A gift to the time poor, clumsy and those who just want nice nails, the gel manicure has earned its spot as one of the best beauty innovations ever. Period.
Regular polish pales in comparison and while SNS and acrylic nails are other options, the strictly in-salon removal can be a hassle.
However, the question remains… can the UV nail lamp cause skin damage and increase your risk to skin cancer?
Unfortunately have some bad news for you.
In a recent paper published last year by the University Hospital Galway in Ireland published in the Australasian Journal of Dermatology, gel manicures have draw back which needs to be considered.
Can a gel manicure cause UV damage?
The study concluded that the UV light needed to harden and cure your nails has “similar properties to traditional UV tanning sunbeds.” Commercial solariums were made illegal in NSW in 2014.
Despite this, there’s a bit of argument as to whether the dose we get from a manicure is enough cause for worry.
And here’s where the research get’s complicated.
Some studies say that they’re fine, with the exposure dosage and time spent using the machine not anywhere near enough to cause harm, however another more alarming study that analysed 17 different nail lamps stated that “DNA damage could be reached between eight and 208 visits to a salon” – an easy feat for the gel fan, while another suggested that you could receive an entire day’s recommended energy dose in less than 10 minutes.