00:00There used to be a wart on this finger a very long time ago, and you can tell by the
00:05cuticle area, because there's a scar left.
00:08Unfortunately, after having it removed at a medical center, the nail started looking something like this.
00:13I've been working with this guy for quite a while now, and he's really self-conscious about not having a
00:17nail plate on his stump.
00:19I grabbed the Dr. Alex SP-130 nail drill.
00:23Check the bits on the calibrator and start prepping.
00:26Today we're going to clean all of this up, remove all the unnecessary dry parts of what's left of the
00:31nail, and perform a prosthetic restoration.
00:33Because on this thumb, for many, many years, nothing has changed.
00:37He used to see me, then he moved to another city and saw other podiatrists.
00:41But so far, unfortunately, there seems to be no other way to resolve the issue other than applying a prosthetic
00:46nail.
00:46This time he came and said that he had consulted with a surgeon, who told him that they could try
00:52surgery.
00:53They wanted to transplant something from his toe.
00:56However, they warned him that the recovery would take a very long time, and the full recovery was in no
01:01way guaranteed.
01:02So, he chose to keep having a prosthetic nail applied to this finger.
01:06Unfortunately, such problems bother not only girls, but guys as well.
01:09Because regardless of gender, people want to feel confident and look attractive.
01:12He always feels really self-conscious about not being able to show his hands.
01:16He thinks about it all the time, and naturally, it feels to him like everyone is staring at them.
01:21So, today, we are trying to do everything we can to make him feel as comfortable as possible with his
01:27hands.
01:28Because he recently got a new job, and of course, wants to fit in and look the part.
01:32We've already cleared everything away here with a carbide bead, and prepped it with a diamond bead.
01:36And I'm showing you what our cleaned-up finger looks like now.
01:41As you can see, there are two parts of the nail plate left here.
01:45That is, it's kind of split, and the nail, unfortunately, doesn't grow evenly.
01:49So, that's the story here.
01:51I'm going to do the nail reconstruction with special gels.
01:54This is Poder Gel from Z Color.
01:56They come in three shades.
01:57I'm, of course, really, really looking forward to a more natural beige shade.
02:01But for now, we'll mix what we have.
02:03As a base, I'm taking a clear gel and adding a little bit of pink to create a semi-sheer
02:07gel
02:07that matches the color of his nails as closely as possible.
02:11Because, of course, our goal is to make it as unnoticeable as possible.
02:14Before applying a nail prosthesis, I always apply a nail dehydrator.
02:19It's a mandatory step.
02:20You shouldn't take it from other brands or mix it with anything else.
02:23Because there is a system that works 100%.
02:26By the way, he can comfortably wear the nail prosthesis for about a month and a half.
02:31There were even cases when he wore it for two or even three months because the nail grows
02:35very slowly.
02:37Of course, he takes care of it, watches it to make sure nothing turns green or black.
02:41Meanwhile, I'm holding the pad back as much as possible with my thumb, gradually filling
02:46in this space layer by layer, step by step.
02:49It's important to cure it in sections because if the gel layer is too thick, it might not fully
02:53cure.
02:54That would be neither strong nor durable.
02:57And besides, uncured gel on the nail bed is definitely a bad idea.
03:01I use both a silicone brush and a regular gel brush.
03:04I might also use a fine liner brush.
03:07I know some people work with an orange wood stick.
03:09Basically, whatever works best for you.
03:11The main thing is just to make sure they feel good and comfortable living with it.
03:15Notice that I'm flash curing all of this with a regular handheld nail curing light.
03:20Then, finally, I fully cure it in a gel lamp and after that I remove the sticky layer.
03:24And with a nail file or a drill bit, I've shaped the final form.
03:29We're going to make a very, very soft, rounded square.
03:33It won't extend past the fingertip.
03:35That's specifically so nothing gets caught anywhere.
03:38Throughout the process, I asked him to touch it with his finger and tell me how comfortable
03:41the length felt.
03:43Next, we degreased everything and applied a matte top coat.
03:46Because, in my opinion, it looks as natural as possible with a matte finish.
03:49We've finished the procedure with cuticle oil and now I'm showing you our final result.
03:54Let me know in the comments if you have clients for whom you also do this kind of nail restoration.
