UV Gel Manicures May Cause Cancer, Scientists Say [No, No No!]
UV Gel Manicures May Cause Cancer, Scientists Say [No, No No!]

There are two types of women in this world: those who have not yet gotten shellac or UV gel manicures, and those who get them whenever the opportunity presents itself.

Back before I was an internationally famous blogger for the Inquisitr doing CNN appearances and Simon Doonan interviews, I was a humble beauty industry drone, spa tech and makeup artist. Manicures were always something I felt I should do in my station, but the immediate chips and inability to touch anything for a day were major roadblocks, so my nails remained mostly unvarnished- until the happy day uv gel manicures were invented.

I still remember the gleeful moment when I got up to go to the dryers and the nail tech said, “no dry! You pay now!” Like some sort of Angel Tips wizardry, I was immediately able to reach into my purse and fish out my keys. And two weeks after my first CND Shellac manicure, I was hooked- nary a chip appeared, and I only had to remove the polish because the bottoms began growing out. Plus, uv gel manicures are shiny as all get out and cheaper than their inferior acrylic counterparts. It is like the spa world’s cure for a deadly and devastating disease.

Science brought us the amazing innovation of UV gel manicures, however, and now science threatens to imbue it with all the guilt of a Diet Coke and Virginia Slims binge. A ray of light, though- it seems that (accounting for the fact that no one wants to believe UV gel manicures are anything but an amazing innovation) the risk presented by UV exposure for a scant few minutes every two weeks isn’t that large.

Jezebel linked to the Washington Post, where a study is cited examining the risks of UV gel manicures:

A 2009 article in a medical journal looked at two cases of women who reported repeated exposure to UV nail lamps and developed skin cancer on the backs of their hands. (The lamps are also used to set acrylic nails and dry traditional manicures and pedicures, but in about half the time.) http://www.nailartsqueen.com/category/non-soak-off-uv-gel.html
uv gel
uv gel