Does swimming ruin gel nails?

Hi girls,

I'm getting gel nails done the day before I leave for Mexico but recently have been concerned b/c I've heard that swimming in salt or chlorinated water can ruin your gels and make them look like garbage. Does anyone have any experience with this? I have 3 whole days of swimming in Mexico before the wedding so I don't want to get them done if the water will just ruin them. Thanks for your help!

I did the gel nails, and had 3 days in the pool before the wedding, and they were still perfect - didn't yellow or anything. You should be fine. I just had the pink & whites, so I'm not sure about if you were doing a color.

Your gel nails should be fine. I always swim in our condo pool and I've never had problems...

What are gel nails?

Phew! Thanks girls! I love them so I really wanted to get them without the worry. I'm doing white and pinks too. I think french manicure is just so classic for a bride.

I don't know how to describe gel nails - I think basically it's that they put a gel over an acrylic and it has to dry under UV. Sorry if that makes no sense! I like them better than acrylic nails b/c they looks less fake and glossier. Plus they just feel better to me. They're not supposed to be as damaging to your nails as acrylics either. Don't know if that's true though.

You'll love your gel nails. The great thing about them is that they won't chip. If you want to keep them you'll need to get them refilled every 3-4 weeks.

The pink & whites are my fav~

Well, if you are really worried, you can also tie bags around your hands, or encase them wax, maybe swim with your hands out of the water the entire time, or just don't swim.

Sorry, I had to be a smart ass for a second there...dont kill me LOL

the image of bags tied around my hands just made me spit water out. good thing nobody is around my office right now. they must wonder what i laugh about all by myself in here...

I don't want to hijack this post but I also have a gel nail question. How long do they last? I never do my nails because within 2 days they look like crap. I was considering gel nails but worry they won't look good on the wedding day. From the time of getting them to wedding day is 6 days. Will they still look good? I would get french manicure style.