NOS news•today, 3:19 p.m
More and more people are coming to Amsterdam UMC with a so-called acrylic allergy that they got from gel nails. With these fake nails, a gel layer is placed on the nails, which must be hardened under a UV lamp or LED lamp.
Ten years ago, 2.3 percent of all patients in an Amsterdam hospital tested positive for an acrylate allergy. Now the percentage is more than 4 percent.
That is a cause for concern, says dermatologist-allergist Thomas Rustemeyer to NOS Stories. For example, you may get a rash or become short of breath because of gel nails.
But an allergy to acrylics can have a big impact in the future: many medical devices are made of these plastics, such as hearing aids, contact lenses and bone cement. If you are allergic, your body may no longer accept these resources.
Before men, now women
Today, 97 percent of all people diagnosed with an acrylate allergy at UMC Amsterdam are female. Ten years ago, these were all men who were exposed to acrylics through their work, such as dental technicians.
According to Rustemeyer, changes have been made to these professions so that workers have less contact with plastics. In the meantime, the group of women with allergies has grown due to the popularity of gel nails.
The allergy can occur if the gel polish gets into the skin or with a wound. “This can happen, especially if the gel polish is wet,” says Rustemeyer. Therefore, the risk is high if the paint under the lamp has not hardened properly.
You can get an allergy in a nail salon if the work is not done carefully, says Rustemeyer. But working alone with a nail gel set and a lamp is especially dangerous, according to him. “Then it’s about tinkering, trying things out. And you don’t know what you’re working with which means you don’t know what risk you’re running.”
Red cuticles
Lotte van Leeuwen (24) bought a kit five years ago to do her nails at home. At one point she developed allergic complaints. She had red, dry skin around her eyes for months. “The doctor said: ‘This is because of the cold weather, here’s a tube of Vaseline, there’s nothing wrong with it.'”
She also developed cracks around her nails, her fingers began to swell and she had red cuticles. “I thought: it must be because of the acetone or the electric file. I wasn’t looking for anything behind it.”
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Lotte van Leeuwen
Lotte van Leeuwen (24) -
Lotte van Leeuwen
Lotte van Leeuwen with red spots around her eyes
When she developed spots on her neck and felt short of breath, she searched the internet for possible causes and came across the allergy. “I’ve never heard of anyone being allergic to gel nails. “
She can no longer wear her nails, “that’s annoying”. But Van Leeuwen believes it’s worse that she may no longer be eligible for certain medical procedures. “I don’t need an artificial hip or a pacemaker yet, but hopefully this won’t cause me any problems later on.”
No Dutch problem
More and more women are also catching the allergy in many other European countries, says Rustemeyer. The Amsterdam hospital shares data with hospitals in Antwerp, Copenhagen, Malmö and Manchester. “They see exactly the same trend, in some cities it is even worse than here. This is a big European problem.”
The European figures also include very young girls, says Rustemeyer. “That suggests that parents give their children nail polish because it looks cute. They don’t understand that the children then become allergic when they are 2.5 or 3 years old old. It’s a bit boring to me.”
2024-10-29 14:19:00
#women #allergic #gel #nails #problems
