Regular maintenance of acrylic nails keeps them looking their best and makes them less likely to chip or come loose. Any damage to the acrylic nail is generally repaired by removal of the old acrylic and reapplication of the new, so be careful to make regular appointments to avoid the hassle of reapplication. Loose nails are especially bad, as they can cause fungal growth in the nail bed. If you are dealing with loose acrylic nails, make an appointment at your local salon right away.

Explain your problem to the nail tech. She will ask you to wash your hands (and if she doesn't, you should anyway). If your nails are ready for maintenance anyway, ask her to do the regular fills in addition to repairing your chipped nail.

Relax while your old nail is removed. The tech may file down the nail further to remove adhesive residue and prep the nails.

Watch the next step to make sure that the tech matches your nails carefully to the rest. If you have tips, but have painted over them, ask her to remove the polish on another nail so that she can see and match the tip length.

Dry the nail under the lamp after the new acrylic has been applied.

Ask for your nails to be painted if you desire, or simply paint your new nail to match the rest when you get home.