University of California, San Diego study published in Nature Communications on the 17th.
“Mitochondria and DNA damage occurs…Mutation observed in human skin cancer”
Beauty pageant contestants and beauticians report very rare cases of cancer in the fingers
It is good to have a rest period of at least 1-2 weeks following nail art.
The popularity of nail art that trims and beautifies nails is not covered by men and women of all ages. Are there any problems with keeping your hands healthy?
gel nailsIt is a nail method in which silver gel-type products are applied to nails several times and exposed to UV (ultraviolet rays) to harden them.
The UV lamp (dryer) used for gel nails is said to be regarding 40% stronger than direct exposure during the time of day when natural UV rays are strongest.
Ultraviolet (UV) drying equipment can damage human cells and cause cancer-causing mutations.
University of California San Diego researchers published in Nature Communications on the 17th found that ultraviolet (UV) devices used to dry nail polish lead to human cell damage and cancer-causing mutations. found.
UV dryers used in nail salons use a specific spectrum of UV light (340-395nm) to cure the chemicals commonly used in gel manicures. Sun beds (tanning beds) use a different spectrum of UV light (280-400 nm) that has been conclusively shown to be carcinogenic, but the spectrum used in nail dryers has not been well studied, the researchers say.
“If you look at the way these devices are presented, they are marketed as safe, nothing to worry regarding. No one has really studied these devices and their effects on human cells at the molecular and cellular level.”
The researchers found that use of these UV-emitting devices for just one 20-minute session resulted in 20-30% cell death, whereas three consecutive 20-minute exposures killed 65-70% of the exposed cells. In addition, when exposed to UV light, mitochondria and DNA damage occurred in the remaining cells, resulting in mutations in a pattern that can be observed in human skin cancer.
Maria Zhivagui, postdoctoral fellow at the Alexandrov Institute and first author of the study, says she was a fan of gel nails but decided to stop using them following seeing the results of the study.
“I started using gel manicures regularly for several years. I was surprised to see how the radiation emitted by the gel polish dryer had on cell death and how it actually mutated cells following just a 20-minute session. I decided to stop using it. did”
The research team read a magazine article regarding a young beauty pageant contestant diagnosed with a rare form of skin cancer on the finger, and found that people who get gel manicures very often, such as beauty pageant contestants and beauticians, report very rare cases of cancer in the fingers. that confirmed several reports of
This suggests that it may be something that causes this type of cancer. It also explains that there is no molecular understanding of what these devices do to human cells.
“Our experimental results and previous evidence strongly suggest that radiation emitted from UV-manicure dryers can cause cancer in the hands and that UV-manicure dryers, similar to tanning beds, may increase the risk of early-onset skin cancer.”
Researchers note that even if these cases are small, large-scale epidemiological studies are needed to accurately quantify the risk of hand skin cancer in people who regularly use UV nail dryers, and it will take at least a decade to complete and inform the general public of such studies. do.
To keep your nails healthy and beautiful
Frequent nail art is skin damage caused by excessively trimming or arranging the nails, and bacteria and harmful substances can penetrate and cause inflammation.
In addition, care must be taken to prevent infection if thorough disinfection is not performed. The exclusive remover used to erase gel nails can stimulate 1.5 times stronger than the general remover, and it is better to avoid using it frequently to prevent nail polish, which causes nails to crack and break easily by causing dryness with the remover.
Giving your nails time to recover from irritation, replenishing lost moisture, and applying a moisturizer thoroughly. It is necessary to not remove the cuticle, and to visit a hospital when you feel that there is a problem with the health of your nails.
Reporter Yu Min-jung of Chemical News
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