Is your manicure giving you cancer?

We all know using tanning beds and sunbathing in general is bad for our skin. UV radiation damages our cells by inducing mutations in the DNA and these mutations have the potential to cause cancer. But did you know that nail lamps commonly used in salons also emit UV radiation? It is highly likely that even your nail technician doesn't know this because nowadays a lot of dryers are marketed as being LED and therefore safer but even LED nail lamps emit radiation within the UV spectrum.

So, does this mean you should avoid getting your nails done completely? If you get a manicure with a nail lamp once or twice a year then your risk will (probably) not be considerably increased. However, if you are in the group of people who get a fresh manicure every couple of weeks, then your exposure over the course of a lifetime is significant. If you want to reduce your risk to the minimum it is best to stick to normal nail polish which does not require curing with a lamp. If you do decide to get a lamp-cured manicure from time to time use precautions such as wearing protective gloves or at least sunscreen with UVB and UVA protection.

And if you are worried about any skin moles on your hands or anywhere else on your body we actually offer annual skin cancer screening where every mole is visualised under magnification with a videodermatoscope and photos are taken for easy comparison at your next checkup.