Goals for 2023—reduce stress, read more, be creative, structured gel manicures…
I got acrylic nails once in high school and vowed I would never do that again. The damage…yikes! For some years, when I eventually did start “getting my nails done” with Cheryl (please reference some of my prior nail posts if you are unfamiliar), I would get a manicure with regular polish. Somewhere along the way, she introduced me to gel manicures, and I never looked back to the days of air-dry nail polish.
I was immediately sold on the ability to walk out of the salon with cured nails, the freedom to go about my day as usual (with no downtime), and the fact that I could hold on to my manicure longer than with regular nail polish. But I guess I am demanding because I wanted a little more out of my manicures. Specifically, I wanted them to last longer without chipping, lifting, or me getting the erratic urge to pull the entire coat of polish off in one perfect piece. I could only successfully claim (maybe) two weeks of a regular gel mani, usually still with the occurrence of one of the aforementioned. I also really wanted lasting nail growth.
And then, one day last year, I fumbled upon this whole structured gel manicure phenomenon—changed my life. Structured gel manicures use a builder gel applied in a way so that the center (apex) of the nail is thicker, giving the nail more strength as it grows out, protecting your natural nails from breakage, as well as giving it a more beautiful, arched shape. Structured manicures emphasize 3D styling rather than 2D art, which means it requires time (typically at least an hour and a half for me), patience, and precision to create a natural-looking layer that replicates the natural arch and shape of your nail. It also lasts longer than a regular gel mani.
I was ever so lucky to find someone locally who offered perfectionist-level structured gel manicures–that would be Akilah. There are nail artists, and then there are nail artists. Akilah is the latter. And we will discuss her skill with a Russian Manicure in another post.
Does it live up to the hype? Yes, it does. I went in on November 5th, 2022, for my first structured gel manicure, and four weeks later, when I went in for my second structured mani, I knew my nails would now have me in a chokehold. There was absolutely no chipping or lifting, only nail growth.
The builder gel comes in different colors (you can wear it alone with a clear top coat), or you can get a gel color on top of the builder, which I did for Christmas when I wore a beautiful red.
My third structured mani came approximately seven weeks from the second. During this time, I decided to follow the recommendation from Akilah to use cuticle oil regularly (I used OPI, which I picked up from Ulta on the way home). Listen, I feel somewhat jilted that no one urged me to use cuticle oil before this point in my life. How has this not been a crucial self-care indulgence for me in my thirty-nine years? All I can say is I went cuticle oil crazy, applying it twice, sometimes three times a day. I am not saying it is the sole reason my nails experienced major growth during that time, but it was the only thing I did differently. And now, I’ve also become obsessed with it because, at minimum, my cuticles look way better to me.
I’ve always loved the look of an almond-shaped nail, so I went for it because I had enough growth. Another win!
I’m always touting a phrase that I learned in my high school economics class—there is no such thing as a free lunch, i.e., ultimately, there is a price for everything. Womp womp—unfortunately, gel polish cure lamps have had some red flags. I recently saw the headline “Study Finds Link Between UV Nail Polish Dryers and Cancer-Causing Mutations” come across my IG timeline, and I thought, ‘Oh no! Just when I was about to tell everybody to get structured gel manicures! As you can imagine, there were lots of comments under this post. I am not an expert dermatologist or USC researcher, but I must avoid undermining my fifteen years as an oncology nurse. So, I want to, at least, unpack some thoughts about it all.
First, for clarification, this is mostly about skin cancer danger (I saw a comment from someone questioning if they could connect their breast cancer diagnosis to getting their nails done with a curing lamp). Most skin cancers result from exposure to UV rays in sunlight. However, skin cancer has also been linked to exposure to some manufactured sources of UV rays. For example, people who use tanning beds (or booths) have a higher risk of skin cancer. I believe the concern specifically for nail cure lamps stems back to at least 2009. A study at that time reported that two healthy women developed skin cancer on their hands. Both had used UV nail lamps regularly, but it was hard to determine if that caused their cancers.
There was another study in 2014 that “further investigated” the risk of skin cancer associated with UV nail lamps, testing the amount of UVA emitted by 17 nail drying lamps in 16 salons. They concluded that it would take multiple visits to get enough exposure to cause DNA damage in skin cells. And even after many visits, the risk of cancer was likely low.
Fast forward to the USC study, which is the study referenced in the IG headline I saw, in which cells were irradiated with a UV nail polish dryer for twenty minutes twice a day, with 60 minutes break between each of the two sessions as well as once every day for up to 3 consecutive days. The results showed that a single 20-minute session resulted in 20–30% cell death. And three consecutive 20-minute exposures caused between 65% and 70% cell death. There was an adverse effect, but they couldn’t conclude a definite increased cancer risk.
So, the takeaway is what? There is some potential for skin cancer-causing DNA damage from using UV cure lamps. If we are splitting hairs with this study, though, those who get gel manicures know that you are under the lamp for less than one “twenty-minute session” (and in my experiences, the light is not even constantly on, it’s pulsing–so take that USC). A little light humor (get it…light).
Anyway, the point is if you are getting your nails done with these tools, it would be wise to consider your risk for skin cancer (anyone can get skin cancer, but people with certain characteristics are at greater risk— i.e., a lighter natural skin color, skin that burns, freckles, reddens easily, or becomes painful in the sun, family history of skin cancer, a personal history of skin cancer, older age to name a few), coupled with how frequently you are visiting your nail artist for a gel mani, and proceed accordingly. There are LED curing lights which would be safer. Do LED cure lamps emit UV, or don’t they? I keep seeing mixed responses. So I will go with what I’ve learned in life—that not much is a hundred percent. I will (maybe even ignorantly) assume that LED cure lamps, even if “safer,” can potentially emit at least some UV exposure. Akilah uses an LED curing light for my nails.
For those, like me, not ready to call it quits with the gel manicures, there is the workaround of using waterproof sunscreen on your hands before nail appointments (there are also UV protective gloves for the occasion).
I use sunscreen on my face daily, even on these unending gray January days. Aside–This post has resulted in a glorious discovery. Years ago, I was in love with Ambi’s Even and Clear Daily Moisturizer with SPF 30. It was one of those holy grail products. And then, one day, I could not get my hands on a bottle anymore. It appeared to be completely wiped away. I was devastated but eventually found a daily moisturizer with broad spectrum SPF 25 (against UVA and UVB rays) that worked for my face (Too Faced is the brand, and it has become increasingly harder to find this recently–go figure). So, out of curiosity, I did a Google search on my long-lost Ambi moisturizer love and found it is back! Really, structured gel and AMBI SPF moisturizer are back on Target shelves—2023 is starting on a good foot.
For me (emphasis on me), the red flags of cure lamps need to be redder, i.e., the risks are not outweighing the benefits. I may be throwing caution to the wind, but I will be booking my next structured gel mani (with Akilah) for now. I am beyond obsessed with my nails!
