This is why thinner layers of UV gel cure more thoroughly and create less heat. Thick layers allow less light to reach the bottom layers because the energy has already been used to excite the PIs in the top layers. The more thickly a gel is applied, the more PIs are present, resulting in an exothermic reaction with a higher temperature. This is especially uncomfortable for clients whose nails have been damaged by filing or drilling, or by the use of harsh abrasives.” High amounts of PIs can cause excessive exotherms and heat up on the clients’ nails. In general, the more PIs there are in a formula, the faster it cures,” continues Carter. “The specific combinations and types of PIs used in a system greatly dictate the properties of the gel. They also absorb UV light and convert it into energy needed to drive the process. There are numerous PIs available, and the type and quantity of this substance will vary greatly from one company to another.” PIs are light-sensitive and decompose into free radicals to start the polymerization process. “Let’s take one ingredient that changes how a gel cures in the light, the amount of heat that is created and felt on the natural nail, and the amount of UV light energy needed for the gel to cure properly,” Carter says. Gels with different PIs from various manufacturers will cure at different speeds, especially if the gels contain color pigments, which block some of the light. The element that starts the curing process is called the photo initiator (PI). Instead of simply air-drying, gels require exposure to light, most often a UV light, to cure. The other big difference between acrylics and gels is the initiator. ![]() Think about how different a recipe would be if you altered the number of eggs or cups of flour.” ![]() NSI has created a special ‘recipe’ after experimenting with numerous formulas. “It is the quantities of each of these ingredients and the addition of other substances that make NSI gels unique and proprietary. Some of these include urethane acrylate, bis-GMA and urethane dimethacrylate, which create the structure and backbone of the gel system,” explains Risé Carter, national director of sales and education for Philadelphia-based NSI. “NSI gels are specifically formulated with a unique combination of several types of oligomers. Products with different purposes contain different additives in addition to the oligomers-base gels or gel primers will have priming molecules, building or sculpting gels will have silica or polymers to thicken the formula and color gels will have pigments. ![]() Urethane acrylate oligomers are the most commonly used in gels, as diacrylates or dimethacrylates, and the size of these molecules is much larger than acrylic monomers, making for no evaporation or odor. As opposed to the thousands or millions of monomer links in polymer, oligomer has a limited number of monomer links-between 5 and 500. Instead of combining an acrylic monomer with a polymer powder, gels come premixed in the form of acrylic oligomers.
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