Since it hit the market around 2010, gel nail polish has become a staple of nail salons in the United States and many parts of the world. It’s easy to see why. Compared to traditional nail polish, the gel variant is more resistant to damage and smudges and stays shiny until you remove the nail polish from your nails. No. All of these benefits are thanks to the way the polish cures. Instead of waiting for the gel polish to dry naturally, place your hands under a UV light to activate and cure the chemicals within the gel.
The dangers of UV rays, especially in tanning environments, are well known, but until this week, scientists hadn’t studied how the UV rays used to cure gel polish affect human skin. You might think that what we know about tanning beds applies here, but the devices used in nail salons emit a different spectrum of UV radiation. decided to study the device after reading an article about a beauty pageant contestant diagnosed with a rare form of skin cancer.
Using various combinations of human and mouse cells, the researchers found that one application of an ultraviolet nail polish dryer for 20 minutes killed 30% of the cells in a Petri dish. After three consecutive 20-minute sessions, he killed 65-70% of the exposed cells. Among the remaining cells, there was evidence of mitochondrial and DNA damage in addition to the mutations seen in skin cancer patients.
“Our experimental results and previous evidence suggest that radiation emitted from UV manicure dryers can cause hand cancer, and that UV manicure dryers, like tanning beds, may increase the risk of early-onset skin cancer.” The researchers wrote in a study published in the journal on tuesday. They cautioned that longer epidemiological studies are needed before they can conclude that the use of UV dryers leads to an increased risk of skin cancer. It will likely take at least 10 years,” he added. general public. ”
You might think the advice here is to avoid UV dryers, but it’s not quite that simple. There’s a reason gel manicures have become the industry standard. For many people, regular nail polish starts to peel off after a day or so, and traditional nail polish is often not worth the time, money, or effort.
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