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Long-lasting gel manicures have become the most popular way for ladies to get their nails done in the past couple of years, but doctors are now warning that they could cause cancer.
According to Fox Carolina, dermatologists say that the gel polish itself isn’t harmful—it’s the UV light nail technicians use to dry the polish that’s causing so much concern.
Nail salons use the special UV light—similar to the one used in tanning beds—because it completely dries the gel nail polish is about 30 seconds.
But, while it’s a quick process, the health effects could be long-lasting and life-threatening, according to doctors.
“It is actually damaging the skin causing aging, pre-skin cancer or skin cancer kind of changes,” said Dr. Elaine Cook.
In addition to the risk of skin cancer, Dr. John Humeniuk says the light can also cause the original nail plate to separate from the bed. This opens up a small gap, where moisture, bacteria, or yeast can grow.
Some nail salons have already taken precautions against the dangerous side effects of UV light by spending extra money on very expensive LED Lights.
“We used UV before, but now they have the popular LED, so we use that. Because it’s faster to dry and it doesn’t harm the skin,” said Paul Nguyen, the manager at a nail salon called Planet Nails in Amarillo.
Not only is UV light harmful to your skin, but it can also cause wrinkles and make your nails look dry and brittle, because of the oxygen that’s being taken away from the light.
If you absolutely must go through with gel manicures, doctors recommend doing so as rarely as possible.
Are you surprised by the harmful effects of gel manicures? Tell us in the comments!
Photo Copyright © 2013 Isanaïs ALISA/Flickr
