You Have To See What Wearing Acrylics Non-Stop Can Do To Your Nails

Check the fingers of Katy Perry, the Kardashian/Jenner clan, your best friends and coworkers, then report back to us. Pretty much no one leaves the house without precisely-painted acrylics these days. And it’s no wonder: the long-term mani helps keep those Instagram pics poppin' and nails constantly on fleek (if people still said on fleek). But what lies beneath that glossy facade after continuous manicures? The truth is, you probably don't even want to know. One U.K. beauty blogger gave us a glimpse and the results are shocking. Amelia Perrin tweeted a pic of her exposed nails after removing her trademark acrylics. “A lot of people...ask me about my acrylics, presumably wanting a set themselves,” she wrote. “Sharing these to show u the reality lol.”

If the reality — cracked, chipped and peeling nails — looks painful, that’s because it is. “Nearly cried in the shower at the hot water touching my nail beds and I'm pretty sure there's still loads of shampoo left in my hair,” she shared in the thread. Ye-ouch. The good news? Our bodies come pre-programmed with a hell of a repair system: Just five days later, the blogger posted another tweet showing major progress. Perrin notes that she took two types of the B-complex vitamin biotin daily to help strengthen and heal her nails.

While not all doctors are convinced that the vitamin can enhance nail and hair growth, thanks to some combination of the supplement, time, and her body’s own healing mechanism, Perrin’s once-thrashed nails are decidedly on the mend. Either way, the confession serves as a solid reminder to all of us: No matter how perfect an acrylic manicure makes your nails look on the outside, it’s good to take a fake nail break every once in awhile — a week off every two months is ideal — to maintain healthy tips on the inside, too.