Tech Talk n°6 Are curing lamps safe?

Do you question how safe curing lamps in the salon are? In this Tech Talk, we give you a clear answer to this!  Birgit - Product Development Director at ProNails - explains if curing lamps that expose UV radiation are safe to use.

There has been some unfortunate negative press coverage lately regarding the safety of UV curing lamps used in nail salons. Are curing lamps safe to use? Sometimes we notice 'fear' among salon clients about UV radiation, often also due to unclear info spread through social media and the press.  
 
This suggestion comes following a report by researchers at the University of California San Diego on 17/01/23: “DNA damage and somatic mutations in mammalian cells after irradiation with a nail polish dryer”. While the report recognises that the tests have four important limitations it concludes that it does NOT PROVIDE ANY DIRECT EVIDENCE for an increased cancer risk in human beings.
 
Recent studies tell that using UV for curing gels in the salon does not provide any direct evidence for an increased cancer risk in human beings. Research has shown that lamps in salons are safe because the exposure time is very short. Especially when using the ProNails all-in-one B-System!

All ProNails Systems, especially the time-saving B-System offers minimum UV exposure.

WHY IS THAT?

1. FIVE FINGER curing 
The ProNails Smart Light has a power of 36 Watt and is designed to cure all ProNails products in only 30 seconds. All ProNails base gels, colour gels and gloss gels can be applied to all 5-fingers at the same time with only one single curing time.
 

2. Smart Light SOFT START  
Builder gels are often applied finger by finger. All ProNails builder gels cure in 30 seconds SOFT in the Smart Light. This means that the light is reduced to 40% capacity at the beginning of the curing process and gradually increased over time resulting in an overall reduced UV exposure of 50% during the complete 30 seconds curing cycle.
 

3. B-SYSTEM Gels reduce UV exposure 
The ProNails B-System gels are all-in-one time saving gels which require less application and curing steps which reduces the total UV-exposure per service. The BFLEX and BSTRONG all-in-one gels cure in 30 seconds SOFT in the Smart light combining the base and builder in one single step and eliminating the need for an extra gloss layer for natural looks allowing a total service UV exposure of 2.5 minutes/hand.

Conclusion : Even the slowest nail technician using the ProNails Original gels (base, builder, colour, gloss) and curing finger-by-finger will not exceed a total service exposure time of 10 minutes per hand.

• Walking back to your car outside after your nail service exposes you to more UV radiation than your nail service does?
• Several medical services, such as radiation to treat psoriasis have a higher UV exposure than curing lamps.

We can assure you there is absolutely no need! But to reassure your client, you can do the following 2 things:

• You can use a physical UV blocker by applying a glove. In this case it is a great opportunity to apply nourishing hand mask glove during the nail service.
• Or you can apply a chemical UV shield by applying the anti-age hand cream on the back of the hand during treatments. This is also a great opportunity to sell a 50ml Anti-Age Rich hand cream to these customers because as soon as they walk out the door they are also exposed to UVA rays on all exposed areas of the skin.

Previous Studies and Statements on safety of salon UV-lamps:

1. Study (2020) by Chelsea Schwartz – Harib Ezaldein & Miesha Merati "Ultravoilet Ligth Gel Manicures: Is there a risk of skin cancer on the hands and nails of young adults?" Study focused on research of young skin cancer patients on the back of their hands. Conclusion: No difference between non-nail service users and chronical UV nail service users.

2. FDA

According to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), UV nail lamps are safe as used in nail salons. A statement on the FDA website concludes that "… The FDA views nail curing lamps as low risk when used as directed by the label… To date, the FDA has not received any reports of burns or skin cancer attributed to nail lamps."

3. Study by Dowdy and Sayre (2017)

Some people are exposed to UV light during their profession. To protect these people, like dentists, occupational exposure limits exist. These are far more intense than a salon lamp exposure.

• 36 minutes of daily exposure to UV-nail lamps was below the occupational exposure limits for UV radiation
• Nail lamp outputs ranged from 0.5% to 2.2% of the allowable monthly occupational exposure limits.

4. Study Markova and Weinstock

UV light is also used in the medical industry, to treat certain skin conditions.

The research found that the risk of developing non-melanoma skin cancer was many times lower than the risk associated with being exposed to noonday natural sunlight, and that one would need 250 years of weekly nail sessions to equal the theoretical risk of a single UV Light Treatment for certain skin conditions such as psoriasis, concluding that it is highly improbable that any salon customer, no matter the level of nail lamp use, will exceed safe levels of UV exposure.

5. RadTech

RadTech, a non-profit organization dedicated to the safe use of ultraviolet and electron beam technologies supports the FDA statements that point to studies by scientists at Massachusetts General Hospital and the Alpert School of Medicine at Brown University showing that "typical nail salon exposures are well within the limits of permissible daily UV exposure."

Salon curing lamps are safe! At ProNails we guarantee that all our curing lamps comply with strict European legislation. Research has shown that lamps in salons are safe and that exposure time is very short!