I started doing nails two and a half years ago and only gels. Of course I did my own a lot too. About 4 mons ago I did my nails and woke in the middle of the night in so much pain in the tip of most of my fingers, but mostly my left thumb. I switched on the light an saw that my thumb was swollen and really bruised underneath the nail. A few weeks later I lost that entire nail. I gave my hands a break until two days ago. I did acrylics on myself and it was fine until last night when I decided to put a gel topcoat over my nails. Today, my finger tips are. Itchy with tiny blisters. Sadly there will be no more gels for me