Struggling to keep your freshly painted nails from fading after a few days? Gel lacquer is the latest trend in nail polish. It's a long-lasting hybrid of polish and gel that hardens under a UV light.
But drying nails under this type of lamp may put some customers' skin at risk.
Dr. Jennifer Lucas, a dermatologist at Cleveland Clinic says, "You do need to be aware of that, particularly if you have a history of skin cancer, melanoma, or you burn very easily, then these may not be the best options because you do get some UV exposure."
To minimize UV exposure, you should cover your hands with cloth or apply sunscreen. Also, people taking medications that increase sensitivity to the sun should be careful. The UV light can cause the nail to lift from the nail bed.
However, this type of polish may be a good choice if you're looking to give dry, brittle nails support and strength.
When you're ready to take it off, less is more when it comes to the acetone polish remover.
"Acetone is drying to the surrounding skin; it can be drying to the nail itself, so you really want to try to minimize exposure to that just to get the product off and then you're going to have to do something to give nutrient back or moisturize the nail and the hand," says Dr. Lucas.
Massaging a cream or lotion into your hands and nails several times each day will help restore moisture.
If you're allergic to polymer-based products, this type of nail polish or any type of acrylic nail may cause an allergic reaction.
On average, a manicure with gel lacquer is suppose to last two to three weeks versus traditional nail polish that's suppose to last one week.
But as most ladies know from experience, regular nail polish tends to only last a few days before chipping.
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