The UK Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy’s Consumer Product Safety Unit has begun investigating reports of an increasing number of allergic reactions to gel nail polish. Symptoms include brittle and even falling nails, itchy skin on the fingers, rashes and, in severe cases, difficulty breathing.
Dr. Deirdre Buckley of the British Association of Dermatologists calls to abandon gel and go back to “old-fashioned” nail polishes, as well as not applying gel at home. The gel stays on the nails much longer than the usual varnish, but hardens only under the influence of ultraviolet light, so special lamps must be used. Complications arise here, because these lamps are different and not suitable for all gels.
Ideally, the power of the lamp should be 42 watts (or at least not less than 36 watts) with a wavelength of 350 nanometers. Otherwise, the acrylates used to harden the gel do not dry as they should, they penetrate under the nails along the edges, causing irritation and allergies.
In rare cases, allergies to anything containing acrylates, such as dental fillings and some diabetes medications, make life even more difficult. “What people don’t understand is that careless use of nail gel can lead to health problems that have nothing to do with the nails,” warns Dr. Buckley.
The first nail gel products were created in 2009 by the US company “Gelish”. Its general manager, Danny Hale, explains that the company does everything to ensure that the products are tested, certified and users are trained, “some of the goods that are sold on the Internet are manufactured in countries that do not adhere to the strict regulations that exist in the EU and the USA”. The biggest risk of getting into trouble is to use the cheapest services.
