UV light for curing gel nails can cause skin cell death and DNA damage



“Gel nails” are a type of nail that is coated with a gel-like resin and hardened, and it is gaining popularity for its glossy finish, plump and thick nails, and the fact that it lasts longer than manicure. increase. However, research has shown that the

UV (ultraviolet) light used to cure some gel nails can cause cell death and DNA damage in the skin.

DNA damage and somatic mutations in mammalian cells after irradiation with a nail polish dryer |
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-35876-8

In Cells, UV-Emitting Nail Polish Dryers Damage DNA and Cause Mutations
https://today.ucsd.edu/story/uv-emitting-nail-polish-dryers-damage-dna-and-cause-mutations-in-cells

Getting Your Nails Done Frequently Could Damage The DNA in Your Hands : ScienceAlert
https://www.sciencealert.com/getting-your-nails-done-frequently-could-damage-the-dna-in-your-hands

Ultraviolet rays (UV) are light rays with a wavelength of 10 to 400 nm, which is shorter than visible light, and while they have useful effects such as sterilization and disinfection, they are also known to cause adverse effects such as skin sunburn and cell damage. increase. However, molecular understanding of the effect on skin cells of 340-395 nm UV light, which is used to cure gel nails at nail salons, is not sufficient.

Rudmir Aleksandrov , an associate professor who studies bioengineering and molecular medicine at the University of California, San Diego, said in a magazine he read while waiting at the dentist's office that a contestant in a beauty pageant had rare skin cancer on his fingers. I read an article that it developed. Intrigued by the article, Aleksandrov conducted further research and found several reports of women who frequently received gel nails, such as contestants and estheticians, had developed a rare type of finger skin cancer. It seems that it was found.

``Many case reports in medical journals suggest that frequent wearing of gel nails can cause this type of cancer,'' Alexandrov said. On the other hand, Mr. Alexandrov decided to conduct an experiment with his research team, saying that the molecular effects of the UV light used to harden gel nails on cells had not been studied in detail.



The research team put

keratinocytes (keratinocytes) and foreskin fibroblasts in the human epidermis, and mouse embryo-derived fibroblasts in a Petri dish and conducted an experiment in which they were irradiated with UV light.

As a result, it was found that 20-30% cell death occurred when UV light for gel nails was irradiated for 20 minutes, and 65-70% of cells were killed when UV light irradiation for 20 minutes was performed for 3 consecutive days. was found to die. The researchers also reported that cells that survived the irradiation period showed signs of DNA damage and mutations associated with skin cancer.

“We first discovered that UV light irradiation for gel nails damages DNA,” says Aleksandrov. We also found that mutations occurred with each irradiation, and finally, we found that exposure to UV light caused mitochondrial dysfunction, which could lead to further mutations. When we looked at them, we saw exactly the same pattern of mutations that we saw in cells exposed to UV light.'

It should be noted that the irradiation time of UV light in general gel nail treatment is about 10 minutes in total, and the irradiation time of 20 minutes adopted in this research is considerably longer than the actual treatment. . However, although the results of this study do not directly indicate an increased cancer risk, they do indicate that chronic use of UV light damages human cells.



Maria Zivagi, a postdoctoral researcher who is the lead author of the paper, was originally a user of gel nails, but gave up using gel nails after seeing the results of this study. “I have been using gel nails regularly for several years, but I have found that the light emitted from the gel nail drying device affects cell death, and that even a single 20-minute treatment actually mutates cells. I was surprised to see this, and I decided to stop using gel nails because I thought this was alarming,' Zivagi said.

While the cautious Zivagi has given up on using gel nails, the results of this study don't necessarily mean that UV lights for gel nails do any real harm. It is likely that getting gel nails once a year has little effect, and further research is needed to quantify how often wearing gel nails increases risk. increase. You may also be able to reduce the effects of UV light by applying sunscreen and wearing gloves that cover your nails.

“Future large-scale epidemiological studies are needed to accurately quantify the risk of hand skin cancer in people who regularly use UV light for gel nails,” the researchers wrote in their paper. It will take at least 10 years for the research to be completed and the information to be available to the general public.'

in Science, Posted by log1h_ik