‘It just kept getting worse’: At-home manicure goes horribly wrong and results in the loss of an entire nail

It’s a perfect Friday night. You worked hard all week, and you’re ready for a relaxing evening at home that involves pizza, wine, and a mani-pedi. You picked out your favorite color — or maybe you want to get wild with some fun nail art. But then… disaster ensues.

It can be fun to play around with beauty, from Uncanny Valley makeup (or, um, maybe not that one) to “noodle hair.” But no matter your hair/makeup/nail routine, chances are you haven’t experienced the horror story that TikTok user @ultimatebykomi shared.

TikTok user @lanalovessushi was doing her nails at home when she cut too much of her cuticle and, yes, it was painful.

Lana shared that while she spent two years doing gel manicures, this was one time that didn’t go so well (to say the least!). She explained that while she gets rid of “dry, dead skin” on her cuticles, this time “I got really carried away with this one. It just keeps growing, kept getting bigger throughout the day.” After she went to the hospital assuming that she would get some quick help, “they ended up taking my whole fingernail off.”

If that’s not terrible enough (and it totally is!), a doctor handed Lana’s nail over “as a keepsake.” Sorry, what? Why? Let’s just let that sink in for a second.

People felt terrible for Lana and shared their nail stories in the comment sections that honestly could become the plot of the next big horror movie (hopefully made by Blumhouse or A24). TikTok user @princesslottie0 said that her acrylic nail got trapped in the pocket of her boyfriend’s clothing and after she lost half her nail, she got her nail removed. Yikes, we can’t even imagine how much that would hurt.

Thankfully, all is well and Lana’s nail healed, which we are so glad to hear. But if you love doing your nails at home, let this serve as a reminder to not do anything to your cuticles… or treat yourself to a spa day, or an hour at your local salon.

Just how scary is it to try to trim down your cuticles? According to Healthline, you don’t want to take a pair of scissors to your nail bed, as infections can occur. But heading to the nail salon and getting some pretty gel polish can be horrifying, too. As Buzzfeed reported, sitting under UV light isn’t the best. And the skin around your nail and your nails themselves can be harmed by acetone, which is how technicians take off the gel polish. Maybe we should embrace our natural nail color for a little while…