If you’re someone who gets gel manicures, you should know about these hidden health risks

Many women in the world are choosing to get gel manicures done instead of the traditional polish. They might not know how dangerous it is.

Gel manicures often last up to 4 weeks because they are attached to the nails using a lamp that emanates ultraviolet (UV) light – similar to the one the sun emanates – many times to make the get dry faster.

According to The Hearty Soul, being exposed to UV radiation for too long might cause several illnesses, including cancer. They shared the story of a woman who once noticed something strange on her thumbnail.

She went to the dermatologist and they immediately identified the melanoma, which is the most common type of skin cancer in the U.S. as it is developed when damaged cells grow uncontrollably.

The woman went to surgery and got her thumbnail removed before the cancer spread. She later revealed that she used to get gel manicure regularly, which was the cause of her melanoma.

Many people have researched if the UV rays that nail curing lamps use are strong enough to produce cancer. Since all of them were conducted by companies in the nail and beauty industry, the results claimed that it was totally safe.

Senior Vice President of the Skin Cancer Foundation, Elizabeth Hale, revealed that the truth is different. Those machines present a moderate risk of producing skin cancer and premature skin aging.

They recommended people to apply sunscreen to hands at least 20 minutes before getting their hands under the UV light that the machines emanate. There are a couple of things that create an increased sensitivity to UV rays, including:

Contraceptives, estrogen hormone medication, antibiotics, a variety of lotions, skin products, and fragrances, and some supplements including St. John’s Worts.

The best way to prevent skin cancer in hands, fingers, and nails is to avoid gel manicure as much as possible and opt for the traditional nail polish that everybody loves.