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Can you get acrylic nails while on chemotherapy?
It's best to avoid artificial nails, including acrylics, during chemotherapy treatment. Chemo can weaken your nails and immune system, making you more vulnerable to infections.
Artificial nails can trap moisture and bacteria between the acrylic and your natural nail Show Full Answer
I'd avoid manicures and nail polish in general. Both times I have had chemo my nails have changed. They started to yellow from the chemo, then they started to look really pale and they then started getting these ridges that were a chemo side effect. I've had a couple of nails partially detach along the edges and start curling inward which hurt pretty bad, yet the nails didn't totally die and fall off. Some people have their finger and toe nails completely fall off. Then like mentioned above we are at a greater than normal risk of infection because chemo damages your immune system. More than one of my doctors have said one of the big things we can do to remain as healthy as possible while on chemo and radiation is avoiding sick people and germs in general.
@A MyBCTeam Member i’m just going do it on my own with regular nails polish no artificial nails.
@A MyBCTeam Member for now just do clear polish so that when your doctors and nurses look at your nails they can see them especially the nail beds of your nails to see if they are nice and pink looking healthly is what I suggest for you for now.
Hi Yooly, I was cautioned about getting manicure pedicure or artificial nails while I was on chemo. But sadly, I didn’t listen. I had a pedicure, and the skin on both big toes became infected. I fought the infection for a year and a half. Our immune 🤕 system is compromised during chemo. We just do not heal and are at risk of infection.
Hopefully you can get your beautiful nails and not get an infection. Just be sure not to damage the skin in anyway, Including clipping the cuticles.
I cut the nails way back as they were cutting into infected skin.
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