UV Exposure at the Nail Salon

Some customers (and a few nail pros) are still concerned about UV exposure at the nail salon. Wearing SPF 15 sunscreen works, but it can also be messy, and potentially cause lifting. So, what to do?

As I have said before, there is no need to be concerned about exposure to UV nail lamps. Not only did two of the world-leading scientists in the field of UV and skin exposure perform extensive testing on a wide range of nail lamps and declare them to be “surprisingly safe”; a major university in the USA says UV nail lamps are much safer than treatments dermatologists provide to patients with psoriasis.  The medical community says UV psoriasis treatments are a very safe procedure. This research study shows that clients would have to receive 250 years of weekly UV nail services to equal a single course of psoriasis treatment that doctors have been providing their clients for decades.

I certainly understand that some clients are highly fearful, and even scientific or medical facts will not sway them. When a client is completely closed-minded or unreasonable and won’t listen at all, what then? They could benefit from these services, but not if they can’t get past their fears. This is becoming more prevalent, because people are exposed to piles of misinformation, mostly on TV or the Internet,  and many don’t know what to believe. So, they distrust just about everything.

I still think it is very important to provide clients with the facts, but when they aren’t convinced, I get it, and you need other options. I also understand the concerns about sunscreens. They can be messy and, what’s more, they can cause a loss of adhesion that can lead to lifting. This, of course, if the sunscreen product is not completely removed from the nail plate. When sprayed near the table, sunscreen products can also contaminate tools and implements. They can even get into nail tip trays or inside product containers. So it is never a good idea to spray sunscreen products near the nail table.  

To minimize UV exposure at the nail salon, there is another alternative: you can cover the back of the hand. Pretty simple isn’t it?  In fact, it’s such a simple solution it makes me wonder why this controversy ever started. Covering the back of the hand with an opaque material of any color will block the UV, and reduce the client’s exposure to near zero. If you want to give these clients maximum peace of mind, then you can purchase disposable plastic shields. These are specially designed to serve as a complete UV protection for the hands, while still allowing UV exposure on the nail coatings, so they can properly cure.

These plastic glove UV shields can be found on the internet and shipped directly to your salon. Alternatively, you can get a pair of cotton gloves and cut out the fingers. The UV shielding plastic sheets have the advantage of being low cost and disposable after a single use. That is a big advantage. Cloth gloves will have to be machine washed with bleach between each client. That is because anything that comes in contact with the client’s skin must be properly cleaned and disinfected before it can be reused. Or, the item must be disposed of into the trash.