Fingerpads versus fingertips for users with long nails

The track pad on my Macbook Air does not recognize my finger pads. I have long nails, and so I use my finger pads instead of my finger tips to type and navigate things on my computer. The track pad frequently fails to recognize my fingers. I have small hands, that might contribute to this, but I should at least be able to "right click" and scroll and all that, and I can't do that most of the time. The track pad fails to recognize my finger pads. My nails aren't even that long, and I can't imagine what this would be like for people with extremely long nails,