Marti

I'm afraid this is going to be a LONG answer because you need a little background on acrylic first. There are two different types of acrylic being used to create nail enhancements in the beauty industry. One is made with EMA (ehtyl methacrylate) which is approved by the FDA for use as a nail coating by the FDA adn all the states that require licensure in salons. EMA is the liquid portion of the system. EMA is not deemed deleterious to the nail plate, but skin contact should be avoided to prevent overexposure and allergic reaction. If one were to bend their nail backwards while wearing enhancements created with EMA products, the nail coating would simply have cracked and broken - her natural nail would not have been ripped from the nail bed.

On the other hand, there are many unscrupulous salons that still use MMA (methyl methacrylate) that HAS been deemed as deleterious to the nails by the FDA in the early 70's. All the states that require licensure to perform nail services have banned any product using MMA liquid in the system from being used in salons. If your daughter had a 'cheap' set of nails applied (usually $25.00 or less for the set), then chances are that the salon used MMA to create the nails. When a nail that is coated with MMA encounters the type of damage you describe, the natural nail plate will be ripped from the nail bed, rather than the product breaking as with EMA.

The reason is that MMA adheres so tightly to the nail plate that the natural nail can be literally ripped from the nail bed, causing very painful damage and quite possibly permanent damage to the nail bed. MMA is widely used in the dental industry to make false teeth. It is also used to make plexiglass and many other forms of very hard plastic. It is very cheap to purchase; less than 70.00 a gallon. EMA, on the other hand, is much more expensive; costing in excess of $200.00 per gallon. Nail enhancements that are created with EMA liquids are more flexible and will mimic the movement of the natural nail; whereas MMA products are very rigid. To find out if MMA was used on your daughters nails, simply keep the portion of nail that the doctor cuts off and drop it into a jar with acetone and seal the jar. You will see that the product covering the nail will NOT dissolve in the acetone, although if it is EMA it will dissolve from the natural nail.

I would advise taking your daughter to the doctor, having him inject the finger with anesthetic to numb it, and then have him cut away the lifted portion of nail plate that extends past the finger tip. She should probably be taking oral anti-biotics for a while to prevent infection as the nail is open to fungal, yeast or bacterial infection.

Keep the finger and nail clean and dry, but do not cover with a bandaid. If she needs something to keep the nail from moving, you can get some of those bandaids that they use to keep cuts together and apply it to the nail, over the free edge and onto the underside of the finger. This will help keep the remaining nail plate from moving too much, but not cover so much of the nail that it allows for moisture to build up in the area of separation.