Researchers from the University of California at San Diego and the University of Pittsburgh exposed human and mouse cells to UV rays to assess the potential dangers of these dryers.
Appreciated for the shiny appearance and the solidity they give to the nails, UV dryers might actually be dangerous for your health. A study published in the journal Nature on January 17 indicates that prolonged exposure to these dryers can damage human DNA and cells.
These devices, like UV cabins, rely on UVA, ultraviolet rays normally emitted by the Sun. Many scientific studies have already demonstrated the dangerousness of prolonged exposure to the sun’s rays such as UV cabins, which can cause premature aging of skin cells, as well as skin cancer.
70% dead cells
To measure the dangerousness of UV nail dryers, the authors of the study published in Nature, attached to the University of California at San Diego and the University of Pittsburgh, exposed two types of cells to their waves. Human cells and mouse cells.
For three days, several cell cultures were placed under the radiation of a nail dryer, for a maximum duration of 20 minutes. The conclusions drawn from the study are more than telling. In a single 20-minute exposure, 20-30% of exposed cells die. After three 20-minute sessions, this time 65 to 70% of the cells are dead.
Damage was seen in both mouse and human cells, as well as their DNA.
“It is very clear that it negatively affects cells, and damages DNA,” explained the Washington Post Ludmil Alexandrov, one of the lead authors of the study.
Further studies needed
However, it is still too early to tell whether the damage observed can lead to a higher risk of cancer. Although the study indicates that exposure to ultraviolet rays may “increase the risk of developing skin cancer”, the authors call for additional studies to assess the dangerousness of nail dryers.
“Taken together, our experimental results and previous studies strongly suggest that radiation emitted by UV nail dryers can cause skin cancer on the hand (…). Nevertheless, epidemiological studies carried out on a larger scale large are needed in order to accurately verify the risks of skin cancer for people who regularly use UV nail dryers,” write the scientists.
The Washington Post points out that the cell damage observed in the US study may actually be less severe. The scientists worked on cell samples, not real human beings. However, the human being has several layers of skin, which can limit the risks of UVA.
Not enough to reassure Professor Maral Skelsey, director of the Washington DC dermatological surgery center, interviewed by the American newspaper. The DNA damage observed by scientists may well “lead to the most common skin cancers, including basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma, but also melanoma, the most deadly skin cancer”, puts- she keeps it.