Nails

Julia Ann · 04-25-2013, 02:10 AM

I am newly diagnosed HER2+++. I will be having a mastectomy on Monday then begin chemo with TCH about three weeks after that. I have had acrylic nails for several years. My question is should I have those removed before surgery or before chemo starts or leave them? When I went for my pre-op, they said that they were fine at the hospital. The oxygen sensor was able to pick up so there wasn't a problem with that. I know one of the drugs in the TCH regimen affects nails and I didn't know what would be best. I know when I remove them that my nails will be extremely weak and I didn't know what would be best. Would the acrylic be more protective knowing what nails are like when you first remove them. I know in the grand scheme of things that this is trivial but...right now its important to me.

sassy · 04-25-2013, 07:15 AM

My docs did not want me to have acrylic nails during chemo--not because of the acrylic, but because of the risk of infection having them done. I personally feel that allowing the nails to breath during chemo would be a good idea since you may experience some lifting and slight problems with the chemo.

I kept mine fairly short and they did get weak, but returned to normal shortly after finishing chemo.

Best of luck!

vlcarr · 04-25-2013, 12:42 PM

I kept having mine done and still do. I have crappy nails and like you, I wanted to keep on getting them done. I never have them long so they are probably short compared to most women who get them. I never had any problems. I do think it's very important to have someone who knows what you are going through so they are extra careful. Of course, cleanliness and an excellent health rating are always important. Just wanted to share my experience. I never had any nail problems during my treatment.

Kellennea · 04-26-2013, 02:19 PM

I was told to stay far, far, far away from mani/pedis. I don't do acrylic - but I am pretty sure that the reasoning was infection.

karen z · 04-27-2013, 07:58 AM

My strong advice would be the same as that of Sassy.
Best,

jaykay · 04-29-2013, 03:00 PM

Everyone reacts differently to chemo. I didn't have manicures or pedicures, kept my finger nails short, unpolished (not even clear) and took good care of my cuticles, etc.

Everything was looking good until just before my 5th chemo - nails are all colors of the rainbow (brown, beige, reddish) and a couple have separated from the nail bed but are still attached. They are disgusting and I will have to wait until everything grows out, probably about 6 months or so. Have started getting manicures again but have to use dark polish since my nails are so discolored.

My feet, on the other hand, are fine. Had my first pedi a couple of weeks ago - pure bliss :-).

I guess what I'm saying is that I wouldn't do acrylics but I would have continued with regular manicures using my own tools and no cutting of cuticles. It would have been a nice mental lift

Best,

Janis

IrvineFriend · 04-29-2013, 05:47 PM

I just finished #5 and nails are now just getting discolored. I personally gave up on my regular pedis but if you do continue, I was told to bring my own tools because of the risk of infection. The Look Good Feel Better class offered by the breast cancer society was very informative and I highly recommend it. All kinds of tips. Infection is very real during chemo.

Best of luck with your surgery.

hestko76 · 04-29-2013, 06:08 PM

Hi Julia,
I, too was very concerned about my nails. Sooooo, after lots of reading I:
1. Kept my fingernails on frozen peas during chemo infusions.
2. Got regular manicures and pedicures with my regular "lady" who used my tools.
3. She always used a nail strengther as the base coat.

I NEVER HAD ONE loose nail or discolored nail. It was very important to me to have nice nails.... I give piano lessons, and I didn't want to "gross" out my 6 students.....

Good luck!

CoolBreeze · 04-29-2013, 07:39 PM

I'm on chemo ..hmm....#100? 3 years weekly. My nails have been fine up until recently on gemzar. I would not remove your acrylics. You are going to weaken your nails and cause problems.

The reasons that some oncologists don't want us to go get our nails done is our white count can get low and then we are susceptible to infection. You will know that as you get your counts weekly, so you just don't make an appointment then.

After my first TCH was over and before I was metastatic, I went and got gels put on. (My nails grow fast so I didn't like acrylics). All was well but again, my mals grew too fast so I gave them up.

Good luck!

starwishn2 · 05-09-2013, 11:27 PM

I have had acrylic nails for 20 years. I, very sadly, removed them between my first and second chemo treatments. I did everything I could to keep my nails healthy and strong throughout my chemo time. I was very careful with them. However, my nails got infected and some even bleed. I was grateful that I didn't have the acrylics on at the time. The infection wasn't caused by any clipping or filing I did on my nails. I just had a very weird reaction to Taxotere. No one knows how our bodies will reaction to chemo. I had no problems with my nails until AFTER my last TCH treatment. I think you should do whatever you can to mitigate any problems. You can always put the acrylic back on when you're done if you don't have issues.

As a side note - I am actually liking the very short and painted look of my nails right now. I'm not sure if I'll put the acrylic back on or not....

Jeri