LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — A popular beauty trend has been getting a second look after results of a new study showed damage to human cells from long-term exposure to ultraviolet light found in nail salon gel dryers.
Gel polish is wet when it’s applied to fingernails and is then cured, or dried, by the UV light.
“Gel nails have been popular for over 20 years or more. They're popular because they shine, they last a long time, and you're dry as soon as you're done,” said Amber Robinson, owner of Kulture Kreations in North Little Rock.
She explained that concerns over UV lights are nothing new.
“This is news that, as a nail professional, I’ve known since I’ve been using the light. I don't feel like you're exposed to enough to cause cancer. And if you have someone that's at risk, you can take the proper precautions to give them less exposure as possible," she explained.
Researchers at the University of California San Diego conducted a different type of study by exposing UV light to the cells of both mice and humans.
Dr. Sara Shalin, Chair of Dermatology at the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute explained the study results.
"What it found was that it induced damage in the cells, and in fact, so much damage, that the cells died after prolonged exposure," Dr. Shalin described. "This study was different in the fact that it was actually trying its best to mimic a situation that we don't have direct evidence for, which is the safety of the UV light boxes to cure the gel manicures."
Dr. Shalin explained that these new results are a good reason to reconsider at least the frequency of getting gel manicures done.
Amber Robinson agreed and said that communicating any fears or cancer history to your service provider is critical.
She offers her clients long, fingerless gloves to diminish the skin’s exposure to gel dryers. She said that many other salons do this too and that you can also buy your own.
Experts also recommend applying sunscreen to all but your actual nails prior to receiving a gel manicure.