I’m a manicurist’s dream client. The thought of having unpainted nails makes me cringe from head to toe. My nail polish collection is my baby and is valued at a small fortune. It’s an addiction I’m willing to keep around.
When colored gel manicures first came on the scene I was ecstatic. High end polish brands’ colors without any chipping for two to three weeks? I was convinced I had died and gone to heaven. I stopped getting gel manicures, because my polish addiction is only satisfied if I change my nail color every three to four days, but I was a fan of them.
Until I stumbled upon some unsettling facts in regards to gel manicures. Firstly, the UV exposure used during the gel manicure process causes long-term visible damage to your nail bed. Unfortunately, this UV exposure is necessary to set the gel of the polish, so you’re exposing yourself each and every time you get a gel manicure. Not only does the UV exposure damage your nail beds, creating dark and dry, brittle nails, it can cause skin damage to the top of your hands, just as tanning would.
Thankfully, mot females are exposing themselves to UV rays so infrequently with a gel manicure that the effects may not appear so suddenly, if they do at all. Some women I know only get gel manicures, and such regular use of the gel manicure leads to a much, much higher risk.
Are you reconsidering your gel manicure now?
Ally | Elite.
Photo Credit: Getty Images
