UV light has played its part in beauty tech. There was a period when tanning beds were all the rage, and then UV nail polish curing came and changed the norm for manicures as well. However, research finds that the UV light crying method can harm the skin.

The Price for Beauty

Nail polish is one of the beauty trends that has remained strong since it started. The main concern with nail polishes was that they came off easily, so when nail polish gels were introduced in the market, people started preferring them since it was better in most aspects.

Gel nail polishes are harder to chip off, and they dry easily as long as you put them under a UV lamp, but researchers from the University of California San Diego found that cells were actually dying under the ultraviolet light, according to Engadget.

After a beauty pageant contestant was diagnosed with a rare form of skin cancer, the researchers used combinations of human and mouse cells to conduct experiments. They found that 30 percent of cells placed in a petri dish died after a 20-minute session.

The experiment went further and exposed the cells to three 20-minute sessions, which led to 65 to 70 percent of the cells dying. Not only that, the remaining cells showed signs of damage, particularly to the mitochondria and DNA.

Ludmil Alexandrov, a bioengineering professor from the University that conducted the research, mentioned that the DNA damage was not repaired over time, and led to mutations similar to that of a skin cancer patient after every exposure.

Elevation of reactive oxygen species molecules was found in the samples, which caused DNA damage and mutations. The researchers believed that evidence strongly suggests that the radiation emitted by UV nail polish dryers may increase the risk of early-onset skin cancer.

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Why the Study Wasn't Done Earlier

The study was prompted after the researchers noticed a number of reports in medical journals f rare cancers in the fingers. They were commonly seen in people who frequently got gel manicures like beauty pageant contestants and estheticians.

Although tanning beds are already proven to be harmful, they emitted a different spectrum of ultraviolet light. Alexandrov also expressed that the devices were marketed as safe and there was no cause for concern, as mentioned in PhysOrg.

The researchers also stated that there was zero molecular understanding of what the devices did to human cells. As they did their research, they found that no one has studied the effects of UV gel-curing lamps at the molecular and cellular levels until now.

A study in JAMA dermatology back in 2014 suggested that the amount of exposure for two-week intervals is probably not high enough to increase the risk of cancer significantly, but this was before the study of the effects of the UV lamp on skin cells.

Harvard Health did suggest applying waterproof sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher before getting your nails done. You can also cut off the fingertips of a glove and wear them to limit the amount of skin exposed to UV light.

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