Happy Wednesday hair and beauty aficionados! There is no doubt that gel nail polish damages the nail, however new questions have now arisen that the UV light used to cure the gel nail polish may lead to skin cancer. Therefore, today we answer part two to last week’s beauty question, “Can I use clear gel nail polish over standard nail lacquer?”
Dear Deirdre,
I have an at home gel manicure kit and was happy to read last week that my nails aren’t the only ones suffering from gel nail polish use. I am following your advice, but I want to know if I can wear regular nail polish and use the topcoat of the gel nail polish over it. I love the shine the gel nail polish gives and hate going to the nail salon! Help!!
Baffled in Brooklyn
As I was in the process of testing Baffled in Brooklyn’s beauty question, I unfortunately had to make readers wait until today to answer this gel nail polish dilemma. I am here to say, use caution when wearing gel nail polish. Although the clear gel nail polish did give my nails an incredible shine over my regular nail lacquer, within two days my nail polish was peeling off taking layers of nail with it. The damage that has been done to my nails is reparable, but I naturally have strong nails and hair. For women with weaker nails, this may lead to infection.
Today, Dr. Oz will be discussing the dangers of gel nail polish use. Firstly, the application uses an UV light that cures the gel nail polish, which has been shown to cause age spots and fine lines, and excessive exposure to natural or artificial sun light, may lead to skin cancer. Secondly, the removal process of soaking and scraping peels off layers of nail that can lead to the third condition of infection. Watch Dr. Oz today at 4 p.m. on FOX 5 New York or check your local listings. I will be reporting more on the dangers of gel nail polish use from Dr. Oz tomorrow.
I have since stayed away from gel nail polish and plan to do so in the future. In the meantime, I have started using Nail Envy Nail Strengthener by OPI for dry and brittle nails along with regular nail lacquer. It has been three days and my nail polish hasn’t chipped at all, which is extremely unusual for me. If you are a chronic gel nail polish user, take a break and give your nails a rest. Does the UV lamp cause skin cancer? My educated guess is the smaller at-home LED lamps do not produce the same power as the professional ones in the nail salons, but again, I am not a physician and there hasn’t been enough documentation to support the claim, however nothing in excess is good for you, therefore proceed with caution. Excessive use of UV lamps will cause premature aging!
One quick note…At-home kits such as Red Carpet Manicure, that I have used repeatedly, use an LED lamp rather than a UV lamp, limiting the amount of UV radiation exposure and thereby safer than the salon UV lamps.
Please send me your beauty questions and I will offer you my best advice possible, from the Pro!
Happy Styling!
©Deirdre Haggerty, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this article may be reproduced without prior written permission and consent from the author.
A writer, author, NY State licensed cosmetologist, beauty educator and Executive Director, Deirdre Haggerty has been actively involved in the hair and beauty industry in New York for over 30 years. Feel free to ask any question relating to hair care, beauty and skincare! Send Deirdre an email 
[…] to the two articles I wrote yesterday regarding gel manicure safety, Gel Nail Polish Damages Nails and May Even Lead to Skin Cancer and Dr. Oz Examines the Safety of Gel Manicures, the PBA contacted me on Twitter last night with […]