Allergy to gel polish: causes, symptoms and treatment methods

The implementation of a bright and fashionable manicure coating of nails using a resistant polymer gel polish has become one of the most demanded services in modern beauty salons today. The reason for such an increased demand among women is simply explained - gel varnishes are one of the most durable and practical quick-drying coatings for the nail plate. After applying to nails, gel polish retains its shine, color brightness and durability for at least 3-4 weeks. Despite the many positive factors of gel polish, this product is not suitable for everyone to perform manicure. Sometimes it can happen that after applying a resistant polymer coating, an allergic reaction occurs, and the causes of its appearance and the symptoms of manifestation are very diverse.

The technology for applying gel polish to the nail surface depends on what components the product itself consists of. Distinguish between one-component, two-component and three-component gel varnishes. In general, the whole procedure for applying gel polish consists in applying a base coat to the nail, then a colored composition and a final layer, which fixes all the previous ones, combining them into one whole.

If we consider the compositions of gel polishes from the point of view of their allergenicity, then it is believed that the more various components are present in the composition of the product, the higher the likelihood of allergy to one or more of these ingredients. When performing a manicure using polymers, you need to understand that allergies can occur to any layer of gel polish., and the effect of the components can be not only on the nail plate, but also on the skin.

Gel polish consists of a film former, a photoinitiator, pigments, diluents and other additional ingredients such as diacetone alcohol, butyl acetate, phosphoric acid, phenyl ketone, toluene, formaldehyde resins, polymers, nitrocellulose and others. Each of the listed ingredients has a chemical origin and is a fairly potent potential allergen.

Sometimes an allergic reaction of the body can manifest itself not to the components of the gel polish, but to a violation of the technology of its storage or use. For example, if the material is exposed to the ultraviolet rays of the sun, then under their influence, the polymers included in the product will begin the polymerization process, which should not take place in a bottle with varnish, but when the product is applied to the nail plate.

Often, allergic irritation manifests itself if the polymer material flows from the nail plate onto the skin of the nail rollers, therefore, when applying any component of the gel product, extreme care and accuracy of movements is required.

In fact, the risk of developing an allergy to the use of gel polish is not so great, and although it is present, an immune reaction of the body to a quality product occurs very rarely.

An allergic reaction manifests itself, as a rule, locally and its symptoms are reduced to the appearance of irritation on the skin. Such manifestations are called contact allergies, when the fingers of the hands are affected, when the components that make up the gel polish get on them. An allergic reaction looks like this: areas of redness with small punctate rashes appear on the skin, sometimes the rash is in the form of blisters, inside of which there is liquid. Such processes are usually accompanied by a strong itching or burning sensation of the skin.

An allergic reaction of the body can manifest itself as peeling of the skin, as well as delamination of the nail plate, up to complete detachment of the nail from the nail bed. In rare cases, an allergy to gel polish can provoke symptoms of bronchial asthma with a prolonged painful cough and difficult exhalation. But such cases are extremely rare, although they should not be excluded from the list of possible ones.

However, allergies are not only prone to clients, on whose nail plate gel polish is applied. Masters who daily perform one after another procedures for applying polymer compositions to their clients' nails are forced to inhale chemical vapors and indirectly contact them. Failure to observe safety precautions by the masters and ignore the use of personal protective equipment can lead to an allergic reaction in them without using a manicure with gel polish on their nails.

Often there is repeated sneezing, nasal congestion, swelling of the lips and even tongue, the occurrence of a sore throat and difficulty breathing. Such symptoms can appear both for the master performing the manicure and for his client. Doctors believe that the manifestation of respiratory allergy symptoms is much worse than skin symptoms., since when breathing is disturbed, there is a direct threat to human life. The most terrible in such a situation is Quincke's edema, which develops rapidly and leads to suffocation in a matter of minutes - without the provision of comprehensive medical care, this condition most often ends in death.

If you do not respond in time to the appearance of an allergic reaction of the body to the components of the gel polish and do not eliminate the source of the allergy, the situation may worsen, and the symptoms of the immune response will increase, leading to serious health consequences. Modern medicine is already aware of such cases when, when using an allergenic gel polish and ignoring the symptoms, the manifestations of allergies began to appear not only on the hands, but also throughout the body.

Among the manufacturers of gel polishes with a high degree of allergenicity, products of Chinese origin have acquired a notorious reputation. This is due to the fact that in the competition and in the pursuit of a low cost of the finished product, manufacturers use low-quality and aggressive chemical components in the composition of gel varnishes.

Based on practical observations, knowledgeable manicure masters distinguish a group of varnishes, which have the highest probability of an allergic reaction of the body to their use:

• Chinese gel polishes BlueSky, Kiwi, Cristina, Canni Colors and other cheap products;
• Russian products of the brands Severina, Formula Profi;
• Ukrainian gel varnishes of the Kodi Professional brand, produced in the USA;
• Russian product Masura Lady, used for medical manicure using Japanese technology.

It is worth noting that the occurrence of allergies to these products may not be for everyone, and sometimes the cause of peeling and swelling of the skin was not an allergenic effect, but a chemical burn, which also occurs in the process of improper use of persistent polymer products.

Hypoallergenic brands of gel polishes are usually made from high quality components, and they are mandatory tested for hypoallergenicity before being released on the market. Conscientious manufacturers of gel polishes always publish the full composition of the components of their product., while the creators of cheap gel analogs are trying to hide the composition of the decorative polymer coating. Highly allergenic varnishes generally do not have a batch number assigned to the product during manufacture. In addition, low-quality products have a pronounced pungent chemical odor.

The allergic manifestation that appears when using gel polish is similar in symptomatology to skin fungal diseases or diseases of the epidermis of another genesis. In order to get rid of allergic symptoms, it is necessary to determine the cause of their appearance by performing diagnostic tests. If the symptoms of contact allergy appear immediately after performing a manicure using gel polish, they can only be dealt with by eliminating the source of the allergy itself. Therefore, first of all, you will need to remove the gel manicure from the nails, and after that, immediately seek medical help in order to correctly diagnose the disease and cure it.

After allergy testing, you will be prescribed appropriate treatment. Typically, therapy consists of using certain types of drugs.

• Antihistamines. Their purpose allows you to eliminate the development of the body's autoimmune reaction to the allergen, while reducing tissue swelling and burning sensation. Antihistamine drugs are loratadin, claritin, diazolin, suprastin, peritol, trexil and other similar drugs. In order to successfully treat allergies, one of these drugs should be taken as directed by a doctor for at least 10 days. But do not self-medicate, but rather consult a doctor.

• External remedies. In order to alleviate the condition with contact allergies, it is necessary to do local drug treatment of the affected skin areas. For these purposes, it is effective to use an ointment, gel or cream with corticosteroid hormones. Reviews of doctors and patients indicate that the combination of antihistamines and external ointments gives a quick and lasting therapeutic effect. You can regularly smear the affected skin with drugs such as hydrocortisone, celestoderm, lorindens, elokom, mesoderm, flucinar, advantan and other analogues. There are also ointments that need to be used for emergency relief to relieve allergy symptoms. Fenistil, nezulin are the most common among such agents.

• Vitamin preparations. They are prescribed in combination with antihistamines and external ointments. The use of vitamins helps to strengthen the immune system and accelerate the recovery of the skin after allergic manifestations.

After recovery, you should not use persistent polymer gel varnishes again, since such a manicure can cause a repeated allergic reaction of the body, but much stronger in its development than its previous manifestations. Experts advise not to use even ordinary manicure varnish for a while. This is necessary so that your nails and skin have the opportunity to fully recover and consolidate the healing effect.

The possibility of an allergy to gel polish should never be overlooked and all necessary measures should be taken to prevent it. To do this, you must adhere to some rules:

• it is necessary to purchase gel polish only from trusted suppliers, for fear of fakes, and choose well-known high-quality hypoallergenic brands from bona fide manufacturers;
• the application of polymeric materials must be done very carefully, avoiding the ingress of chemical products on the skin, while it is important not to violate or change the process technology itself at your own discretion;
• before using gel polish, try to check not only its composition, but also the shelf life of the product;
• if you do not have the skills to use gel polish on your own, then try to perform the procedure with a professional who has a certificate for working with similar products;
• it is noticed that with nervous overexcitation, allergic reactions to gel varnishes occur much more often, therefore, being in this state, refuse to perform the procedure, and if this is not possible, then it is most advisable to replace the gel varnish with a regular manicure varnish.

• in order to exclude allergies and chemical burns, when applying gel polish, it is necessary to follow all stages of applying the product components one by one and not touch the skin.

In the best option, work with gel varnishes should be carried out at a table over which an exhaust air system is equipped - thus, both the master and his client will be protected from chemical vapors. If an allergic reaction starts to develop suddenly, you should always have first aid supplies ready before doctors arrive.

In order to reduce the risk of an allergic reaction to the use of gel polish for nails, it is best to choose those materials that contain a minimum amount of aggressive chemical components. An alternative in this case is given to hypoallergenic products.

The list of hypoallergenic products may be as follows:

• original products of the American premium brand CND;
• the American brand GelColor of the OPI Iceland brand;
• German brand Grattol in the middle price category;
• line of gel varnishes Luxio gel of the Canadian company Akzentz;
• gel varnishes from the "Organic" series produced by the Russian company "Option";
• line of cashmere gel varnishes Marble of the Chinese brand UNO;
• American gel polishes from Professional Nail Boutique.

It is difficult to argue that these varnishes will be an absolute guarantee against the occurrence of an allergic reaction in you, since each human body is unique and individual. However, the base and top of these manufacturers has a minimum set of aggressive components, while maintaining the high stability of the nail polish.

If you have an individual intolerance to ultraviolet rays of a lamp for drying gel polish, then an alternative can be found in this case. There are products that can polymerize without the participation of ultraviolet radiation:

• a line of gel varnishes from the American company CND, which is a pioneer in the creation of such products;
• system of gel varnishes from the French company Sophin for professional manicure.

Thanks to a special formula, the polymerization processes take place independently and do not need to be activated by the ultraviolet spectrum of the rays. However, according to user reviews, the strength of such varnishes is lower than that of traditional analogs, hardened using a lamp. Such varnish dries from 30 to 60 minutes, and manufacturers declare its durability up to 14 days., but in fact, after 3-5 days, small chips can be seen on the manicure. The big advantage of such gel varnishes is that long soaking of nails in acetone or cutting off the varnish from the nail plate is not required to remove the decorative coating - this gel varnish can be removed like a regular manicure.

Summing up the consideration of the issue of allergic reactions to gel polish, it should be noted that the use of such products is becoming more common, despite any risks. The fashion for durable decorative nail coatings is relevant due to the convenience and practicality of using resistant polymer materials. Having identified an allergic reaction of the body to gel polish, you should not come to the idea that well-groomed nails are now inaccessible to you - after all, there is also an ordinary manicure varnish that can be applied at least every day, choosing a color palette for your mood. And yet science does not stand still, and gel polish is one of the brightest breakthroughs in the fashion industry, which many of us will be happy to use.

How to get rid of gel polish allergy, see below.