Discussion Abounds on the Potential Carcinogenic Risks Associated With the Use of UV Curing Lamps for Permanent Nail...

Controversy has recently broken out over the potential carcinogenic risk associated with exposure to UV lamps for permanent nail polish. The new LED-based polymerization devices, and their potential biological effect has not been analyzed to this date.

To evaluate the emission power and its potential biological effects on the skin of 2 types of UV LED and fluorescent curing lamps under normal use conditions compared to doses of sunlight exposure.

The emission spectrum (290nm to 450nm) of curing lamps and the Sun at noon on an average summer day in mid-latitude Spain was analyzed. The effective biological irradiance potential for erythema, non-melanoma skin cancer, DNA damage, photoimmunosuppression and permanent pigmentation was also characterized.

The high-energy UVA-visible irradiance emitted by these devices was similar to the one coming from the Sun in that spectral range while the effective biological doses were lower or similar to those also coming from the Sun. The total UV and high-energy visible dose per manicure session corresponded to that obtained from 3.5min to 6min exposures to the Sun at noon in the summer days at our latitudes.

The exposure times and doses received with the common use of artificial lamp nail drying correspond to sunlight exposures of 3min to 5min in the central hours of the day. This represents a very low carcinogenic potential compared to sunlight exposure, although similar regarding immunosuppressive potential. Photoprotective measures would further minimize the risks.