Recently UV nail lamps have come into question by sensationalized TV programs. While the question is a valid one, the fact remains some of the answers are presented without much research into the facts.
Let’s get this out of the way right now. Nearly everything can be linked to cancer in one way or another.
For example I could say with true authority that vegetables have been linked to cancer. I can pull a poll of cancer victims and ask them if, in the 6 months before they were diagnosed with cancer, had they eaten any vegetables. Nearly universally the answer would be yes. Obviously that would be a coincidence.
Sometimes that is the way media works. They will take some kind of obscure fact, manipulate the data and come up the conclusion they think will cause the most people to tune in.
Most of the questions about UV nail lamps and cancer were brought on by an observation printed by the American Medical Association stating that two people who had skin cancer had also been exposed to a UV nail lamp. There were several inaccuracies in the article that any nail technician would have been able to clear up. The media decided to run with the story without talking to industry experts. Everyone knows that overexposure to the Sun’s UV rays has been linked to skin cancer.
I also believe that everyone knows that a UV lamp generates UV rays. It’s naïve to think that there is no possibility of skin cancer from a UV lamp.
However let’s look at the realities of a UV lamp designed for nails. The output of a UV nail lamp is so small it is nearly comparable to sunlight.
Recently a study was done by an independent laboratory. The study found that using a common nail UV lamp the total exposure of UVA was about equal to 2.7 minutes of sun exposure on your hands per day between 2 week appointments. For UVB it was 27 seconds.
Now let’s compare a UV nail lamp to a tanning bed. The most common UV nail lamps have four 9 watt bulbs for a total energy usage of 36 watts. A conservative commercial tanning bed can have 28 bulbs at 100 watts each or a total of 2800 watts. A tanning bed is many times more intense then the sun, that is why you don’t need to sit in a tanning bed for an hour to get a tan. I have never heard of anyone getting a tan or sunburn from normal UV nail lamp exposure.
So can a UV lamp designed for nails cause skin cancer? Yes it probably can, if you sleep with it every night turned on strapped to your hand. Or walk around all day with it turned on strapped your feet like shoes. But if you did that people would think you were pretty weird.
But the more important question is will it cause skin cancer? Probably not. There is no question that it will add to your total exposure to UV. 2.7 minutes per day to be exact. But if you want to minimize your risk for skin cancer it would be much more important to wear a hat and sunscreen, do not sun bathe, and generally limit your exposure to the sun especially near water, snow or on cloudy days. These tips are infinitely more important than skipping your 10 minutes of exposure in a nail UV lamp every two to four weeks. If you are still concerned, the answer is simple. Just apply a sunblock to your hands containing zinc oxide 1 hour before your nail appointment.
Erick Westcott, CEO Gelousy Gel Nail Systems
(Link removed by EmpowHER Moderator.)
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Recently UV nail lamps have come into question by sensationalized TV programs. While the question is a valid one, the fact remains some of the answers are presented without much research into the facts.
Let’s get this out of the way right now. Nearly everything can be linked to cancer in one way or another.
For example I could say with true authority that vegetables have been linked to cancer. I can pull a poll of cancer victims and ask them if, in the 6 months before they were diagnosed with cancer, had they eaten any vegetables. Nearly universally the answer would be yes. Obviously that would be a coincidence.
Sometimes that is the way media works. They will take some kind of obscure fact, manipulate the data and come up the conclusion they think will cause the most people to tune in.
Most of the questions about UV nail lamps and cancer were brought on by an observation printed by the American Medical Association stating that two people who had skin cancer had also been exposed to a UV nail lamp. There were several inaccuracies in the article that any nail technician would have been able to clear up. The media decided to run with the story without talking to industry experts. Everyone knows that overexposure to the Sun’s UV rays has been linked to skin cancer.
I also believe that everyone knows that a UV lamp generates UV rays. It’s naïve to think that there is no possibility of skin cancer from a UV lamp.
However let’s look at the realities of a UV lamp designed for nails. The output of a UV nail lamp is so small it is nearly comparable to sunlight.
Recently a study was done by an independent laboratory. The study found that using a common nail UV lamp the total exposure of UVA was about equal to 2.7 minutes of sun exposure on your hands per day between 2 week appointments. For UVB it was 27 seconds.
Now let’s compare a UV nail lamp to a tanning bed. The most common UV nail lamps have four 9 watt bulbs for a total energy usage of 36 watts. A conservative commercial tanning bed can have 28 bulbs at 100 watts each or a total of 2800 watts. A tanning bed is many times more intense then the sun, that is why you don’t need to sit in a tanning bed for an hour to get a tan. I have never heard of anyone getting a tan or sunburn from normal UV nail lamp exposure.
So can a UV lamp designed for nails cause skin cancer? Yes it probably can, if you sleep with it every night turned on strapped to your hand. Or walk around all day with it turned on strapped your feet like shoes. But if you did that people would think you were pretty weird.
But the more important question is will it cause skin cancer? Probably not. There is no question that it will add to your total exposure to UV. 2.7 minutes per day to be exact. But if you want to minimize your risk for skin cancer it would be much more important to wear a hat and sunscreen, do not sun bathe, and generally limit your exposure to the sun especially near water, snow or on cloudy days. These tips are infinitely more important than skipping your 10 minutes of exposure in a nail UV lamp every two to four weeks. If you are still concerned, the answer is simple. Just apply a sunblock to your hands containing zinc oxide 1 hour before your nail appointment.
August 20, 2010 - 4:43pmErick Westcott, CEO Gelousy Gel Nail Systems
(Link removed by EmpowHER Moderator.)
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