Wednesday’s Beauty Advice Covers More Gel Manicure Questions

Happy Hump day beauty lovers! After covering the safety of gel manicures, my inbox has been flooded with comments and questions regarding gel manicures, the UV lamp and other systems similar to gel nail polish and artificial nail kits. Today, I will try to put this issue to rest, answering three that sum up the thoughts of many.

The UV lamp used to cure gel manicures seems to be the focus of many comments come my way over the past couple of weeks, including the PBA touting the safety of the UV lamp. Below are comments from Samuel Sweet, managing director at Sweet Squared, the distributor of CND Shellac products who did not read my originating article to the fullest and the ones that followed on the safety of gel manicures.

Nail lamps are safe for over 250 years of weekly manicures, and even then there would be a low risk of skin cancer,” – Alina Markova, MD.

UV nail lamps are safer than natural sunlight or sunlamps… and properly belong in the least risky of all categories.” – Dr. Richard Sayre.

More facts (if that sort of thing floats your boat).

http://schoonscientific.com/downloads/tech-articles/Understanding-UV-Nail-Lamps.pdf

My first reply:

If you read the entirety of the article, you would have seen there was more to the risks of gel manicures than just the lamp, as in the removal process, which physically damaged my nails. Yes, facts do float my boat, especially when people read them thoroughly. But thanks for posting!

Samuel Sweet again:

The other issues outlined are equally overstated and very misleading. Considering how unfactual their lead scare point is, don’t you suspect the other points are equally skewed? They are. Can you temporarily damage nails through removal? Sure, but this is from someone doing it VERY wrong, not an inherent danger within the system. For instance, Acetone won’t thin the plate. Nor will an orangewood stick (for removing any residue). Also the infection issue is just silly. You have a greater risk of infection from a paper cut, picking skin around your nails or getting a hangnail than one being caused by removal (even improper removal).

Thanks Mr. Sweet, ”unfactual” is not a word. My second and third responses:

What qualifies you to make these determinations? Are you a licensed, practicing beautician, nail tech, hairstylist or cosmetologist working in a salon where these occurrences happen every day? I am. Do you live in the state/city of NY where the Dr. Oz Show canvassed, picking out the unsanitary salons? I do. There is literally a nail salon on every corner and two in between in NYC and Long Island alone. Did you read the second paragraph where I mention not enough evidence has been cited to claim UV Lamps are dangerous? Have you read my other articles that have given both sides of the debate and where I have promoted gel manicures and their kits? Do you also understand that with the popularity of the at-home DIY gel manicure kits, more and more women are damaging their nails because they are not properly removing the polish. Do you also understand that these nail salons where I live, where the reps from the Dr. Oz show investigated are like a factory, and to speed up the clientele, they are using metal instruments to remove the polish, not the recommended orange wood sticks. Sorry, but your claims are a touch off base and not relevant to this article at all.

And then I noticed where he works, which really bothered me, because as a distributor of a product, you really need to be aware of how your product is being used.

And I do see you are the managing director for Sweet Squared. I just had a shellac manicure and the nail tech soaked my nails for too long and used a metal instrument to remove the polish. She buffed too much before hand and I am finally, after three months getting my nails back in shape. I normally have strong nails. All it takes is one bad apple, therefore, as the managing director, my suggestion to you is to make sure your distributors are offering proper education to the salons you are selling CND Shellac to, of which by the way, I have written glowing articles about, along with MINX.

Ok, so to answer Mr. Sweet, as I have answered all about the UV lamps, there is just not enough long-term evidence to support whether or not this process causes skin cancer, but as I have said, with all things beauty, less is always more and take the same precautions as you would entering the sunlight. I never said don’t get gel manicures; I love them. I only suggested getting them for special occasions, not as a bi-weekly occurrence. And I forgot to mention in my retort to Samuel, the nail technician mixed Shellac and Gelish to produce the colors I wanted, and as Mr. Sweet is undoubtedly aware, every manufacturer uses slightly different ingredients and they shouldn’t be mixed and matched.

I didn’t realize gel manicures would get so many knickers in a bunch.

The next gel manicure question comes from Eve.

I have read on the internet your review with Dr. Oz of the gel manicure, and wonder what your opinion is of the Shellac Manicure and the SNS (Signature Nail Systems) Manicure. I have tried all three. Both the Gel and the Shellac peeled and chipped on my nails. The SNS Manicure does stay on for at least 3 weeks, showing only the part of the nail near the cuticle, which has grown out. I would appreciate your opinions of the Shellac and SNS Manicures and their effects on the recipient of same. Thanks very much. Eve

HI Eve,

Thanks for reading. I haven’t tried SNS and can look more into it, but Shellac and Gel utilize the same removal process and light, therefore posing the same risks. I have used the at home gel kits then went to the salon as well for Shellac and my nails are suffering. I do have strong nails and in time I know they will recover, but if SNS uses the same techniques, my guess is it will produce the same results, I am not suggesting not using gel and shellac, I aim to just bring the readers all of the information. My philosophy on all things in life, is everything in moderation. The manicures are great for vacations, etc, but in my opinion, shouldn’t be maintained every three weeks. I hope that helps.

Thanks again for touching base and reading.

But Eve emailed back with more questions on SNS.

Deirdre: thanks for responding to my email. SNS (Signature Nail Systems) does not use ultra violet lamps, but it does use a fan. I would appreciate hearing from you after you have researched SNS. I tried to look it up on the internet, and did find their website, but could not get too much information from it. All I know is that it does work and does last for at least 3 weeks (I have a friend who had hers on for 5 weeks) and looks like it was just applied even after 3 weeks. When I used to get regular nail polish put on my nails, it would chip by the next day and I felt like I was just wasting my money. With the SNS, which costs the equivalent of 3 manicures, I feel like I am getting my money’s worth, my nails always look great and people stop me to ask if I just had my nails done. I got your message that no polish is the best way to go, but my nails are always chipping and breaking and always look awful. You are very fortunate to have strong nails. I will await word from you after you have looked into SNS system. Thanks so very much for taking the time to reply. Eve

Hi Eve,

As soon as I Googled SNS, I saw the salon brand name that I am familiar with, “GELous”, and remembered a few years back having an educator come into the salon I worked in, and giving me a set of these beautiful nails, similar to the procedures used with the SNS brand.

Sure, the fan is safer than the UV lamp, which itself, not used all the time, poses little risk as well. I have friends who always have artificial nails applied, they cannot grow their nails out, and that is fine.

The key is in the salon and not the system. Basically, you need to look for salons that are clean, adhere to all safety guidelines and do not rush you in and out, but take the time to perform a proper service. And the nail salon needs to use the product in the same line and not mix and match between companies. The brands are all very different and should not be combined. As a hairstylist, I would never mix two colors from different hair coloring companies, EVER and the same rule should apply to nail salons.

Orange wood sticks are preferable to removing the products over metal instruments and the nails should not be soaked longer than the minimum amount of time required. Also, it is important to use a cuticle conditioner or nail oil every day to keep the nails from splitting.

And my last question on gel manicure safety comes from Shanell.

What about their use in food safety? I have been researching everywhere and I cannot find out this information. I want to know how much heat can this withstand and can certain ingredients like lemon juice or citric acid act as the acetone and remove the gel? ~Shanell

Thanks Shanell for commenting. Gel nail polish is quite cohesive and a good gel manicure can only be removed after soaking in acetone for ten minutes or more depending upon the manufacturers directions. But even then, the remnants need to be scraped off with the use of an orange wood stick.

Lemon juice and citric acid cannot remove the gel nail polish, nor can it remove regular nail polish.

Any nail polish, gel nail polish, or artificial nail is very flammable and I am assuming, based upon your reference to food, you are a chef. I have had my fake nail tips torch up rather quickly when lighting a candle. I checked many of the professional beauty association websites and product labels and unfortunately have myself not been able to come up with a temperature that is safe for gel manicures or any nail polish. If something comes my way, I will let you know, but my best advice is to wear oven mitts rather than use potholders when reaching in to grab food, which I am sure you already are aware of.

Thanks to all of you for writing in and commenting and reading my articles. I wish some of you (Samuel) read my links as well, because I am not a gel manicure hater, just a firm believer in less is more in every aspect of the beauty field. As soon as my nails are strong enough, I will get another gel manicure or Shellac, however, I will have my childhood friend do it rather than risking the extreme lack of communication due to a significant language barrier in the salon that damaged my nails. She assumed I didn’t know the field and applied different products, but when I told her one was different, she assured me they were both gel polish and fine to use, and as I stated above is not the case.

And this is the end to my gel manicure advice!

If you have any beauty, hair, nails or skin care question, email me at deirdreahaggerty@gmail.com or use the contact form below. Subscribe below to receive instant updates of my beauty blog posts.