If you are going to paint your nails this holiday season, be careful with the nail polish you choose

Painting your nails is as common for most women as applying eye makeup or lipstick. However, you must be careful with the type of nail polish you use and, if it contains acrylates, you must avoid letting it come into contact with the skin. This was discussed at the 48th Congress of the Spanish Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (AEDV) and this is how Dr. Tatiana Sanz, a member of the Contact Dermatitis and Skin Allergy Group at the AEDV, tells us.

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What are acrylates and what are their risks?

In recent years, semi-permanent long-lasting manicures, as well as false eyelashes or extensions, have made a name for themselves as a beauty ritual of the Spanish. A trend that, added to the commercialization of home kits, has caused an increase in the diagnosis of allergic contact dermatitis in both professional and non-professional settings, warn dermatologists. The 'culprits' are the acrylates.

Acrylates are found in products that we use often, such as permanent and semi-permanent nail polishes, as we said. Its economy and the long time that “perfect” nails are kept are the main factors why more and more women are joining the fashion of this type of manicure.

Acrylates are low molecular weight plastic materials (monomers) that are going to join together to give rise to larger molecules, the so-called polymers. In their monomeric form, acrylates are very irritating substances and have a great capacity to sensitize, and may give rise to the subsequent development of eczema or allergic dermatitis, an allergy triggered by an aesthetic habit, which can take its toll on us in the future, since these materials They are also used in medicine, for example, in dentistry, traumatology, glucose measurement sensors in diabetics, adhesives in diagnostic methods and treatments.

The greatest danger of acrylates is that they have a cross-reaction between them, since a specific sensitization to a specific allergen can be associated with other acrylates and have repercussions in the future life of the patient. "If when using these enamels, they come into contact with the skin and we develop an allergy, we will maintain it and we may have problems when we need a medical intervention or a device that uses this type of glue," warns Dr. Sanz.

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Allergic contact dermatitis

In addition to these acrylates, the enamels used in semi-permanent manicures contain other substances, such as toluene, formaldehyde, parabens, rosin and nickel, products that can also cause an allergic reaction in the skin, like eczema. "Genetic predisposition can increase the risk of allergy. There are people who can develop it in three weeks, others in three years, and others never," the Bionike experts tell us. However, as Dr. Sanz adds, it is true that the allergy partly depends on the person, but the allergen is very important, such as acrylates that have a great capacity to sensitize. Once you develop this allergy, you will have it forever. Hence, the manufacturers of acrylates and methacrylates have been warning for years that these products should not be used for nails (or any other aesthetic purpose) since these substances cannot touch the skin.

Likewise, they damage the appearance of the natural nail, since permanent manicures can stain the nails in a yellowish tone or cause fissures to appear in them. As if that were not enough, the removal of semi-permanent enamel is done with a specific product and utensil for it. The latter usually scratches the nail, weakening it and making it more fragile.

If even knowing all this you still want to use this type of nail product, you should know how to use it well.

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How to use permanent enamels without risks

As we said, the risk of allergic dermatitis due to acrylate is in the drying process. Therefore, to avoid it, the ideal is for a trained professional to be in charge of painting our nails and to prevent the enamel from touching the skin. This professional should also protect himself by wearing gloves. And if you have to correct or remove product, you must do it with special utensils. In addition, continues Dr. Tatiana Sanz, we should not use the mobile, since we can contaminate it.

The expert also wants to remember that the nails are an essential part of the body to protect us from infections. It fulfills a barrier function and we must take care of them. "If we abuse this type of product, we will end up damaging them and a nail can take months to repair," warns Sanz. For this reason, if we want to show off well-groomed and healthy nails, experts recommend the use of traditional nail polishes, without this type of glue, and if possible, free of other toxins that can sensitize us and end up triggering a health problem.

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