The fingernails on my right hand are not as strong as they used to be, and constant live playing over the last few weeks has worn them down/chipped them to the point where, for the moment, I'm having to play guitar live with a thumbpick or a plectrum and adapt some tunes slightly. Studio work, plugged in, is OK.

Fingerpicks I can never get on with, so they're no solution. A friend in a music shop recently showed me some nail tip+acrylic extensions to his right-hand thumb and 2 of the right-hand fingers - applied by a professional nail technician. The prospect looks attractive, but I have heard some disturbing stories of nail rot and the natural nail being made even more weaker by the application of false ones. And yet some guitarists I know (flamenco players in particular) swear by them.

Any experience, ideas, comments?