Damaged DNA and Increased Cancer Risk Linked to Common Grooming Tool, Study Warns

A new study has revealed that the ultraviolet light from UV nail dryers may increase the risk of developing cancer-causing mutations and can damage DNA.

The study, published in January in Nature Communications, was conducted by researchers from the University of California, San Diego, and the University of Pittsburgh.

UV nail dryers use ultraviolet light to cure gel nail manicures. They have become quite popular in recent years and are in common use in both homes and nail salons.

However, the researchers found that human and mouse cells died when exposed to the typical amount of radiation used in UV nail dryers.

Specifically, the study revealed that a 20-minute session under a UV nail dryer led to 20 to 30 percent of cells dying. Repeating this process three times caused 65 to 70 percent of the exposed cells to die.

The cells that survived suffered mitochondrial and DNA damage and developed mutations often seen in skin cancer, according to a news release on the study.

Ultraviolet light has a wavelength of 10 to 400 nanometers. The higher the wavelength, the deeper the radiation penetrates the skin.

UV nail dryers typically use light with a wavelength of 340 to 395 nanometers, around the same as the light used in tanning beds.

“Tanning beds are listed as carcinogenic and UV nail lamps are mini tanning beds for your nails,” Dr. Julia Curtis, an assistant professor of dermatology at the University of Utah, told CNN.

The study has caused one of its authors, Maria Zhivagui, to swear off UV nail dryers.

“Once I saw the effect of radiation emitted by the gel polish drying device on cell death and that it actually mutates cells even after just one 20-minute session, I was surprised,” she said in the news release.

“I found this to be very alarming, and decided to stop using it.”

Author Ludmil Alexandrov noted that this is seemingly the first study of the effects and possible risks of the ubiquitous nail dryers.

“If you look at the way these devices are presented, they are marketed as safe, with nothing to be concerned about,” Alexandrov said.

“But to the best of our knowledge, no one has actually studied these devices and how they affect human cells at the molecular and cellular levels until now.”

Curtis suggested taking some precautionary measures when using a UV nail lamp.

“Apply broad spectrum sunblock that contains zinc and titanium around the nails, and wear UV gloves with the fingertips cut off when it is time to cure your nails,” she recommended.

Dr. Joshua Zeichner, an associate professor of dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, went even further.

“Unfortunately, full protection is not possible, so my best recommendation is to avoid these dryers altogether,” he told CNN.