Gel extensions consent form: length, lifelong allergy risk and fills
With gel extensions, the conversation that matters most happens before you pick up a tip: how long, what shape, and what her hands do all day. Length is beautiful and length breaks. A consent form that records the length you agreed on, and what happens when a nail breaks from misuse, saves you from arguing about it at the fix appointment.
This exact form is built into SlickChart: send it to your client's phone to sign before her set, and the extension aftercare goes home with her.
Name the method, because removal depends on it
My form describes the service as length built with gel: soft gel tips bonded with gel adhesive, or hard or builder gel on forms. It takes about 1.5 to 2.5 hours, each layer cures under an LED or UV lamp, and nails may feel snug for a day.
The method decides the exit. Soft gel soaks off; hard gel is filed off by your nail tech. Fills or rebalances come every 3 to 4 weeks. She checks today's service: soft gel tips, hard gel on forms, builder gel, fill or rebalance, or removal.
The allergy line that reaches past the salon
Every gel form mentions acrylate allergy. Mine for extensions says it more fully, because of what is at stake:
An acrylate allergy can also affect future dental, joint and medical treatments that use acrylates.
The risk list calls the allergy lifelong, and a separate acknowledgement has her confirm she understands it can develop at any time. A client who hears it could follow her to the dentist takes it seriously. If she reports a past reaction, my nail allergy and reaction form post covers what to record.
The rest of the risks are practical: lifting, which can trap water and invite infection; breaks or cracks, more likely with extra length; sensitivity to glue if it is used; redness or itching around the nail; thinning from peeling or improper removal; brief warmth as gel cures; and infection if lifts or breaks are not fixed promptly.
A longer health and nail check
The extension checklist has fifteen items, more than my gel polish form. Alongside fungus, eczema or psoriasis, a recent nail injury, blood thinners or chemo, pregnancy, sore nail folds, a past reaction, dark streaks, broken skin, diabetes and photosensitizing medication, it adds:
- Immune suppression.
- Very thin or bitten nails, which change what you can build on.
- Allergy to glue or adhesives, since soft gel tips may use one.
- Hands often in water at work, which affects lifting and wear.
A text box lets her explain anything she checks. A check is a reason to talk, adjust or reschedule, never a diagnosis.
Length and fixes, in writing
These two acknowledgements do the most work for an extension client:
- We agreed on length and shape. Longer nails break more easily, and breaks from misuse are not covered.
- Fixes within 5 to 7 days are free for service issues; damage from misuse is charged per your policy.
The rest cover honesty about her history, telling you right away about heat, burning, itching or pain during or after the service, following aftercare and booking fills on time, coming in for lifts instead of gluing at home, and never prying, peeling or biting extensions off. Photos for her private record are OK, social media only with her separate OK. The signature covers today's service and future fills.
Aftercare built around the fill
My guide opens with a line clients remember: the extensions are bonded to her natural nails, so caring for one protects the other.
- Day one: nails may feel snug or thick. Cuticle oil, finger pads instead of tips, no very hot water or long soaks.
- Daily: oil twice a day and gloves for dishes, cleaning and gardening. No acetone or harsh cleaners on bare hands.
- Weeks 3 to 4: the balance point moves toward the tip. Book the fill, arrive with clean hands and no lotion, and do not stretch past 4 weeks.
- Removal: natural nails may feel softer or thinner for a few weeks. Soft gel soaks off, hard gel is filed off, and nothing is peeled.
The guide asks her to come in within 5 to 7 days for any lift, never gluing it down. Its call-me list covers itching or swelling around the nails, a green, yellow or dark spot, a rash on fingers, eyelids, face or neck, and pain or a nail lifting from its bed, with a note that these can mean an allergy or infection: you remove the product, and she sees her doctor or a dermatologist too. Face or throat swelling, or trouble breathing, means 911.
Questions to decide for your own practice
- What lengths will you build for a client who checked "hands often in water at work"?
- Where will you note the agreed length and shape, so a later break claim has a record?
- What does your state board require? Consent rules and scope of practice vary by state, so check with yours. This post is not legal or medical advice.
Use this form with your clients
SlickChart has this exact gel extension consent and aftercare built in for subscribers. The form goes to the client's phone to sign before the visit, or she signs on your device at the table, and any contraindication she checks is flagged for you. The aftercare lands in the client's own app, styled with your logo, and it all works alongside the Square account you already have. If that would save you paperwork, try SlickChart.
Prefer paper? The printable gel extensions set, with the consent form, protocol and aftercare, is in my Etsy shop, ready to print or edit in free Canva.