How long should I keep gel nails on?

So I got my nails done 4 days ago. First time ever getting them done, how long should I keep them on and is it going to severely damage the nail underneath? Cause the salon did grind up the nail, and they werent cheap.





http://www.katbeautyandnails.co.uk/image鈥?/a>





they look like that.How long should I keep gel nails on?
Dirst of all, did the salon use real UV gels on your nails? Let me make that a lot easier for you...Did the products they used on your nails look very similar to this:


http://www.cnd.com/Home/homelink-consume鈥?/a>


OR, were they a powder and a liquid mixed together. If so, then you have acrylic nails - not gel. I' m only asking because those just don't look like gel nails to me. And I honestly do not wish for this to sound nasty or insulting, in any way, but whoever did those nails did a very poor job on them. There is absolutely no reason for a tech to 'grind' up your nails - ever. So very many people have this belief that this'grinding' process is needed to make the acrylic, or gel adhere better to your natural nails. That is not true. They do it - normally, because they are unskilled and really shouldn't be doing nails in the first place. One person answered that 'drills' are not safe, and WILL mess up your nails really badly. I disagree. It's not the drill that hurts people. People hurt people. I mean, gibe an unskilled, unqualified, and untrained chop shop worker (they don't qualify as techs in my book...) a 'drill' which itself is very poor quality, and NOT made for use on nails - as Dremels are (thats what these chop shops generally use), then of course you will end up with ruined nails. A good tech wil have training in the proper use of not a drill, but rather an 'e-file,' which is a specially designed tool for use on nails.ANd a good tech will never cause damage to your nails, or cause you any pain. The e-files we use are usually the best quality available. For the sake of comparison...A typical chop shop will use a dremel drill. Cost? About $40. Intended usage: Woodwork, and other hobbies. A top notch tech will use a high quality e-file. Cost? Between $350-$500 each. Big differencem huh?


Anyway....There really isn't much you can do at this point. The damage was done already. To avoid this in the future, go to a top notch salon. Avoid the foreign language speaking chop shops. And do not go back to the place you got those nails done on you. Seriously? THey don't look very good at all in terms of nail structure, application, and the end result looks rather shabby - just like a novice did them.


Now, just a few words for the other answerers - if you don't mind. FIrst...Nails that are lifting do NOT need to be removed. I don't know who told you that, but it simply is not true. WHat IS true is that the lifting should be repaired ASAP. But remove the nails because of it? Never. It's just not how things are done in the world of nails.


One more note: Nails are made up from mostly dead keratin cells. There is a qite common belief out there that nails - for some reason, need to 'breathe.' Not true. Nails do not breathe. They do not have lungs, or gills. Nor do they exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide. Nails do not breathe. Simple as that.





Sorry I didn't give you a better, more informative answer, but Ihad a very, very long, hard day today and am so tired that its unreal. I do hope I helped a bit at least. Please don't be offended because I commented on the poor quality of those nails. I was only being honest with you. I've been doing nails for a very long time now. And I know good work when I see it. That is not what I would call good work, sorry. Best wishes.... How long should I keep gel nails on?
I have gel nails and i get them filled in every 2 to 3 weeks. It's up to you how long you leave them on, i have been getting my nails done for about 10 years. I do get a new set every 6 months. Your real nails will be very soft and flimsy and senstive when you take the nails off and its very time consuming to do so.
any time you put something unnatural on your nail, your depraving it of oxygen which will weaken your original nail. plus, if you went to one of those toture shops where they use the grinder drill on your nail bed, it's even worse. those drills create deep indendations in your nail that take a really long time to heal. my mother in law used to get hers done and never listened to me when i told her about what her nails would be come and wouldn't you know it - they were screwed for about 6 months.
I'm torn- I kinda agree with the first 2 answers. One thing you need to watch for- if your gel nails start to lift, you NEED to take them off. If you don't, it is a perfect breeding ground for fungus.