Gel Manicures and Cancer: What’s Known and How to Play It Safe – Curetoday.com

In recent years, concern has actually grown over the ultraviolet (UV) lights used to dry the gel nail polish. They give off UVA rays, which cause aging and skin cancer.A gel manicure dries in seconds, never smudges and lasts longer than a couple days. It’s benefits like these that make them attractive to salon-goers, but are they safe?

In recent years, concern has actually grown over the ultraviolet (UV) lights used to dry the gel nail polish. They give off UVA rays, which cause aging and skin cancer. These are the same kind as those in tanning beds, only along with much less intensity. Therefore, some doctors warn it could put those who get these manicures at an increased risk for skin cancer. However, Mario Lacouture believes there is not enough data to support this claim. Lacouture is a dermatologist and director of the Oncodermatology Program at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and author of “Dr. Lacouture’s Skin Care Guide for People Living along with Cancer.“

“In terms of the UV light, there is no prospective studies that have actually analyzed the data along with manicure lamps,” said Lacouture. “It’s quite difficult to measure because of the variability to how frequently women will be exposed to these manicures and to extrapolate that to whether or not that really does lead to an increase in skin cancer.”

Overexposure to UV light from the sun or artificial methods (such as gel lamps or tanning beds), conversely, can be harmful and lead to eye and skin damage or skin cancer.

A study published in The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) reviewed two cases of women who developed nonmelanoma skin cancers on their hands. Neither of the healthy, middle-aged women had personal or family history of skin cancer, but both did report previous exposure to UV nail lights. One of the women, reported getting her nails done twice a month for 15 years.

While Lacouture has actually looked at this study, he adds that there are probably lots of other women out there who are additionally getting the gel manicures along with the UV light and have actually not developed those skin cancers. This information, he points out, was not included in the study.

On the other hand, “There are lots of other patients, tens of thousands, who additionally developed skin cancers on their hands, like these, and have actually never been using those kinds of devices,” Lacouture explained. “For example, this usually occurs in men. The data for this causing skin cancer is really weak. That said, anyone along with a family or personal history of skin cancer, or who is taking a medication that sensitizes them to UV rays (certain anti-inflammatories, antibiotics, and anticancer medications) must avoid the gel lamps or use sunscreen or gloves covering the skin when exposed to them. In addition to the risk for skin cancer, what might be more frequent and visible is the aging of the hands (wrinkling, sun spots) that will develop from exposure to gel lamps without protection.”