Gel manicures increase your risk of cancer, says expert

Sure, gel manicures are brighter, stronger and last considerably longer than traditional polish, but they're also more dangerous to your health, suggests one American Academy of Dermatology expert.

Dr. Chris Adigun is warning women that gel manicures come with a unique set of risks, with the UV light hand dryers possibly increasing the risk of skin cancer and other unpleasant side effects.

Her warning follows a 2009 study published in JAMA Dermatology in which two middle-aged women, with no family history of skin cancer and with just moderate exposure to sunlight, developed tumours on their hands linked to UV exposure from nail lights.

Also see: The new plastic surgery capital of the world

"Women who frequently get gel manicures should consider their skin cancer risk because the UV light needed to cure the gel manicure is a risk factor for skin cancer. In addition, photo damage from UV lamps could result in cosmetic changes to the exposed surrounding skin," cautions Adigun, an assistant professor of dermatology at the New York University School of Medicine in New York City.

Not everyone agrees with this claim, however.

David Valia, director of research and development at Creative Nail Designs (CND), insists that UV light exposure from a gel manicure lamp is no more dangerous than sitting under florescent lighting.

However, it's worth mentioning a potential conflict of interest with Valia's position. CND is the company behind Shellac, a popular gel polish company.

"The amount of energy from a UV lamp during a nail service would be roughly equivalent to the amount of UV exposure one would experience during a typical day of exposure in indoor fluorescent lighting," Valia tells the Daily Mail.

Also see: Why you shouldn't wrap wet hair in a towel

Aside from the UV exposure to nails, another study reports five women who experienced nail weakness, brittleness and thinning from gel manicures. Dermatologists in this study were unsure if the weakness stemmed from the gel nail polish or the acetone soaks needed to remove stubborn polish.

Gel manicures can cause other unpleasant side effects, Adigun claims, including cosmetic changes to the skin surrounding the nail, nail thinning from the chemicals, and undetected nail disease as a result of having a manicure last for two weeks.

Adigun is careful to not completely dismiss gel manicures, but does encourage women to have them done only in moderation, not every month.

"In general, any manicure left in place for an extended period of time is not a good idea because you are not seeing what is going on underneath the nail polish," says Adigun in a news release.

According to Fox News, the LED lamps used in drying regular nail polish and don’t pose the same health risks because they don’t emit ultraviolet radiation.

Also see: Target's unexpected opening: video

Other doctors are concerned that the gel manicures can trap bacteria and cause infections.

"One thing they need to worry about is whether or not they had any infection, did they have a fungal infection before and it’s now something they’re covering up," Dr. Tahl Humes of Vitahl Medical Aesthetics tells KDVR.

Fortunately for those who won't give up their gel nails, Adigun offers tips to lowering risks associated with the super-manicures.

If you are going to get a gel manicure, wear broad-spectrum sunscreen on your hands to minimize any damage cause by UV-light exposure, ask your manicurist to not manipulate the cuticle, revert to traditional nail polish if you have recurring nail problems, and rehydrate your nails multiple times a day with petroleum jelly to help combat brittleness and thinning.

As always, if you see any unusual changes to your hands or nails, seek the advice of a dermatologist.

Watch the video below about how to remove gel nail polish at home and for other home manicure tips.