UV Nail Dryers May Cause Cancer

Women who visit beauty salons to have their nails done could be increasing their risk of skin cancer, according to a new report.

Doctors raised the alarm after two women developed tumors on their hands from exposure to ultra-violet lamps used to fix artificial nails.

But experts now fear the high dose of UVA rays - the most dangerous form of ultra-violet light - they produce could be damaging skin cells.

Dermatologists at the University of Texas are calling for further investigations into the safety of UV nail lamps.

Regular users should have their hands and fingers inspected for signs of cancerous growths, they said.

A 48-year-old woman in good health needed repeated surgery to remove several cancers from her right hand after having UV light treatment at nail salons eight times in one year.

A second woman, aged 55, also developed a tumour on her right hand after using UV lamps twice a month for 15 years.

In a report on the two cases, Dr Deborah MacFarlane from the University of Texas Anderson Cancer Centre in Houston, said: 'The UV nail lamp is most commonly used to cure gel nails but is also used to cure acrylic nails and dry traditional nail polish.

"But exposure to UV light is a major risk factor for the development of skin cancer," Caroline Cerny, Cancer Research UK's Sunsmart campaign manager, said it was too early to say for certain that nail lamps are a serious threat to health.

She said: "Based on just two cases, we can't be sure if the nail lights contributed to the skin cancers in these women. But we know that overexposure to artificial sources of UV radiation, such as sunbeds, can increase the risk of skin cancer - so there is no reason to believe that nail lights won't pose a similar risk."


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