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Research Paper On Nail Salons

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A nail polish that doesn't chip is basically the Holy Grail of mani-pedis -- and the $6 billion nail salon industry claims to have found it in a gel.

Over the last couple of years, the gel manicure has grown in popularity: Two-thirds of salons now offer the service, which is supposed to provide the long wear of an acrylic without the accompanying nail damage.

Still, mixed in with all the hype are complaints that gel nails do still chip, the polish can only be taken off by visiting a salon and drowning one's fingers in acetone, and horror of horrors, the color selection is lacking. Worse yet, they may cause serious nerve damage and infections. If something seems too good to be true, it probably is (a gel manicure).

The Cost of Resilient …show more content…

Furthermore, nail salons are not required to list ingredients on labels unless the product is available for purchase. Salon-goers should be concerned if nail technicians can't answer questions about gel ingredients and if the liquids smell …show more content…

The ultra-violet light used in tanning beds has been associated with increased skin cancer risk, but is there a risk with gel manicures?

"Most cancers on the hands are found in people with extensive sun exposure," says Zoe Draelos, a dermatologist in High Point, North Carolina, "It's the cumulative lifetime exposure to UV light that is the risk."

A case study by Austin-based University of Texas researchers in the "Archives of Dermatology" in April 2009 reported that two women developed non-melanoma skin cancer - cancer that occurs in the outer layer of the skin - on the tops of their hands from exposure to nail lamps. Both women were middle-aged, otherwise healthy, and had no cancer history. This does not prove that UV nail lamps definitely cause skin cancer; larger clinical studies will be necessary to determine a

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