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The first time a gel manicure heat spike happened to me, I thought my nail had somehow caught on fire under the UV lamp—it was that painful. Luckily, calling 911 wasn’t necessary, even though it felt like it might have been for a second.

There’s a good chance that if you’re reading this, you have also suffered the pain of a gel nail heat spike and wondered why, and more importantly, how to stop it from ever happening again. That’s why I tapped the experts to answer all your burning questions (pun intended). Keep scrolling to find out how to keep your next gel manicure pain-free.

Jump to:

What is a gel manicure heat spike?

What causes a heat spike during a gel manicure?

Are heat spikes bad for your nails?

How to stop and prevent heat spikes?

If a heat spike is super painful, can you immediately pull your hand away from the lamp?

Can regular heat spikes cause damage to your nails over time?

The bottom line:

Meet the experts:

Why trust Cosmopolitan?

What is a gel…