I had acrylic nails for 4-5 years. Then I developed melanoma and my dermatologist advised me to get rid of them because melanoma could develop under the nail and I would not see it, so I took them off. The first month they looked pretty bad but with lotions, oils, etc they looked fine after the first month. They don't affect the growth of the real nail. It's just the adhesive makes the real nail scuffed once it's off and only regrowth gets rid of that.