Allergy to gel polish: causes, symptoms and methods of treatment

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

The technology of applying gel varnish on the nail surface depends on what components the product itself consists of. There are one-component, two-component and three-component gel polishes. In general, the whole procedure of applying the gel polish is that the base coat is applied to the nail, then the color composition and the 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, it is considered that the more different components are present in the composition of the product, the higher the likelihood of allergy to one or more of these ingredients. Performing a manicure using polymers it is necessary to understand that allergies can occur on any layer of gel polish., and the impact of the components can be not only on the nail plate, but also on the skin.

Gel varnish consists of a film-forming agent, 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 quite a strong potential allergen.

Sometimes an allergic reaction of the body can manifest itself not on the components of gel polish, but on 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 action the polymers in the product will begin a polymerization process, which should not occur in a vial of varnish, but when applied to the nail plate.

Often, allergic irritation occurs when the polymer material flows from the nail plate to the skin of the nail rollers, so when applying any component of the gel product requires extreme attentiveness and accuracy of movements.

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

An allergic reaction is manifested, 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 are affected, when they come into contact with the components that make up the gel polish. An allergic reaction looks like this: patches of redness appear on the skin with a small dotted rash, sometimes a rash occurs in the form of wheals, inside of which there is a liquid. Such processes are usually accompanied by a strong feeling of itching or a burning sensation of the skin.

Allergic reaction of the body can manifest itself and peeling of the skin, as well as exfoliation of the nail plate, up to the complete detachment of the nail from the nail bed. In rare cases, an allergy to gel polish can cause symptoms of bronchial asthma with a long, painful cough and difficulty in exhaling. But such cases are extremely rare, although they should not be excluded from the list of possible.

However, allergies are not only susceptible to clients whose gel nail polish is applied to the nail plate. Masters who daily perform one after another procedures for applying polymeric compositions on the nails of their clients are forced to inhale vapors of chemicals and indirectly contact them. Non-observance of the safety masters and neglect of the use of personal protective equipment may lead to an allergic reaction and without using a nail polish gel on your nails.

Often there is repeated sneezing, nasal congestion, swelling of the lips and even the tongue, the appearance of a tickling sensation in the throat and difficulty breathing. Such symptoms may appear as a manicurist, and his client. Doctors believe that the manifestation of respiratory allergy symptoms is much worse than skin symptoms., as in case of violation of breathing there is a direct threat to human life. The most terrible in this situation, angioedema, developing rapidly and leading 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 to the components of the gel polish and do not eliminate the source of the allergy, the situation may be aggravated, and the symptoms of the immune response will increase, leading to serious health consequences. Modern medicine already knows such cases, when using allergenic gel polish and ignoring the symptoms of allergy manifestations began to appear not only on the hands, but throughout the body.

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

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

• BlueSky, Kiwi, Cristina, Canni Colors and other cheap products;
• Russian products of 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 should be noted that the occurrence of allergies to these products may not be all, and sometimes the cause of peeling and edema of the skin was not an allergenic effect, but a chemical burn, which also occurs during the process of incorrect use of resistant polymer products.

Hypoallergenic brands of gel polishes are usually made from high-quality components, and they are mandatory before testing for hypoallergenicity. Diligent manufacturers of gel polishes always publish the full composition of their product components.while the creators of cheap gel analogues try to hide the composition of the decorative polymer coating. Varnishes with a high degree of allergenicity, as a rule, do not have a batch number assigned to the product during its manufacture. In addition, low-quality products have a pronounced strong chemical smell.

Allergic manifestations that occur when using gel varnish are similar in symptoms to skin fungal diseases or diseases of the epidermis of a different 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 allergies appeared immediately after performing a manicure using gel polish, you can only fight them by eliminating the source of the allergy. Therefore, you first need to remove the gel manicure from the nails, and after that immediately seek medical help in order to properly diagnose the disease and cure it.

After allergy tests, you will be prescribed the appropriate treatment. Usually therapy consists of the use of certain types of drugs.

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

• Outdoor facilities. In order to alleviate the condition in case of contact allergies, it is necessary to do local topical treatment of the affected skin. 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 fast and lasting therapeutic effect. You can regularly smear the affected skin with such drugs as hydrocortisone, celestoderm, lorindens, elokom, mesoderm, flucinar, advantan and other analogues. There are also ointments that need to be used to provide emergency help to relieve allergy symptoms. Among such means most common phenyl, nonulin.

• 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 re-use persistent polymer gel polishes, since such a manicure can cause a repeated allergic reaction of the body, but is much stronger in its development than previous manifestations. Experts advise not to use for some time even the usual nail polish. This is necessary so that your nails and skin have the opportunity to fully restore and consolidate the therapeutic 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 follow some rules:

• purchase gel polish is necessary only from trusted suppliers, for fear of forgeries, and choose well-known high-quality hypo-allergenic brands from bona fide manufacturers;
• the application of polymeric materials must be carried out very carefully, avoiding the ingress of chemical products on the skin, it is important not to disturb or change the process technology at its 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 of self-use gel varnish, then try to perform the procedure with a professional who has a certificate for working with similar products;
• It was noticed that during nervous overexcitement, allergic reactions to gel polishes occur much more often, therefore, being in such a state, refuse to perform the procedure, and if this is not possible, then it is more expedient to replace the gel varnish with a regular nail polish.

• in order to eliminate allergies and chemical burns, when applying gel varnish, it is necessary to follow all the steps of applying the components of the product one by one without affecting the skin.

In the best option, working with gel polishes should be carried out at the table, on which the exhaust air system is equipped - in this way both the master himself and his client will be protected from chemical vapors. If an allergic reaction begins to develop suddenly, you should always have first-aid equipment on hand before the doctors arrive.

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

The list of hypoallergenic drugs may be as follows:

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

It is difficult to say that these varnishes will be an absolute guarantee against the occurrence of an allergic reaction from you, since every human body is unique and individual. However, the base and top of these manufacturers has a minimal set of aggressive components, while maintaining a high resistance of the nail polish manicure.

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

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

Thanks to a special formula, polymerization processes take place independently and do not need to be activated by the ultraviolet spectrum of the rays. However, according to user feedback, the strength of such varnishes is lower than that of traditional analogues hardening with the use of a lamp. Such a varnish dries from 30 to 60 minutes, and its resistance is declared by manufacturers to 14 days., but in fact, after 3-5 days you can see small chipped on the manicure. The great advantage of such gel polishes is that removing a decorative coating does not require prolonged soaking of nails in acetone or cutting the varnish from the nail plate - this gel varnish can be removed as a regular manicure.

Summarizing 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, in spite of any risks. Fashion for resistant decorative coatings of nails is relevant due to the convenience and practicality of using resistant polymeric materials. Having identified the body's allergic reaction to gel polish, you should not think that well-groomed nails are no longer available to you - after all, there is the usual nail polish that can be applied even every day, choosing a color palette to suit your mood. Still, science does not stand still, and gel polish is one of the brightest breakthroughs in the fashion industry, which many of us will enjoy using.

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