Gel polish manicure can lead to cancer
It turns out that even a simple manicure can be potentially dangerous to our health if at the same time we are exposed to an ultraviolet lamp.
The popular trend among modern women to entrust the care of their own beauty to others and pay for it can turn out to have quite unpleasant consequences.
The habit of doing a manicure in a beauty salon and instead of natural components with a high content of vitamin D and calcium, and natural substances such as lemon juice, to strengthen the nails to chemical compounds in the form of gel are used, it turns out to be dangerous.
Research conducted at the New York University School of Medicine (NYU School of Medicine) shows that regular manicure using gel polish is directly proportional to < strong>risk of developing cancer.
At the same time, this process leads to thinning of the nail plate, which leads to fragility and delamination of the nails.
Specialists are confident that the use of gel varnish as a coating, which should theoretically strengthen the nail plate, in practice thins it, creating the illusion of a healthy nail . The truth is that the structure of the nail under the gel coating actually breaks down and deteriorates.
As for the risk of developing skin cancer, the authors of the study linked it primarily to the use of an ultraviolet lamp for drying and strengthening during the procedure . This has long been considered unsafe for the skin.
Scientists are aware that calls for women to give up getting their manicure done in a beauty salon with an ultraviolet lamp and gel polish are unlikely to be heeded. Therefore, they recommend that this should at least not be done often and that a protective cream with a high factor of protection should at least be applied to the hands before treatment with ultraviolet rays.
There is a risk for women who continuously maintain their manicure using gel polish and an ultraviolet lamp. “The continuous use of ultraviolet rays that affect the skin during the session can disrupt the structure of DNA and increase the risk of developing cancer,” says Dr. Lindsey Shipp of the Department of Dermatology at the University of Georgia. Her research was published in the journal JAMA Dermatology.
In her work, Dr. Shipp used special measuring devices that show with high accuracy the amount of ultraviolet rays emitted by the manicure lamp.
The measurement was made in different positions using 17 types of ultraviolet lamps. A similar experiment was conducted in 16 beauty salons.
According to scientists, the amount of ultraviolet rays emitted by different models of lamps differs significantly. Scientists can’t say how many visits for a gel polish manicure are critical to unlocking cancer, but they advise taking precautions, especially by using of sunscreens.
This is necessary not only to protect against skin cancer, but also to reduce the negative impact of ultraviolet rays, which prematurely age the skin.
Dr. Chris Adigun, a professor of dermatology at the New York Medical Center, agrees that salon manicure enthusiasts should use sunscreens to protect against radiation.
So don’t completely give up the pleasure of having a professional manicure done in a beauty salon, but always wear sunscreen. Still, don’t overdo the sessions.
