With the allergy situation escalating, not only in the UK but in many countries, many nail pros are super-stressing that they are the ones causing the allergy!!
Maybe your products did but…..maybe they didn’t!
An individual can wear a nail product for several years and then, one day, their body rejects it!!! There is nothing usual about this. It’s how ‘stuff’ works. Overexposure.
But then you can have a new(ish) client with no problems with their nails and skin, you use products that you are confident are as safe as they can be, you work cleanly and efficiently and….BANG….they develop a reaction!!
Is this your fault? Probably NOT!
Their allergy could have been developing over time but actually started by a previous product even several months ago.
This is why it is so difficult to pinpoint what product to avoid. The ONLY answer is to find out the specific ingredient/s with a patch test that includes methacrylate and acrylates.
An allergy can take a long time to develop or it can be very fast.
Skin contact is the most common cause but new research has shown that even without skin contact it is possible!
Undercuring can cause it, and so can leaching when there are unreacted monomers in the cured coating.
Part of your client consultation should always discover if your client has been to any other salons or used DIY retail UV gels. You should also always ask if they have any allergies at all. Any type of allergy can suggest a compromised immunity.
Although it is possible for a reaction to happen quickly after a first application, it is a bit more likely that it has been ‘brewing’ for a while, even years! Maybe the allergen was removed just before a reaction was obvious so there was no indication and it was just a coincidence. Then it is introduced again and the immune system recognised it and sent out the signals.
So it may not be you nor your products causing the allergy!
