The nail extension procedure does not lose its popularity. Beautiful and well-groomed nails that do not require maintenance for several weeks are the dream of almost every girl. But only a few people know what potential harm to health can be caused by nail extension with gel, acrylic or other products of the chemical industry.
Damage to the nail plate
The nail extension procedure includes pretreating the nail with abrasive files. Making this manipulation, the master has one goal - to make the nail rougher for better adhesion of the surface to the base layer of the gel. The harm to health directly depends on the professionalism of the master. For example, a novice master is able to cut too large a layer of the nail plate and even make deep grooves. And the more often the extension is repeated, the more the natural nail becomes thinner. Such a nail becomes fragile, thin and is more prone to fungal infection.
Infectious complications of manicure
There is always a risk of getting a different kind of infection after visiting a nail salon. Of course, in professional offices, they strictly follow the rules for processing tools after each client or use disposable manicure devices. In small salons or in offices at home, the master does not have the ability or does not know how to properly handle the instruments. It is better to come to such masters with your own set of tongs and files.
The most "harmless" infection that you can get in a salon is nail fungus. To do this, it is enough to process the nail plate with an infected nail file only once. And given the fact that nails are significantly injured during manicure, a fungal infection can cause a lot of trouble. And it will be quite difficult to cure the nail.
Inflammation of the periungual ridges (the skin that surrounds the nail) is another common consequence of visiting a beauty salon. It is associated with trauma to the skin surrounding the nail with poorly handled reusable instruments. Sometimes the developed infection (panaritium) forces you to see a surgeon.
One of the most severe infections that can be easily obtained in a nail salon is viral hepatitis B. The hepatitis B virus is extremely stable in the external environment and cannot be destroyed by various disinfectants. The infectious dose of the virus is very small, getting into a small wound of even a tenth of a drop of blood of a patient with hepatitis will lead to the development of the disease. The risk of getting HIV infection is another reason to avoid questionable nail offices.
Skin cancer
Currently, the popular method of nail extension is gel, which hardens under the influence of ultraviolet radiation. After applying each layer of gel, the client is asked to hold her fingers under an ultraviolet lamp. Often, the total irradiation time with one extension reaches 10-12 minutes. However, not everyone knows that ultraviolet light is a carcinogen, that is, a factor leading to the development of skin cancer. Long-term and frequent radiation exposure significantly increases the chances of developing melanoma. To protect your own health, you should cover the skin of your fingers with a cloth or at least lubricate it with sunscreen with a high degree of protection before irradiation. In professional salons, this rule is not neglected.
Nail injury
Girls who want to instantly acquire very long nails run the risk of injury to their own. A very thick layer of gel or a long length of artificial nails creates excessive pressure on the natural nail plate, especially if it is thinned. Sometimes, just a small additional impact (hitting the nail, scratching) is enough to get a fracture of the nail plate. Trauma instantly causes acute pain and often requires the assistance of a surgeon.
One more thing…
Do not add nails if you are planning a medical examination. The shape of the nails, the color allow the doctor to draw some conclusions about the health of the whole organism. For example, nails in the form of watch glasses (bulging) speak of chronic lung diseases. Bluish nail plates indicate poor blood circulation, etc. In addition, a black spot under the nail that occurs spontaneously can be melanoma (cancer). Accordingly, a layer of gel or acrylic will not allow the doctor to carry out a complete diagnosis and can significantly complicate the diagnosis.
