Do UV Lamps in Semi-Permanent Manicures Increase Risk of Skin Cancer?

A new scientific study reveals that skin exposure to these UV lamps, used in beauty salons to fix gel varnish, can damage DNA.

It is well known that UV rays from the sun as well as from solariums accelerate the signs of skin aging and increase the risk of skin cancer. UV and LED lamps used in beauty salons to catalyze semi-permanent manicures or gel nails both emit these same ultraviolet rays. So, should we be concerned?

This was the interest of a new American scientific study conducted by the University of California and published on January 17, 2023 in the journal Nature. Verdict: the results show that the wavelengths of ultraviolet light (UVA) from these lamps can damage DNA and cause mutations in human cells that increase the risk of skin cancer.

No direct link

In detail, researchers from the University of California at San Diego and the University of Pittsburgh exposed human and mouse cell lines to UVA light from these devices. The experiment shows that after a single 20-minute exposure, 20 to 30% of the cells die. Then, after three consecutive 20-minute exposures, 65 to 70% of the cells die. In both cases, the damage caused in the DNA of the remaining cells leads to mutations similar to those seen in melanoma. "Our experimental results, coupled with evidence already present in the medical literature, strongly suggest that radiation from these machines intended for drying manicures could cause cancers on the hands and that, like solariums, they could increase the risk of early cancer," it reads.

However, it is important to note that the study did not involve real people, but cells derived from humans and animals. Thus, the researchers cannot conclude that these UV lamps increase the risk of cancer based on these experiments alone. A large-scale epidemiological study would have to be carried out to really quantify the cancer risks on the population using these machines regularly. Authors estimate that it will take at least ten years before such a project is completed.

Prevention

Originally, the subject of the study started with a very specific case. "We learned that the Miss Illinois model in the United States developed a rare type of cancer on her nail. She herself stated that this cancer occurred as a result of frequent use of gel nail polish. So we decided to study the UV machines used in nail salons", explains Maria Zhivagui, first author of the study and postdoctoral fellow in San Diego, in an interview with the magazine Sciences et Avenir. As a result, the specialist realized that several medical journals had already reported cases of cancer of the nail and the back of the hand in beauticians after exposure to UVA in beauty salons. A few weeks ago, the American Academy for Dermatology already advised to apply a sun cream before a manicure with gel varnish, explaining that these procedures could "increase the risk of skin cancer".