Are Gel Manicures Bad for You?

If you hate the short shelf life of a regular manicure but aren’t ready to commit to acrylics, gel manicures seem like the perfect in-between option. They last for weeks and you don’t have to use power tools to take them off. But lately we’ve been hearing the rumor that gel manicures could be bad for your nails and even bad for your skin. Some TikTokers have even been saying that the UV light that cures gel nail polish could cause photoaging or skin cancer. Whenever there’s a scary beauty rumor, we want to look into it more and see what scientific evidence there is before we just accept it as true. Is there any evidence that gel manicures are bad for your skin? Keep reading to see what we’ve found out. 

Why do gel manicures use UV light?

Gel manicure lights use UVA light to “cure” tiny molecules the polish called “oligomers”. Regular nail polish will dry by itself, but gel polish won’t harden without exposure to UV light. The wavelengths of the UV lights used in gel manicures are about 340 to 395 nanometers. For comparison, tanning beds, the ones that are known to cause cancer, have UVA wavelengths of 280-400 nanometers.

Why are people saying gel manicure lights cause cancer?

According to the New York Times, there are no major studies that evaluate if gel manicures give you an elevated risk of skin cancer or photoaging. However, a recent study in the journal Nature Communications found that the radiation from the gel manicure UV lights damaged DNA in skin cells. It caused mutations that looked similar to those seen in skin cancer. There have also been anecdotal reports of skin cancer on the hands after exposure to UV nail lights. 

What does this study mean??

This study in Nature Communciations wasn’t perfect–it used skin cells in petri dishes, so it isn’t an observation of how actual skin reacted to the gel manicure lights. (It wouldn’t be ethical to expose test subjects to potentially harmful radiation in a study). But it does show that damage to skin cells and to DNA is possible with these lights. So, more research is needed on a much larger scale to definitively say if UV lights from gel manicures cause cancer or not. That means tracking the incidence of skin cancer on hands with people who get gel manicures, compared to people who don’t. Since there isn’t much research about that now, it’s hard to make a determination. And the authors of the study even say this in their conclusion: “Future large-scale epidemiological studies are warranted to accurately quantify the risk for skin cancer of the hand in people regularly using UV-nail polish dryers.” They say this would take at least ten years, to get this kind of high quality data. Right now, we don’t have enough information for scientists to determine if nail UV lights are carcinogenic like tanning beds. 

What can you do to protect your hands from UV light from gel manicures?

If you’re looking to reduce your skin cancer risk, avoiding gel manicures is the most foolproof option. If you have a family history of skin cancer, you may want to forego the gel manicures until science gives us a clearer picture of the risks. But you can also apply water-resistant SPF to your hands before getting a gel manicure. It’s best to use a physical or mineral sunscreen, as they start working right away. Chemical sunscreens take about half an hour to be effective, which could take too long. Apply after your nail tech is done with any lotions or oils. You can also wear UV resistant fingerless gloves while your nails are curing under the lights to further shield your hands.

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One more option is to get gel manicures every now and then for special occasions instead of regularly. Or, you can look into long lasting alternatives like dip powders or press on nails. If you’ve been getting gel manicures for a long time, check in with your dermatologist and have them look at your hands for any signs of damage. 

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So to sum up, this new study shows that UV light from nail dryers damages skin cells. But it’s too early to say if they directly cause skin cancer or photoaging. If this news concerns you, you have other options for manicures that don’t come with the possible risks.

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