How getting your nails done could KILL you – as doc warns it’s ‘as bad as tanning beds’
THE lamps are used to harden gel polish, but emit similar light to cancerous UV tanning beds, experts warned
IT'S something many women love doing - treating themselves to a manicure.
But the habit could be doing you more harm than good as experts warn it could cause skin cancer.
Women who frequently get their nails done have been advised to apply sunscreen beforehand or use fingerless gloves to limit any potential harm from the UV lamps.
The lamps are used to harden gel polish, but emit similar light to cancerous UV tanning beds, experts warned.
In a report published in the Australasian Journal of Dermatology, a group of plastic surgeons in Ireland found there have been observational case reports linking the use of these lamps to the development of skin cancer on the hand.
"However, the risk associated with these lamps has yet to be truly established," they wrote.
Despite a lack of evidence the surgeons, from the Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at the University Hospital Galway, concluded that people should apply sunscreen before having a gel manicure.
"The Skin Cancer Foundation in the USA and the American Academy of Dermatology, recommend that prior to a gel manicure, clients should apply a broad-spectrum sunscreen to the hands," they wrote in the report.
"The evidence on this subject is variable and often controversial, leaving the health-care provider with no clear conclusion, and further research is warranted.
"In the interim, we agree with the advice that approximately 20 minutes before having a manicure a broad spectrum, high sun protection factor sunscreen is applied to the hands, or the use of fingerless gloves should be considered."
Australian GP Dr Brad McKay told the Today show said it was difficult to know if the UV lights used in nail salons are as intense as tanning beds.
"The light is actually quite variable, you can get all sorts of different machines and there's not much standardisation," he said.
"You can order them on eBay so wherever you're going [to the salon] you're not quite sure how good or bad it is."
"Some of the estimates are saying you need to have your hands in there for about 30 minutes to cause any significant problems.
"If you're going back every week or having multiple treatments than that UV light exposure can accumulate over time."
Associate professor Stephen Shumack, a Sydney-based dermatologist, agreed the advise is sensible.
But there is no current formal recommendation to do so in Australia.
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Professor Shumack, a spokesperson for the Australasian College of Dermatologists, said it was only a matter of time before Australia introduced similar guidelines to the US when it comes to sun protection and manicures.
He said the situation was similar to cancer-causing tanning beds.
"Now that we know that the American Academy of Dermatology has put out a recommendation in this regard it does mean that Australian dermatologists will be recommending that people who are having these manicures wear a sunscreen product," he said.
Cancer Council Australia warned frequent exposure to UV radiation through these lamps can be problematic.
"Generally, these devices emit low levels of UV radiation and people are exposed for very short periods," Heather Walker, chair national skin cancer committee for Cancer Council Australia said.
"However, UV damage adds up over time so protecting your hands is recommended."
Last year a woman claiming to be a beauty salon worker alerted one of her clients to a devastating skin cancer diagnosis after noticing the tell-tale black line running through her nail.
Jean Skinner took to Facebook to warn others about the dangerous mark after the woman reportedly came to have her nails done.
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Her claims about black lines on nails are in line with NHS advice on subungual melanoma, a form of skin cancer that affects the nail bed.
Dr Walayat Hussain, a spokesman for the British Association of Dermatologist, said the picture was a “spot on” illustration of subungual melanoma.
Any exposure to UV light puts you at an increased risk of skin cancer, even if it is only a slight risk.
There are more than 15,000 new cases of melanoma - the deadliest form of skin cancer - in the UK each year, according to Cancer Research UK.
More than 2,000 people in the UK died from skin cancer in 2014.
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