Is gel polish harmful, how does it affect your health and can you often do it?

The range of manicure services is striking in its diversity. One of the main types of decorative coating of the nail plate has become a material called gel varnish or shellac, which in principle is one and the same. Gel nail polish has gained its popularity for a number of undeniable advantages, which are largely inferior to ordinary nail polish, even if it is of super high quality. Like any product of chemical origin, shellac has its advantages and disadvantages - we will talk about this today in the topic of our article.

The product called gel polish was conceived as a symbiosis of two components - a polymer gel to simulate the shape and length of the nail and the usual decorative varnish to create a color coating on the top of the nail plate. The result is a shellac product, which allows you to paint your nails in almost any color shade, and the coating itself has increased durability and does not require additional adjustments for 7–10 days. Agree, this result is very impressive. It was possible to achieve increased resistance of the painted coating to this product with the help of its polymer compositions, the main components of which are unchanged from various manufacturers.

• The component forming the surface film - it is a polymer composition that hardens when exposed to rays of the ultraviolet spectrum. The film is smooth, shiny, resistant to chemical and physical effects, and it also has a certain degree of plasticity, withstanding weak bends or stretch.
• UV Absorbing Component - This is a special chemical compound, which under the action of ultraviolet rays on it goes into an active state, accompanied by the disintegration of molecules, and as a result of this process photo particles are formed. This process is necessary to start the polymerization process - it is a catalyst for the substance forming the surface film. Typically, it contains benzoin esters, various types of phenol groups and phosphine oxides.

• Components needed to create the desired product consistency - this is the monomeric esters of acrylic. They are needed for the gel polish to be viscous and comfortable to use. This texture is well adhered to the surface of the nail plate and as a result gives additional strength to the entire coating.
• Components that create a color palette - These substances are called coloring pigments. Thanks to their use, the product will have its own specific color. Pigments from different manufacturers may vary - they are organic or inorganic nature of origin. This component is good because it does not dissolve in the remaining ingredients of the product and does not prevent the passage of ultraviolet rays into them.

To make the hands look well-groomed and presentable, most modern women with the advent of shellac actively began to switch to using it, putting aside the usual nail polish. And there are good reasons for this, since the use of this product results in not only a decorative effect, but also a practical benefit. It is worth considering the main advantages of gel polish.

• Gel coating on the nails retains its freshness for a long time - it can be worn for at least three, or even all four weeks without corrections. The coating is not afraid of water, temperature changes, resistant to chips and cracks. His appearance is always perfect, even after some serious chores.

• The coating not only aligns the nail plate and to some extent corrects its shape, but also protects it with a reliable thick layer of polymeric material from any impacts. Under the cover of this material its own nail is not stratified and is protected from breaking off and biting. Such protection is simply a godsend for women who, by their natural data, are not owners of beautiful and strong nails. In addition, using the gel, you can repair the broken part of the nail plate in order to prevent its further destruction.

• A beautiful manicure can be performed not only in the salon with the master, but also at home on your own. Suppose you need to buy certain accessories, but that is another question. The main thing - ease of application, which does not require special skills and knowledge. Even without building nails can look very worthy with this product.

• Gel varnishes do not pose a risk to human health. Their application is not accompanied by harsh and unpleasant odors, since these polymeric products do not contain formaldehyde or acetone components, which sometimes sin simple nail polishes and enamels.
• The choice of modern shellac is very impressive. Today you can find cracking varnishes with the effect of cracking, varnishes with a visual effect, called cat gas, mirrored, neon, matte, with lint, mica, sparkles and even with the effect of holography. A range of colors can satisfy anyone, even the most demanding taste of fashionistas.

No matter how good the gel polish, but this convenient and modern product has its drawbacks. Therefore, before you decide to switch from a standard manicure decorative varnish to shellac, familiarize yourself with the damage that a polymer product can deliver to you and evaluate how this may be a significant disadvantage for you. So, gel polish has several drawbacks.

• Applying any polymers on a living nail plate requires its preparation. Nails, being appendages of skin tissue, as well as skin, are able to excrete moisture and fat into the external environment, and to degrease and clean the surface before applying gel polish, the nail is thoroughly polished using a fine-grained nail file. During this manipulation, the top layer of the nail is removed. There is no harm from this - the nail is able to regenerate very quickly, and the recovery process itself will take literally no more than a week. If such polishing is done continuously, for many weeks or even months, the harmfulness of this process will be obvious.

• Polymer gels harden only when exposed to ultraviolet radiation. A special lamp is used for this. In the process of drying, and it takes up to 8-10 minutes, the radiation from the lamp can cause some burning sensation. And the thicker the layer of the applied material, the more palpable this feeling can be. Of course, for the sake of beautiful nails you can be patient, but this remark is valid only for a full-fledged nail plate. If the nail is thinned by frequent gouging, then it may simply be impossible to tolerate burning.

• Since each human body is individual, including its hormonal background, nail growth in each person can occur at different rates. If you have a fast growth of the nail plate, in 3-4 weeks you are unlikely to admire beautiful nails - the manicure will become unsightly due to the rapid growth of the nail in a few weeks, which means that you will be forced to do much more often than others correction, while injuring a living nail every time. There is another feature that is also associated with the characteristics of the organism. There is such a thing as a wet nail - this means the fact that the nail plate very abundantly and diligently releases moisture into the external environment. Usually these people and hands are wet to the touch.

• Correction and removal of the gel coating can also harm your nails, as this procedure requires accuracy and some skills. Polymeric material can be removed in two ways - it can be cut or removed with a fluid specially designed for this purpose. When filing, you can thin the nail plate, and when removed with liquid nails can begin to actively exfoliate. The fact is that such a liquid contains quite strong solvents to soften a solid layer of polymer, each finger is wrapped in a cotton pad soaked with this compound, and that it does not dry out, it is covered with foil.

In general, these are all the main points that may disappoint you when using gel compositions for nails. Many of them can be avoided with the help of skill and understanding of the process, so it’s easy to make a choice from the ratio of pros and cons.

Often pregnant women turn to manicurists with questions about how safe it is to use gel polishes. Having studied the composition of this polymer material, we can conclude that shellac is not dangerous for the body of pregnant women and their child. Regular manicure varnish is more harmful in this respect than gel composition, which does not contain such dangerous components as toluene and formaldehyde. Even the masters themselves can not stop their work, being pregnant, subject to the sanitary standards and the use of personal protective equipment.

If you monitor the cleanliness of your hands and the workplace, close all chemical containers immediately after using them, and also wear a respirator when filing with a file of polymeric materials — there is no danger to you. To prevent the polymer from getting inside your body, try not to eat near these materials and perform all working procedures in a well-ventilated area.

The use of polymers for nail design during pregnancy has features. And if you had no problems with good adhesiveness of the nail and polymer until the moment of pregnancy, everything can change in the period of childbearing.Most often, pregnant women have a high moisture content of the skin and nails, as well as increased release of fat through the nail plate. Visually, this may be imperceptible, but when applying material such a feature of a pregnant organism can play a role, as a result, the material on the nails does not fix.

Despite the fact that shellac seems to be a good substitute for ordinary varnish, nobody has been able to use it permanently without harm to their nails. In order not to injure your nails, manicurists recommend periodically giving rest to the nail plate. It is best to do this at least once every 2-3 months. After 1–2 weeks of rest and the use of nourishing oils, the nail plate is restored and again ready to use polymeric materials. It is best to take as a rule to alternate the application of gel coatings using ordinary varnishes or enamels.

The master in the video below will tell you whether gel polish is harmful.