A new study indicates that ultraviolet lamps which are used to dry Gel nails they could damage the DNA of skin cells if used frequently. It is important to focus on the latter. For people who do this type of manicure a few times a year, it would not be risky. But it is true that it has become fashionable to change more or less every fortnight, depending on how long the nail grows, and there it would be interesting to have certain considerations.
In the past, other studies have been carried out in which it was concluded that these lamps are safe. However, potential damage at the molecular level had not been analysed. For this reason, a team of scientists from the University of California San Diego has put under his light both human and mouse cell cultures.
The result is that, indeed, some cells die and others are damaged, with signs similar to those of the cancer. It should be noted that his experiments are not equivalent to the experience of putting his hands into the ultraviolet lamp. However, for the authors of the research, they do justify carrying out epidemiological studies on the long term effects of gel nails
Is doing gel nails like sunbathing?
Nowadays, we have finally gotten used to the idea of the importance of using sunscreen to protect our skin from the ultraviolet radiation. It is true that the ozone layer, even with its hole, protects us from the most dangerous. However, some that can end up causing skin cancer if we don’t protect ourselves continue to sneak in.
The same goes for celebrities. tanning beds. So why have we become fashionable to put our hands in a small ultraviolet lamp without asking ourselves if there is danger in it? Well, the truth is that some scientists have wondered. And their conclusions have been that there is no risk. In fact, they are marketed as a safe product. Not only in Beauty salons. Actually, anyone willing to pay for it can have one at home. The reason is that the UV spectrum of gel nail lamps is different from that of tanning beds. Also, the bulbs they contain are less intense. Even so, in 2013 a study was published which pointed out that the radiation dose from these lamps is more than four times greater than that of the Sun.
Faced with this tangle of conflicting data, scientists at the University of California San Diego decided to use a new approach. They would not focus on the process of dry gel nailsbut would directly analyze the effect of lamps on skin cells.
20 minutes under the ultraviolet lamp
To carry out this study, its authors took skin cell cultures from humans and mice. Both were placed under ultraviolet lamps for two periods of 20 minutes, one hour apart. In addition, they performed this procedure during three consecutive days.
Thus, they saw that with the two 20-minute sessions, they died between 20% and 30% of cells exposed. And, after three days, they succumbed neither more nor less than 70%. As for those that survived, their DNA was damaged, with lesions that, in a whole organism, could produce skin cancer.
Here it is important to clarify that, in total, a gel nail placement session does not usually go beyond the 10 minutes in totalunder the ultraviolet lamp. In addition, they are not continuous, but are done in small doses, with rest intervals. And never on three consecutive days.
For this reason, even the authors of the study insist that it cannot be ensured that this type of manicure is dangerous. Yes, it’s true that as explained in Science Alertone of the study authors, Maria Zhivaguiwho regularly had her gel nails done, decided to stop going to her nail salon when she saw the results.
Doubts about gel nails at the epidemiological level
Despite the differences from a normal procedure for applying gel nails, these scientists believe that they should be done long-term epidemiological studies. That is, follow people who get this manicure regularly for a while, to see if they end up developing skin cancer.
Two cases are known reported in 2009in which women no family history developed skin cancer, having done gel nails with some regularity. However, it is impossible to determine if it was a simple coincidence. A study with many more people would be necessary to Try to find a correlation.
For now, there should be no panic, but it is true that, as prevention is better than cure, those who get gel nails are recommended to smear your fingers with sunscreen. Although it is not formulated for this, its objective is to protect from ultraviolet radiation, so it can be useful. This is especially recommended for those who do it every fortnight, although anyone who is going to put their hands in an ultraviolet lamp could take this precaution. It costs no work, it does not involve any risk and, of course, it can bring great benefits. In the past it used to be said that to shine you have to suffer. This is a saying that we should throw out in absolutely every way, but especially this one.