You’ve just finished a one-hour appointment with your client and have created an amazing set of gel nails only to find that the gel polish looks wrinkly and bubbling. Whilst it can be a frustrating issue, it is common, and the cause is easily identifiable.
Gel polish that has wrinkled after curing is likely to be down to application. If the gel polish has been applied too thick, it makes it difficult for your UV lamp to fully penetrate the colour and thus cannot effectively cure the polish in all of its layers. This results in a top layer of gel polish that appears wrinkled, bubbled, or lumpy.
It is important that you do not add more layers of gel polish to mask this wrinkled layer. Doing this is unlikely to provide a smooth top layer, and the layers beneath will still be uncured. Under-cured gel polish is likely to peel off early and can be dangerous to your client; it has a higher risk of an allergic reaction occurring due to the increased possibility of the uncured product coming into contact with the skin. This is when a reaction to the chemicals is likely to occur.
Under-cured gel polish is the most common reason for wrinkling after curing, but there are other possibilities. You might notice wrinkling on your clients’ nails if you haven’t carried out the correct nail preparation prior to the service. Alternatively, it could be time to upgrade your professional nail lamp. If wrinkling or bubbling is happening regularly on multiple clients and you’ve looked into the thickness of your layers, it could mean that your lamp needs replacing as the UV bulbs are no longer penetrating the product as it should be.
It is also important to ensure you are using a high-quality gel polish as this helps to get the best overall results.
Finally, take a look at the way your clients are placing their hands within the lamp. Ensure the UV light is hitting all fingers optimally; curing the thumb nails separately is common practice in many salons to ensure the lamp is able to cure the gel polish to its full potential.
Whatever is causing the issues in your gel polish, there’s always a solution. If you’re in need of some help, our support team is here to help! You can contact the team by emailing us here.
