UV nail polish dryers for gel and acrylics can lead to Cancer – new study finds
According to a new study, ultraviolet (UV) nail polish dryers, typically used for gel manicures, can kill cells and lead to cancer-causing mutations in cells.
The findings were published in the Nature Communications journal and later backed up by a statement from the University of California, San Diego.
According to the study, the radiation from UV nail polish dryers can damage a user’s DNA and permanently engrave mutations.
The study was triggered by the prevalence of rare skin cancers among beauty pageant contestants. UCSD professor Dr Ludmil Alexandrov said he began looking into it after a beauty pageant contestant was diagnosed with an uncommon form of skin cancer on her finger.
The study further suggested that using UV nail polish dryers may increase the risk of early-onset skin cancer.
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According to the study, cells with acute exposure had two 20-minute sessions under the UV dryers with an hour break in between. Cells with chronic exposure had one 20-minute session under the UV dryers for three consecutive days.
Researchers found that one 20-minute exposure to the UV dryers resulted in 20 to 30% cell death, while three consecutive 20-minute sessions resulted in 65 to 70% cell death.
The exposure in the remaining cells resulted in mutations typically seen in skin cancer.
Nail manicure shops in Nairobi have been booming since arriving on the market a decade ago.
Gel manicures have become a staple in nail salons across the country and many parts of the world, and it’s easy to see why.
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Compared to traditional nail polish, gel variants are more resilient to damage and smudging and retain their shine until you remove the polish from your fingernails.
Best of all, if you’re impatient, you don’t need to wait an hour or more for a gel manicure to dry.
Those benefits all come courtesy of the way the polish cures.
Instead of waiting for a gel polish to dry naturally, you place your hands under a UV light, which activates the chemicals inside the gel, causing it to harden.
While the dangers of UV light, particularly in tanning settings, are well-known before this week, scientists had not studied how the ultraviolet lights used to cure gel polishes might affect human skin.
Gel manicures have become an industry standard for a reason. For many people, regular nail polish starts to chip off after a day or so, making a traditional manicure often not worth the time, money, or effort.
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