Lancaster University
From Lancaster, Kylie Jenner and Rihanna to Ariana Grande and Cardi B, celebrities are sporting long, acrylic nails – often adorned with nail art – as an expression of their style. Nail fashion is now a booming industry with gel manicures and acrylic nails being among the most popular current trends. While manicures may seem like self-care, they can ruin healthy natural nails – and even cause unexpected health problems in some people who get them.
For example, the nail glue used to bond acrylic to the natural nail is typically a mixture of alcohol, cyanoacrylate, and photo-bonded methacrylate, along with other ingredients including formaldehyde, a known carcinogen.
The chemicals in nail adhesives can cause skin irritation and dermatitis.
Nail glue burns are also quite common. In some cases, nail glue spilled on clothing can irritate the fabric and damage the skin underneath, which can later lead to infection.
Applying gels and acrylics for a long period of time can also lead to pseudo-pseudo-psoriatic nails, where excess skin – known as hyperkeratosis – grows under the nail that resembles the red and scaly form of psoriasis. Many manicure enthusiasts with pseudo-psoriatic nails test positive for an allergy to methyl methacrylate.
In some cases the allergy can be so severe that it can cause permanent nail loss. Others suffer from peripheral neuropathy – tingling or numbness in the fingers – sometimes permanently.
An unlikely cause of skin cancer?
There are many factors that increase the risk of cancer, including age, skin type, previous exposure to cancer, and family history; however, there are cases of skin cancer where UV nail lamps have been implicated in a role.
Gel nails are cured using special dryers that emit ultraviolet light, known as UVA, which hardens the gel and converts it into a hard polymer. Since most people get their nails done every few weeks – and it takes about ten minutes to cure – this increases UVA exposure significantly. The back of the hands may be one of the most UV-resistant parts of the body, but it is also unprotected by clothing – and one of the most common places where people forget to apply sunscreen. If sunscreen is applied to the hands it is often washed off regularly without being reapplied.
If you’re a fan of gels, minimise the risk of UV exposure by applying a high factor sunscreen 30 minutes before your appointment and wear dark, fingerless gloves during your manicure.
Weak, brittle, dry nails
Removing gel and acrylic often results in pieces of the nail plate being chipped or peeled off. Even the most painstaking removal can damage the keratin layers of the nail, which can weaken the nail, make it brittle and cause the nail to appear white from the damage. Many of the chemicals used for removal, including acetone for gel nails, can also dry out the nail and surrounding skin – and be absorbed into the bloodstream.
The removal process for both gel and acrylic manicures can damage the natural nails, which may be over-filed, causing ridges on the ends of the nails, as well as alterations and damage to the capillaries underneath.
Removing nails can also cause painful onycholysis, where the nail is pulled away from the bed underneath, creating a classic rollercoaster appearance at the joint between the nail and the underlying bed. This can open up the barrier that protects the inner body from the outside world, particularly on the edges of either side of the nail, which when they become infected is known as paronychia.
Keeping fake nails on for too long can cause moisture to accumulate under the nail, creating onychomycosis – the ideal environment for fungus to grow. Often, changes in the appearance of the natural nail caused by a fungal infection are hidden by the acrylic, so the infection can progress unnoticed.
Bacterial breeding ground
Even traditional nail varnish is not free from risks. It can alter pulse oximeter readings, which measure how much oxygen is in your blood. Thankfully, most of the time these are not altered to a clinically significant level, but gels, acrylics and varnishes are banned in clinical settings because the space under nails and chips on the polish are breeding grounds for bacteria that can spread between staff and patients.
If you like manicures, it’s best to avoid gels and acrylics and focus on caring for your natural nails, leaving them visible so you can spot any changes in their appearance that could signal health problems, such as fungal infections – and even heart disease. NSA NSA
This article is generated from an automated news agency feed without any modifications to the text.
