Are Gel Manicures Damaging Your Nails? A Dermatologist Explains

Can gel manicures, acrylic nails, press-on nails, and traditional nail polish damage the nails or cause skin problems? Dermatologist Dr. Dray explains the most important dermatologic hazards associated with nail products, including allergic contact dermatitis, acrylate and methacrylate allergy, HEMA allergy, nail damage, onycholysis, nail discoloration, and UV exposure from gel nail lamps. Allergic contact dermatitis is one of the most well-documented complications of nail products. It can cause itching, redness, scaling, swelling, blisters, paronychia, fingertip eczema, nail dystrophy, and separation of the nail from the nail bed. Importantly, a nail-product allergy does not always appear around the nails. Allergens can be transferred from the fingers to the eyelids, face, neck, and other areas of the skin, making nail products an often-overlooked cause of persistent dermatitis. The video also discusses acrylates and methacrylates, including HEMA, which are important causes of allergic contact dermatitis associated with gel and artificial nails. Once someone becomes sensitized, exposure to related acrylate-containing materials in other settings may also become clinically relevant. Repeated manicures can also contribute to nail plate thinning, onycholysis, nail dystrophy, white discoloration, yellow or orange staining, and other nail changes. These changes can sometimes resemble nail fungus or nail psoriasis. Gel manicures also raise questions about exposure to UVA radiat