Popular UV Manicure Lamps Might Be Frying Your Skin at the Molecular Level
Scientists in Argentina led the study, which examined how the UV dose emitted by a modern manicure lamp affected common skin molecules. They found that just a few minutes of exposure altered these molecules in ways that could be harmful to skin. Though the long-term health effects of these devices, including their potential cancer risk, are still unclear, the researchers say more should be done to warn the public about them.
'We demonstrate that the radiation dose emitted by the nail polish dryer device during a typical gel nail manicure session effectively degrades molecules present in the skin,' the authors wrote in their paper, published earlier this year in Chemical Research in Toxicology.
These lamps are used to quickly dry regular manicures and to cure semi-permanent gel manicures. They're commonly seen at nail salons and can also be purchased for home use. The first versions of these devices emitted higher doses of UVA radiation—the kind responsible for tans and sunburns—than today's typical LED devices, according to study researcher María Laura Dántola. But LED lamps still emit some UVA radiation, and their health impacts on exposed skin haven't been thoroughly studied yet, the researchers say.
Dántola and her team subjected molecules commonly seen in our skin to a standard manicure lamp, and it didn't take long for them to see meaningful changes.
'After a four-minute exposure, the duration of a typical manicure cycle, we observed that all the compounds studied underwent modifications that led to an alteration of their biological functions,' said Dántola, a researcher at Argentina's National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), in a Spanish-language statement from CONICET, translated into English using Google Translate.
An earlier study in 2023 found that manicure lamps can damage the DNA in human skin cells and cause mutations—changes that could then possibly raise the odds of cancer. A 2024 review also concluded that 'prolonged and repeated exposure to UV nail lamps may pose a low risk of skin cancer.' That said, the review also noted that the overall evidence on these health risks remains weak and limited for the time being.
Still, for manicure lovers worried about their skin, there are steps you can take to mitigate any potential risks. When getting a gel manicure, for instance, you can wear gloves that only expose your fingertips. Alternately, you can apply broad-spectrum sunscreen to your hands beforehand (SPF-only products do not protect against UVA). And if you're getting a regular manicure, you can stick to air blowers or fans to dry your hands without any UV. The study researchers also argue that more regulation is needed for UV lamp manufacturers, including labeling that explicitly offers these tips to at-home users.
'We consider it important that these devices provide information about the harmful effects that uncontrolled use can cause, and that they also recommend the implementation of preventive measures,' Dántola said. 'In this way, people can decide, under their own responsibility but with information, how they want to use them.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
How do students feel about phone bans? UW survey first to offer insight on policies
When the Peninsula School District implemented one of Washington's first bans on cell phones in the classroom two years ago, Keyna Houston said it could not have come soon enough. 'I was like thank the Lord,' the Gig Harbor High School English teacher, told Gig Harbor Now and the Kitsap Sun last year. 'Finally I don't have to fight this battle on my own.' Unsurprisingly, teachers have had by far the most positive reaction to these policies, reporting less stress, better ability to manage their classrooms and perceived social benefits for their students, according to new research out of the University of Washington. The unpublished study, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, offers the first systematic look at how teachers, parents and students in Washington are feeling about these policies. Districts moved to curtail phone use in recent years, after reporting unprecedented levels of disruptive behaviors and worsening mental health among students following their return from the pandemic closures. Following Peninsula's lead, all schools in Kitsap County have put some restrictions in place over the last year, as have others statewide. UW researchers surveyed over 5,000 students, 220 teachers and 480 parents across six districts, including Peninsula, said lead author and assistant psychology professor Lucía Magis-Weinberg, who studies how adolescence has been altered in the digital era. Students were less enthusiastic about the bans, with the vast majority saying they did not perceive an impact. According to Magis-Weinberg, 70% of students said the policies had 'no-impact' on their ability to pay attention, opposed to 20% who said it had a positive impact. A majority also said it had no impact on their well-being. 'That was very surprising to me,' Magis-Weinberg said of the findings. 'I would have expected them to be against the policies and to be quite negative about them.' How effective these bans are at achieving their prescribed goals, and what type of restrictions are most effective, remain open questions. There is no question that phones can be a big source of distraction, so when implemented well these bans can encourage better habits, Magis-Weinberg said. At the same time, they need to be tailored to the needs of each district and ideally created with the input from students and staff. Both students and teachers prefer consistency in application of these restrictions, with top-down rules provided by administrations that are aligned between teachers and classrooms. When decisions about phones are left up to the teacher 'no one likes that,' Magis-Weinberg said. It tends to pit teachers against each other. Removing phones in isolation was not enough to promote social interaction, researchers found. Schools still need to introduce alternative ways for students to connect, through activities or games. Bans also did not appear to produce huge improvements in academics or mental health outcomes, but Magis-Weinberg said they seem to have introduced incremental improvements, particularly for teachers. These policies allowed teachers to shift from 'referee to coach,' she said. They can now encourage better digital habits rather than having to take punitive actions against students. 'Anything that helps teachers be less stressed, feel more effective and changes the relationship from policing to actually having time to teach and connect with students, I think that's important," she said. Middle school teachers also reported that students seemed more relaxed and had returned to more 'goofy' and 'playful' behavior. Students had become so concerned with how they were perceived, teachers reported, with fears that someone could record or take a picture of them changing how they behaved. 'Even if a school is not implementing a ban,' she said, 'I think it's a clear takeaway that (schools) should really be very very strict about recording.' This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: Student opinions on phone bans in school part of new Washington study Solve the daily Crossword
Time Magazine
an hour ago
- Time Magazine
1 in 30 U.S. Teens Identify as Transgender
Nearly 3 million Americans identify as transgender, including one in 30 of those aged 13 to 17, according to a new report. But data on the country's trans community may soon be hard to come by, its authors warned, as the Trump Administration and a number of GOP-led states seek to limit the recognition, and rights, of transgender people. The UCLA Williams Institute has been publishing reports about transgender Americans since 2011, tracking information such as the race, ethnicity, age, regional location, and mental health of transgender individuals. Trans adults and youth make up 1% of Americans aged 13 and older and 3.3% of 13-to 17-year-olds, according to the institute's Wednesday report. Researchers found that younger adults, those aged 18 to 34, were more likely to identify as transgender than their older counterparts, making up more than 50% of the country's transgender population. For its initial 2011 report, the institute relied on just two state-level population surveys. Researchers noted that they have since been able to access broader and higher-quality data through the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): To generate the most recent findings, they used data from the CDC 2021-2023 Behavior Risk Factor Surveillance System and 2021 and 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Survey. The report authors noted that the Youth Risk Behavior Survey in particular 'currently provides the best available data for our estimates of the size and characteristics of youth who identify as transgender in the U.S.' But the agency will no longer collect information on transgender people in compliance with President Donald Trump's Executive Order calling for federal recognition of only two biological sexes. Since Trump returned to office in January, information regarding trans people and health resources for LGBTQ+ people has been quietly removed or modified on federal websites. And the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has stepped away from its previous practice of supporting gender-affirming-care, in spite of numerous statements from all major medical associations in the U.S., including the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics, declaring the care as best practice. In May, HHS called for 'exploratory therapy' or psychotherapy to treat individuals with gender dysphoria instead of the medically recommended care. Multiple states have also sought to restrict access to gender-affirming care, particularly for minors, amid broader global efforts to target such care for trans youth. A June Supreme Court decision upholding a Tennessee state-level ban on gender-affirming-care for youth delivered a heavy blow to the U.S. LGBTQ+ community, permitting similar bans that have been enacted across the country and presenting a significant obstacle to future efforts to challenge restrictions in the courts. Amid the current political climate, the authors of Wednesday's Williams Institute report say they are unsure whether survey respondents will accurately respond to questions regarding their gender identity moving forward. In addition to the uncertain future of data on the U.S. transgender population, they wrote, 'It is also unclear whether individuals' willingness to disclose on surveys that they identify as transgender will remain unchanged in the years to come.' Despite those looming challenges in gathering information, however, the authors noted it is already clear that younger people are more likely to identify as transgender and they anticipate that to continue being true. 'This has implications for institutions in our society, including educational institutions, the U.S. Armed Forces, civilian workplaces, health care settings, and other areas, regarding how to meet the needs of and provide opportunities for current youth and future generations,' they said.
Newsweek
6 hours ago
- Newsweek
Labrador Owner Asks Dog a Question About Tail, Shock at What He Does
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A chocolate Labrador has melted hearts on TikTok after perfectly responding to his owner's question without even lifting his head. The August 16 clip shared by owner Caitlyn Stakeley (@caitlyn_stakeley) quickly went viral, racking up 3.2 million views at the time of writing. The dog called Joey is seen curled up on a sofa with his head buried in a pillow. From behind the camera, his owner asks: "Can you wag your tail?" The Lab looks up briefly, then obliges—gently wagging his tail while remaining comfortably in place. The video, captioned "He 100% speaks English," has already been liked more than 614,000 times. Many viewers chimed in to share their own experiences with dogs' apparent language comprehension. One user wrote: "He doesn't speak English. He understands it." Another agreed, adding: "Told my dog I would give him a special dinner (Freshpet) last weekend but I forgot and gave him kibble. He refused to eat until he got his special dinner. They understand us perfectly." A third offered a theory: "I saw a theory that dogs can understand words but not full-on sentences. They just use their own version of a thought process by comparing words we say to certain actions. Like if we say 'want to go outside,' they use the word 'outside' as a way of saying 'we are leaving the house to be outside.'" What Science Says About Dogs and Language A stock image of a brown labrador lying on the grass. A stock image of a brown labrador lying on the grass. Maya Shustov/iStock / Getty Images Plus The commenters may be onto something—science shows that dogs are remarkably skilled at picking out words that matter to them, though with some limits. Researchers at Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest measured the brain activity of 17 awake dogs as they listened to familiar instruction words alongside nonsense words. They discovered that dogs could reliably tell real words apart from completely different nonsense sounds, but struggled when those nonsense words closely resembled the real ones. This indicates that dogs focus on broad sound patterns rather than the finer phonetic details humans rely on, which may explain why their vocabularies remain relatively small. At the same time, researchers have also examined the role of dog-directed speech (DDS)—the high-pitched, exaggerated tone owners often use, similar to baby talk. A recent study, published in Animal Cognition on April 12 and led by experts from the Universities of Lincoln and Sussex in England and Jean Monnet University in France, found that while dogs responded more strongly to meaningful words when spoken in DDS prosody, they were still able to detect important cues—like their names—even when delivered in a flat monotone. Taken together, the two studies suggest that dogs don't need dramatic tone to understand us, but it helps grab their attention and reinforce meaning. Their strength lies in recognizing key words that signal action or reward, not in parsing the finer details of speech or grasping full sentences. Newsweek reached out to @caitlyn_stakeley for comment via TikTok. We could not verify the details of the case. Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@ with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
