Last year, all my friends started getting married, which to me, meant that I needed to either start shelling out for a few manicures a year or get better at doing lasting ones myself. So, off I went to a beauty supply store, where I picked up a $30 UV lamp and some gel polishes that I remembered being pretty chip-proof. Recently, though, I began seeing videos of people online using lamps just like mine and coming away with red, inflamed rashes on their nail beds and hands. And that’s how I learned that every time you paint or build out your nails with anything other than traditional polishes, you risk developing an allergy to acrylates, the family of chemicals that allows nail products to harden and “cure” under UV lights. Though improper use of these tools can make a reaction more likely, there’s really no way to predict if or when you’ll develop this allergy—and there’s no way to cure it. What’s more, an allergy to one acrylate often means an allergy to all acrylates, which is a problem because they also appear in lots of medical adhesives and dental devices. There are a few ways to make using nail products like gels and acrylics safer. Dr. JiaDe (Jeff) Yu, a dermatologist at Massachusetts General Hospital, recommends “putting a good barrier cream like Vaseline around the nail,” to minimize skin contact with uncured products. I'm not throwing away my lamp yet, but I'll definitely be using it less. |
