That UV nail polish dryer might be damaging your DNA, causing mutations

Gel nail polish lasts longer and stays shiny longer than most lacquers you buy at department stores. The downside is you need an ultraviolet dryer to cure the gel. And that may be a proble, according to a new study.

Researchers at the University of California San Diego found these devices can lead to cancer-causing mutations in human cells or kill off the cell entirely.

“If you look at the way these devices are presented, they are marketed as safe, with nothing to be concerned about,” Ludmil Alexandrov, a professor of bioengineering and corresponding author of the study, told UC San Diego Today. “But to the best of our knowledge, no one has actually studied these devices and how they affect human cells at the molecular and cellular levels until now.”

The scientists exposed three kinds of cells — adult human epidermal keratinocytes, human foreskin fibroblasts and mouse embryonic fibroblasts — for 20 minutes, which they said led to 20%–30% cell death. Three consecutive 20 minute exposures resulted in 65%–70% cell death. That wasn’t all, however.

“We saw multiple things: first, we saw that DNA gets damaged,” Alexandrov said. “We also saw that some of the DNA damage does not get repaired over time, and it does lead to mutations after every exposure with a UV-nail polish dryer. Lastly, we saw that exposure may cause mitochondrial dysfunction, which may also result in additional mutations. We looked at patients with skin cancers, and we see the exact same patterns of mutations in these patients that were seen in the irradiated cells.”

Although the researchers say a long-term study is needed before any results can be stated conclusively, Maria Zhivagui told UC San Diego Today it’s enough to stop her from getting another gel manicure.

“When I was doing my PhD, I started hearing about gel manicures, which last longer than normal polish. I was interested in trying out gel nail polish, particularly in the setting of working in an experimental lab where I frequently put gloves on and off, to maintain a presentable appearance,” said Zhivagui, a postdoctoral scholar in the Alexandrov Lab and first author of the study. “So I started using gel manicures periodically for several years. Once I saw the effect of radiation emitted by the gel polish drying device on cell death and that it actually mutates cells even after just one 20-minute session, I was surprised. I found this to be very alarming, and decided to stop using it.”