The scientist have studied the danger of uv lamps

With the beginning of the new year, the results of research by scientists from the University of California in San Diego on the harmfulness of UV lamps used for nail styling appeared. They claim that such lamps are dangerous for our skin - but is it really so?

What were the scientific tests like?

The study focused on the fact that UV waves act directly on the human skin. Tests were carried out on three types of cells found in our skin, which were irradiated for twenty minutes. The procedure was then repeated, increasing the exposure time by another sixty minutes. After the first 20-minute session, 20% to 30% of the cells were damaged, and in three subsequent sessions, up to 70% of the cells were damaged. One could conclude from this that UV lamps for nails are very dangerous, but ... are you sure? The topic was also commented on by Dr. med. Wojciech M. Wysocki prof. KAiAFM from the Department of General Surgery reassuring that the research is in some way only complementary to our knowledge of UV radiation and is not groundbreaking in any way, and confirmation of the results in a reliable and unambiguous way will take at least another few years.

Are manicures and pedicures with UV lamps safe?

The wavelength range of the lamp light is approximately equal to the wavelength of daylight. Natural sunlight is in the wavelength range of 100-400 nm and is divided into the following bands:

• UVA (315-400nm)
• UVB (280-320nm)
• UVC (<280nm)

Lamps for curing gels and hybrid varnishes use only UV waves with a length of 340 nm to 395 nm. During the manicure and pedicure treatment, our skin is irradiated with UV radiation for no longer than 4-5 minutes (if we use a 48W lamp), in addition not once, and not more often than once a month. Such time and frequency of the procedure do not significantly affect our skin and we do not have to worry about the harmful effects of curing hybrid varnishes and gels with UV lamps.

How to take care of our skin in this case?

In daily care, every day, we recommend using filters with a minimum value of 30 SPF to prevent all the negative effects of sunlight. For more sensitive skin, we recommend using specialized gloves that block the penetration of UV rays into the body. Such gloves have a factor of up to 50 UPF (factor of solar radiation transmission through the fabric) and stop up to 99.7% of UV radiation. After the cosmetic treatment, we can take care of the hydration and firmness of the skin by using appropriate cosmetics intended for this purpose, such as hand serum or hand cream.