Chapter 29 UV Gels

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Chapter 29 UV Gels
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Right now at this very moment we have a mind,
which is all the basic equipment we need to
achieve complete happiness. Howard Cutler
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Objectives

• Describe the chemistry and main ingredients of UV
  gels.
• Describe when to use the one-color and two-color
  methods for applying UV gels.
• Name and describe the types of UV gels used in
  current systems.
• Identify the supplies needed for UV gel
  application.
• Determine when to use UV gels.
• Discuss the differences between UV light units
  and UV lamps.

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Objectives (continued)

• Describe how to apply one-color UV gel on tips
  and natural nails.
• Describe how to apply UV gels over forms.
• Describe how to maintain UV gel nail enhancements.

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UV Gels

• A type of nail enhancement product that hardens
  when exposed to a UV gel light an increasingly
  popular method for nail enhancement services

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UV Gel Characteristics

• Rely on monomer liquid (ML) and polymer powder
  (PP) ingredients
• Part of the family of acrylates
• Rely mostly on oligomers
• Short chains of monomers not long enough to be
  considered polymers and often referred to as
  "prepolymers"

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UV Gel Characteristics (continued)

• Traditional gels rely on urethane acrylates
• Newer gel systems rely on urethane methacrylates
• Reaction resins react to UV light
• Photoinitiator creates polymerization reaction
• Curing combination of resin, photoinitiator, and
  curing lamp
• Requires UV lamp exposure to cure

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UV Gel Characteristics (continued)

• Easy to apply, file, and maintain
• Not as hard as monomer liquid and polymer powder
• Viscosity

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UV Gel Categories

• Clear resin for one-color method
• Pink and white resin for two-color method

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Types of UV Gels

• UV bonding gels used to increase adhesion
• UV building gels use thick viscosity resin
• Self-leveling UV gels provide smoother surface
  than self-building gels
• Pigmented gels include color

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Types of UV Gels (continued)

• UV gel polishes cure in UV light unit
• UV gloss gels sealing, finishing, or shine gels
• Traditional (with a sticky inhibition layer)
• Tack-free (no inhibition layer)
• Opacity amount of colored pigment concentration
  in a gel

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UV Gel Supplies

• UV gel light unit
• Synthetic brushes
• UV gel primer or bonding gel
• UV gel
• Nail tips
• Nail adhesive
• Nail cleanser or primer

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UV Gel Supplies (continued)

• Abrasive files and buffers
• Cleansing solution
• Lint-free cleansing wipes

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Choosing the Proper UV Gel

• Flat fingernails thicker UV building gel best
• Arched or curved fingernails self-leveling gels
  are best
• Frequent breaks gel with fiberglass stronger

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UV Light Units and Lamps

• UV lamp light bulb (most common is 9-watt)
• UV light unit powers and controls lamp
• Unit wattage measures how much electricity lamp
  consumes

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Gel Polishes

• Most highly pigmented
• Cure rather than dry
• Do not imprint or smudge while lacquer is drying
• Do not thicken over time

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Gel Maintenance

• Use 180 grit abrasive file.
• Clean nail with recommended cleanser or 99
  percent isopropanol.
• Remove oils for better adhesion.
• File with a lighter touch than on ML/PP.

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UV Gel Removal

• Hard (traditional) UV gels cannot be removed
  with acetone must be filed off
• Soft UV gels removed by soaking in acetone

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Practical Class

• Pre-Service Procedure
• Post-Service Procedure
• One-Color UV Gel with Gel Polish
• Two-Color Method
• UV Gel over Forms
• UV Gel Maintenance
• UV Gel over ML/PP
• UV Hard Gel Removal
• UV Soft Gel Removal

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Summary and Review

• Describe the chemistry and main ingredients of UV
  gels.
• When would you use a one-color method of applying
  UV gels? And two-color?
• What are the types of UV gels used in current
  systems?
• What supplies are needed for UV gel applications?

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Summary and Review (continued)

• When should you use UV gels?
• When should you use a building gel, a
  self-leveling gel, or a UV gel that uses
  fiberglass?
• What is the difference between UV light units and
  UV lamps?

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Summary and Review (continued)

• List the steps to take when applying one-color UV
  gel on tips or natural nails.

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Summary and Review (continued)

• Describe how UV gels are applied over forms.

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Summary and Review (continued)

• Describe how to maintain UV gel nail enhancements.

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Summary and Review (continued)

• Explain how to correctly remove hard UV gels.
• Explain how to correctly remove soft UV gels.

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Congratulations!
You have completed one unit of study toward
course completion.