Tag: nails

She’s got a green thumb — but it’s nothing to brag about.

A woman was left horrified after she appeared to grow mold under her acrylics, realizing she was the victim of a common manicure mistake.

Rings of fungus now decorate her bare nails, she shared in a viral TikTok, which has grown to over 248,000 views since it was posted last week.

“Your sign not to keep infilling and just give your nails a break,” the user, who goes by @cleancookfun, wrote on the clip.

Acrylic nails are applied with nail adhesive — if done with faux tip extensions to lengthen the nail — and powder, which is sealed onto the nail.

Improper application, or lifts and cracks in the acrylic, can lead to a nasty fungal infection if moisture becomes trapped between the product and the natural nail.

Skipping regular soak-offs and receiving continuous fills for acrylics — or not taking the product entirely off every few weeks and just re-applying it on top when the nail has grown out — can give way to moisture-loving fungi.

Heathline recommends at-home treatments for mild cases, while more advanced infections might require a doctor’s prescription.

“Feel so manky,” the TikToker captioned the clip as she showed off her green-tinged natural nails.

Other manicure enthusiasts filled the comments section with remedies and advice, with some disparaging the unnamed nail technician who performed the work.

“Should have had more regular maintenance,” one user scolded.

“You don’t have a good nail tech, this happens when moisture gets under the acrylic. So they should have filled any cracked/split acrylic down,” another agreed.

“Use Tea Tree oil! Works wonders,” someone else suggested.

“This happens from leaving it too long between fills, nail tech not prepping right or nail tech not soaking off after the 2nd fill,” declared another.

“If your set ever happens to lift again and you can’t make an appointment for some reason blow dry the lifted area on cool to help prevent!” recommended one user.

“I got this off a pedicure as well, get some treatment asap!! it’s deff the salons fault not because u haven’t had a break,” another confessed.

Others assured the TikToker they also suffered from a nail fungal infection.

“Mine has done the same,” one user divulged.

“This happened to me,” another chimed in.

It seems no manicure method is sacred. Sharing tools and polish bottles could spread bacteria or fungus, according to one study, while new research released this month found gel-drying UV lights damage DNA and cause mutations in cells.

Even performing an at-home manicure can turn ugly.