The health factor: UV light emitted by dryers could boost your risk of skin cancer and contribute to aging skin on your hands (it all depends on the strength of the dryer’s bulbs in the dryer, which varies widely among salons). The process can damage your nails, too. A small 2012 study in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology reported nail weakness, brittleness, and thinning among five subjects after applying gel or shellac polish and removing it with acetone, which can be extremely drying to the nail and surrounding skin. Manicurists (or clients) may manually peel some of the gel off, taking the nail’s top layer with it. Use a broad-spectrum sunscreen on your hands before getting a gel manicure for protection from any UV rays. Researchers also reported nail splitting. How long it lasts: 2 weeks Risk factor:
AT-HOME GEL KITS The health factor: Your skin cancer risk is lower (though not completely gone) as long as you choose for at-home options with LED dryers instead of UV dryers. But these still require you to soak your fingers in pure acetone for 10 to 15 minutes to remove the polish, putting you at risk for the same kind of damage caused by the salon gel process. (It’s unclear whether the gel polish or the acetone causes nail damage associated with gel manicures.) To undo the damage, take a break from gel, and, on and around the nail, apply a moisturizer that contains dimethicone to keep the nail bed from cracking and breaking, says Chris Adigun, MD, clinical asistant professor of dermatology at NYU Langone Medical Center. Try Aveeno Skin Relief Hand Cream ($6; amazon.com). How long it lasts: up to 2 weeks Risk factor: *** TRADITIONAL MANICURE The health factor: Brands started removing the “toxic trio” (formaldehyde, toluene, and dibutyl phthalate) from their formulas in 2006, and a recent push for “5-free” polishes has added formaldehyde resin and camphor to the do-not-use list. But many brands used in salons haven’t jumped on the 5-free bandwagon yet. Salons won’t soak your fingers in acetone to remove regular polish, but they may still use removers that contain the solvent. UV lamps aren’t used to dry traditional polish; instead, you’ll be sticking your fingers under heat lamps. But overly-vigorous cleaning beneath nails can also separate the nail plate from the underlying bed, says Dana Stern, MD, assistant clinical professor of dermatology at New York City’s Mount Sinai Medical Center. Your risk goes up with age, since over the years, our nails stop adhering lessas well to our nail beds over the years. How long it lasts: 1 week, max. Risk factor: ** AT-HOME MANICURE The health factor: You can control which nail polish and remover you use (sensitive skin types should go with acetone-free picks like Nailtiques Non-Acetone Remover with Aloe Vera ($8;, ulta.com)), making this option the healthiest of the bunch. Try 5-free brands like Côte ($16;, coteshop.co), Zoya ($9;, zoya.com), and Jin Soon ($18;, jinsoon.com). If you find that your cuticles get in the way of polish, soak your fingers in warm water for a few minutes and very gently push back the cuticles—no cutting allowed. How long it lasts: Up to 3 days, chip- free. Risk factor: *
