Artificial nails have been worn predominantly by women for hundreds of years, originally by Egyptian women as a symbol of status and wealth. These were often made from bones or ivory. There nails were exceptionally long because they didn't have to worry about manual labourer like their peasant counterparts. 

Acrylic nails were invented by a dentist. In 1954 Robert Slack broke a nail and created an acrylic nail as a temporary replacement. After experimenting with different substances and powders, he and his brother Tom, founded Patti Nails and patented their invention. 

Acrylic nails are a mix of powder and liquid monomer that are combined into a blob of dough, shaped onto your nails with a brush, and then air-dried. They are great for changing the shape or extending your nails. When you're getting a full set of acrylics, Nicole will put on tips or use nail forms to achieve a more natural look. Each acrylic is then shaped as desired and painted with polish.

Maintenance:

Most clients with acrylics generally come in every two to three weeks to get them filled. However, as long as any lifting of the acrylic is filled in, a set can be worn for six to eight weeks before it needs to be removed.

Acrylics aren't any more damaging than other forms of fake nails — as long as they're taken care of. That includes getting them properly removed, regularly filled, and keeping them clean and dry, all of which prevent bacteria from getting into the acrylic and causing infections.

Gel nails were introduced to the beauty market in the 1980's as traditional gels which were a hard gel.  As time went on, new variations were introduced that were weakened formulas of hard gels known as soft gels and gel polishes.