Not long ago, I was a nail biter. It was a nasty nervous habit: I would do it in class, before a test and when I was bored. This summer I decided that it was actually time to stop and once I grew some semblance of nails I decided to get a gel manicure. Many people prefer gel polish over normal polish because its stronger, shinier and lasts two weeks without chipping. But there may be health risks associated with this polish that consumers are failing to consider.
Gel Nails-Px Here
Conventional nail polish is made of a single polymer, usually nitrocellulose, dissolved in a solvent like ethyl acetate. When the nail polish is applied, the solvent evaporates, causing the nitrocellulose to form a film on the nail. Gel polish contains a monomer called methacrylate and radical initiators like benzyl peroxide. Unlike normal polishes, gel polish must be applied and cured with ultraviolet light. The monomers and intiators mix under the UV light, causing the radical initiators gain energy and activate the polymerization process. This polymerization gives gel polish its characteristic hard and shiny look. This processes however, requires up to 8 minutes of exposure to UV rays which leads to the question, can gel manicures cause skin cancer?
Methacrylate-Wikimedia Commons
One study performed by the JAMA Dermatology group in 2014 tackled this question by testing the intensity of different salon UV lamps, evaluating the percentage of UV-A rays emitted. UV-A rays have a wavelength of 320-400nm and penetrates deeper into the skin, causing photoaging and contributing to all forms of skin cancer.The JAMA study randomly sampled seventeen UV-lights from actual salons, which caused them to notice large differences in the immersion of UV light across samples. They concluded that it would only take twelve visits to the salon for DNA damage to occur, increasing one’s risk for skin cancer. For regulars, one could reach this limit in almost 6 months. The study also noted that they standardized their measurements for 8 minutes of exposure per manicure, which may not be the case for many salons where they would rather over cure than under cure. Lastly, UV-A emitted from nail lamps are at least four times stronger than UV-A emitted from the sun which also puts customers more at risk.
Light Spectrum-Wikimedia Commons
In contrast, Paolo Boffetta, the director of cancer prevention at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York stated that being exposed to such a low dose of UV-A for such a short time period, on such a small scale is not something to worry about. He argued that there is much more risk associated with going outside on a sunny day, especially since gel manicures only expose about 50-60% of the hand. Additionally, those over age 30 are less likely to be affected by the exposure because mitosis is happening less than in adolescence, thereby having less DNA damage accumulating over time.
Whether you believe that this exposure is enough to cause cancer or not, an easy way to protect yourself is to either wear fingerless gloves during the curing process or apply broad spectrum sunscreen. I personally believe that any direct exposure to UV light can put you more at risk for developing skin cancer, no matter how small the amount. Even though gel polish has helped me kick my habit of nail biting, I will definitely be taking a break from it soon!
-Priya
Figure 1: shark fin soup (Source: Wikimedia Commons [accessed October 29, 2018])
Figure 2: Graph showing relative percent decline of shark populations in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean (Figure by Jolean Endique; Data source: 
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