"I wasn't aware of the dangers of the lamps until I did some research," Jess Bergman told Newsweek.
After one of her regular manicures, Bergman noticed something she hadn't before—her hands looked different.
Looking past the flawless polish job, she was shocked when she realized that the skin on her fingers was a darker tone than the rest of her body.
A British expat living in Singapore, she assumed it was because she frequently forgets to add SPF to her hands and now lives in a much warmer country. But when she realized the truth, she had to share it.
"Over the course of a few months I realized my hands were getting darker after each nail treatment, to the point now where the difference is quite noticeable," she said.
In a video on TikTok that has been viewed 1.3 million times, Bergman showed the camera the skin tone difference on her hands, cutting off almost perfectly where her hand would sit in the UV nail lamp.
Gel manicures are incredibly popular beauty treatments. Specialized polishes are painted onto the nail before being cured under a UV light. This process is repeated multiple times per hand and leaves the user with a long-lasting manicure.
But the UV rays emitted to cure these perfect manicures are also known to be one of the leading causes of skin damage.
Up to 80 percent of premature skin ageing is due to UV exposure—usually from the sun but also from artificial sources like nail lamps or tanning beds. Even seemingly small amounts of exposure can add up and increase risk of premature ageing and even skin cancers.
GP and award-winning aesthetician Dr. Ahmed El Muntasar told Newsweek: "Any UV exposure causes mutations. If you are getting your nails done with UV every time, you are increasing your chances of cancer."
Are UV Nail Lamps Dangerous?
Candice Quinn is the founder of Manisafe London and has created her own line of rigorously tested UPF 50+ gloves designed for gel nail lamp users.
She told Newsweek that there is widespread misunderstanding about the safety of UV lamps. "The biggest misconception is that yes, all gel manicures have to cure under UV light. Whether it's called a UV lamp or an LED lamp—it emits UV rays," she explained.
"LED isn't a form of light, it's a type of bulb. Even dermatologists get this confused. Just because it is an LED lamp does not make it safe."
UVA (ultraviolet A) is responsible for tanning, and as a result, hyperpigmentation, skin damage and premature aging.
"With UVA exposure, it's the cumulative exposure that causes an impact over time," said Quinn. "People will see skin darkening like the hyperpigmentation in the video, and often get what they think are age spots on the back of their hands. But this is actually UV damage."
How Can You Make UV Manicures Safe?
In her viral video, Bergman explained that she has purchased a pair of gloves to protect her hands while underneath a UV lamp. "I enjoy having my nails manicured," she said. "I will be taking extra measures of wearing sunscreen and anti-UV gloves before every appointment in future."
Quinn introduced her Manisafe gloves to the market when she learned of the potential damage gel manicures could do. With a 15-year career in health care and medical devices, she started using sunscreen before nail appointments but quickly realized it wasn't cutting it.
"It's simply not practical," she explained. "You have to apply it 20 minutes in advance for it to be fully effective and most people don't apply enough, either."
As well as application issues, many manicures involve scrubs or hand washing which would render sunscreen ineffective.
So Quinn created her own solution in the form of UPF 50+ fingerless gloves that offer a high level of UV protection and board spectrum protection against dangerous rays.
"As soon as you slip them on, you know you have full protection," she said. "There's no user error, they can't be washed off. So you're giving yourself the best possible protection."
"I shared my story to show my followers how a simple beauty treatment has affected me and to share the precautionary measures I will be taking in future to mitigate the dangerous effects—and inspire them to do the same," said Bergman.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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