticed that after removing your tacky layer, the gel can appear dull? You need to let the product cool slightly after removal from the lamp before cleansing and applying cuticle oil. If this doesn&#;t solve the issue, your top coat may be contaminated with dust.

The perfect polish

For longevity and client satisfaction you should paint as close to the cuticle and sidewalls as possible without touching the skin. Approximately a 1mm gap should be left, otherwise the client will leave their appointment with what looks like 1-2 weeks growth.

When painting, use a balance point positioning with your pinkie to keep a steady hand and get better nail coverage. The thumb and forefinger of the holding hand pinch the client&#;s finger to pull back the soft tissue from the nail plate. This makes the nail bed a little bigger and ensures complete gel polish coverage and the sidewalls. If you push the cuticle back prior to painting, then once the service is complete, pull that cuticle back over the painted nail to close any gap.

Brushes are a personal preference; some techs like short, square, stubby brushes while other techs prefer a longer, thinner brush. If the brush in the gel polish isn&#;t your favourite style, then use a nail art brush such as a small 3D brush, fine line or even a one stroke brush to enable you to paint as close the cuticle as you can prior to filling in the rest of the nail.

Any damage to the natural nail is usually the result of improper application or removal, overly aggressive filing, or client abuse such as picking or biting. When both L&P and gel enhancements and coverings are applied, maintained, and removed correctly, no damage should occur. Learn how to deal with clients who want to remove their nails at home here.

Many techs can get confused between the differences of gel and acrylic, learn more about whether there is a difference between the two products here. Even if you're not an acrylic tech, understanding the science of both products is essential to be fully knowledgable to inform your clients correctly.

If you enjoyed this article and want to learn more about nails, check out our next blog on understanding the drying times of liquid and powder acrylic here.

Love Katie B x

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