Gel Nail Polish Looks Perfect for Weeks, but Have We Thought About What It Does to Our Nails and Skin?

I completely understand why women love gel nail polish.

It is glossy, lasts for weeks, doesn't peel easily, and saves the need to renew the polish every few days.

But there is something worth knowing about this process, especially if we do it regularly for years.

It is not just color that we apply to our nails. Gel polish is a system of chemical substances that harden through exposure to light, and the entire process includes several risk factors worth knowing.

What is actually in gel polish?

Unlike regular polish, which dries mainly through evaporation of solvents, gel polish usually contains ingredients from the acrylate and methacrylate family.

These are substances that take part in a process of creating a hard polymer network.

When the polish is exposed to a suitable UV or LED lamp, a chemical process begins that causes the material to harden.

But it is important to understand that an LED lamp used for drying gel polish usually also emits UVA radiation.

1. Exposure to UVA radiation

UVA radiation is part of the sun's radiation that can penetrate the skin and contribute to premature aging and cumulative damage.

Lamps for drying gel polish emit radiation in this range, even when they are marketed as LED lamps.

Laboratory studies have shown that exposure to radiation from such devices can cause damage to cells and to DNA under certain experimental conditions.

But here it is important to be precise: there is still no clear proof that regular use of gel polish lamps causes skin cancer in humans. The actual level of risk depends, among other things, on the lamp's power, the duration of exposure, and the frequency of use.

Nevertheless, since this is exposure that can be reduced, it is worth taking protective measures.

2. Allergy to acrylates

This is one of the more important risks associated with gel polish.

Certain acrylic ingredients, especially before the material has fully hardened, can cause contact allergy.

One example is HEMA, an ingredient found in some nail products.

The reaction can manifest as itching, redness, swelling, blisters, and peeling of the skin around the nails.

Sometimes a rash also appears in other areas of the body, such as the eyelids and the face, following contact with the fingers.

Can an allergy develop even after years?

Yes.

Contact allergy can develop after repeated exposures, even if for years no reaction appeared.

One of the problems is that once an allergy develops to certain substances from the acrylate family, it can remain for a long time.

Substances from this family also have medical and dental uses, and therefore it is important to inform professionals about a diagnosed allergy.

Not every person with an allergy to gel polish will be allergic to every acrylic substance, but this is another reason to take skin reactions seriously.

3. Damage to the nail during removal

Many times we blame the polish itself for our nails becoming thin and weak.

But part of the damage is caused precisely during the preparation and removal process.

Aggressive filing of the nail plate, forcibly peeling off the polish, and repeated removal of layers from the nail can cause thinning, splitting, and brittleness.

Prolonged use of solvents such as acetone can also cause dryness in the skin around the nails.

4. The danger of incomplete drying

For gel polish to harden properly, one must use a lamp and an exposure time suited to the formula.

Not every lamp suits every product.

When the polish does not harden properly, ingredients that did not undergo full polymerization may remain, and exposure to them can increase the risk of sensitivity and allergy.

This is one of the reasons it is especially important to be careful with home kits that are not used according to the manufacturer's instructions.

And what about ingredients banned in Europe?

In recent years, European regulation has been tightened regarding certain ingredients in nail products.

For example, the substance TPO, which was used in some gel formulas as a substance that initiates the hardening process following exposure to light, was banned for use in cosmetics in the European Union starting September 2025, following its classification as having reproductive toxicity.

It is important to understand that the ban is based on a regulatory risk assessment, and it does not prove that everyone who previously used polish containing TPO was harmed.

It is still a reminder that it is worth knowing the substances found in the products we use regularly.

So should we stop doing gel polish?

That is a personal decision.

But I think it should be made from knowledge and not only from habit.

If you choose to continue, there are several things that can be done to reduce the risks:

• Choose a professional who works with recognized products and acts according to the manufacturer's instructions.
• Avoid contact of the uncured gel with the skin.
• Use a lamp that suits the polish system.
• Protect the skin of the hands from UVA radiation using dedicated gloves with open fingertips, or a broad-spectrum sunscreen of SPF 30 and above on the exposed skin before the treatment.
• Do not peel the polish off by force and do not file the natural nail aggressively.
• Stop use and see a dermatologist if itching, swelling, a rash, or abnormal changes in the nails appear.

Regular polish is also not entirely free of risks, but it does not require hardening by means of a UV lamp.

And what happens when we do this for years?

This is the question that interests me most.

We tend to think of cosmetic treatments as a small, insignificant action.

But when a certain action repeats every two or three weeks for years, it is worth examining the cumulative exposure as well.

Not every repeated exposure necessarily causes damage, and not everyone who uses gel polish will develop an allergy or a nail problem.

But in my view, when there is a possibility of reducing risk without giving up entirely on what we love, it is at least worth considering it.

My daily recommendation

I love grooming and aesthetics, and I certainly understand the desire to look well-groomed.

But I think that sometimes we get used to certain actions until we stop asking what they include.

We check what we eat, which cream we apply to our face, and which ingredients are in our serum.

So why shouldn't we devote the same attention to what we apply to our nails?

I don't think we need to give up every aesthetic treatment because of a possible concern.

I do think we should know the risks, choose good professionals, and remember that even small habits repeated over years deserve our attention.

Because grooming, in my eyes, is not meant to come at the expense of health, but to integrate with it.

Nurit Rozenblat

With love,
Nurit Rozenblat
OrOrgani

FOLLOW ORORGANI    Website · Blog · YouTube · Instagram · Facebook · Threads · Medium · Substack