UV dryer lamps in High Street nail salons can cause skin cancer
Ultraviolet lights in nail bars on the High Street could pose a risk of skin cancer, scientists fear.
The lamps, which help harden some types of nail polish gel called shellac, can damage skin in the same way tanning beds do, say researchers at the University of California San Diego and University of Pittsburgh.
In a series of lab studies, they found that a large proportion of skin cells that were repeatedly exposed to the light emitted by these lamps died.
Cells that survived showed signs of damage, including to DNA, which may increase the risk of skin cancer.
Ultraviolet lights in nail bars on the High Street could pose a risk of skin cancer, scientists fear
In the journal Nature Communications, the study’s authors warned, “Our experimental results … strongly suggest that radiation emitted from UV nail polish dryers may cause hand cancer.”
They added: ‘UV nail polish dryers, similar to tanning beds, may increase the risk of premature skin cancer.’ However, they cautioned that the study “provides no direct evidence of an increased risk of cancer in humans.”
They called for long-term analysis, comparing the rate of hand skin cancers in those who regularly use nail clippers with the rate in those who don’t. This would “take at least ten years,” they said.
There is a growing concern about nail bars. ‘Anti-UV gloves’ that leave only the fingernails exposed can now be purchased online.
In a series of lab studies, they found that a large proportion of skin cells repeatedly exposed to the light from these lamps died
American influencer Kourtney Kardashian – Kim’s older sister – has said she doesn’t use UV dryers because they can “age skin with brown spots and wrinkles.”
Last night, the nail salon industry cast scorn on the new findings.
Doug Schoon, of the American Nail Manufacturing Council, a chemist by training, called the research “a biased and unfair attack.”
He said the researchers used a very powerful UV lamp and exposed cultured skin cells for far too long — 20 minutes a day for three consecutive days.
He added that clients typically hold their hand under a lamp for three minutes during a nail bar session. Most go a few times a month.
A dangerous online trend has emerged that glorifies the use of tanning beds years after they were banned in commercial buildings due to links to skin cancer
“I can guarantee that the results would be very different if they used three one-minute exposures. It seems their intention is to make all UV nail lamps look dangerous,” he said.
“For over 20 years, millions have used these lamps regularly, so they have a long history of safe use.
“Most of the scientific evidence shows that UV nail lamps are safe when used properly.”
One of the reasons nail bar UV lamps are unlikely to pose the same risk as tanning beds is because the light they produce is different.
Tanning beds emit UV at a wider spectrum of wavelengths, including longer wavelength UVA (315 to 400 nanometers) and shorter wavelength UVB (280 to 315 nanometers). Nail bar lamps tend to produce only UVA.
UVB is more ‘energetic’ and is the main cause of sunburn, but does not penetrate below the top of the skin. UVA, on the other hand, is less energetic but penetrates deeper.
Excessive exposure to both can cause skin damage and skin cancer.
Previous studies have not found a link between frequent use of nail bars and skin cancer.
However, none of these were the kind of rigorous long-term studies – following individuals over many years – advocated by scientists in the latest research.
Lead author Ludmil Alex-androv believes there is cause for concern, adding that before their work there was “zero molecular understanding of what these devices were doing to human cells.”
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