Turns and moves an alarming headline appears to worry us about something in our day to day. Red meat, deodorant, fluorescent lamps and even the cell phone were some of the villains. Now, it's the turn of gel nails, due to an article published in the scientific journal Nature Communications.
Research reported in the scientific article suggests that getting gel nails may be linked to the onset of skin cancer. Note that this is a possibility and not a concrete statement. That's because scientists still need to look into and study this correlation better.
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What is the relationship between gel nails and cancer?
Before, we need to explain how a person does their gel nails. The professional trims and removes the cuticles to the customer's liking, then passes a gel over the nails and sets them to dry with LED or UV light.
Gel particles react with these lights causing it to harden. Thus, it has the same texture and stiffness as a normal nail. Afterwards, the result is sanded, trimmed and painted as per the customer's request.
According to the scientific article, the problem would be in the exposure of the hands to ultraviolet light. Prolonged exposure of the hands can lead to the growth of cancerous cells in the clients' skin.
How was the study done?
The research was by scientists at the University of Pittsburgh and the University of California, exposing human and mouse cells to UVA radiation from ultraviolet lights for 20-minute intervals. Thus, they found that the practice resulted in cellular damage similar to that seen in skin cancer.
"The results provide essential data for the warning that many dermatologists have been raising for many years about gel nails," said Mona Gohara, physician and clinical professor at Yale University.
“We know that ultraviolet light causes mutations in DNA repair mechanisms in skin cells, including melanocytes. Hence arises the melanoma. The science is not new, but this is the first time it has been confirmed that nail dryers can cause harm.”
However, it is good to point out that the research was only done on cells in the laboratory, not on human beings. Therefore, this is not evidence, but a suggestion.
How to do gel nails without dangers
According to a publication on the US website Yahoo, many beauty salons are preferring to dry their gel nails with a normal dryer, retiring the ultraviolet lights. Some establishments also choose to use LED light dryers.
Some experts also recommend that clients wear gloves that can only show their fingernails. In this way, contact with ultraviolet lights would be less.
To spend sunblock in the hands is also one of the indications. However, the product must be water resistant.
Graduated in Social Communication at the Federal University of Goiás. Passionate about digital media, pop culture, technology, politics and psychoanalysis.
