Is gel polish bad for your nails? Allergy, UV lamps and removal

The short answer

Gel polish is not automatically bad for your nails, but it carries three risks worth knowing about:

• Allergy. The chemicals that make gel set hard, called (meth)acrylates, can cause a skin allergy if uncured gel touches your skin. This is the most important risk, because the allergy usually lasts and can affect later dental and medical treatment.
• Removal damage. Peeling, picking or heavy filing can damage the nail and leave it thin and weak. Careful soaking off is much gentler.
• UV exposure. The lamps that cure gel give off ultraviolet light. A lab study showed it can damage cells, but there is no direct evidence yet that it raises skin cancer risk in people, and reviews judge that risk to be very low. Sunscreen or fingerless gloves reduce it further.

Each of these can be reduced: careful application that keeps gel off the skin, a lamp matched to the product, full curing, gentle removal and breaks between sets. The rest of this guide sets out the evidence for each risk and its limits.

The main risk: allergy to methacrylates

Gel and acrylic nail products contain (meth)acrylates, small chemical building blocks that link together and harden when the lamp cures them. Before they are cured, they can get into the skin and, in some people, trigger an allergy. One of the commonest culprits is 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate, known as HEMA.

In 2018 the British Association of Dermatologists (BAD) warned of a rise in these allergies. Its audit found that 93% of those affected were women, and that 60% had become allergic through what it called recreational exposure, in every case from nail enhancements or nail and eyelash glue. A UK multi-centre audit published in the British Journal of Dermatology in 2019 gives fuller figures: of 5,920 people patch tested at 15 UK skin clinics, 2.4% reacted to at least one (meth)acrylate and 1.7% to HEMA. The authors recommended adding HEMA to the standard British patch test series.

That 2.4% needs care. The people tested had been referred to skin clinics with a suspected allergy, so the figure is not the share of gel users who become allergic. We found no UK study that gives that figure. A 2022 systematic review of published cases of gel polish side effects found 88 cases; 70.5% were allergic reactions, which appeared on average about 30 months after the person started using gel. In other words, years of trouble-free gel does not mean you cannot become allergic.

What a reaction looks like

The BAD describes nails loosening, and a red, itchy rash that is not only on the fingertips: it can appear on the eyelids, face, neck and other places the nails have touched. Very rarely, breathing problems occur.

Why it matters beyond your nails

In a 2023 update, the BAD warned that the same or similar chemicals are used in white dental fillings, tooth coatings, orthopaedic bone cement, diabetic glucose sensors and insulin pumps, so becoming allergic "can have serious consequences for future medical care". This is why it takes the allergy so seriously.

How the allergy risk is reduced

The BAD's advice centres on keeping uncured product off the skin:

• No skin contact. Avoid any direct contact between the skin and the nail product, especially while it is curing.
• The right lamp. Always use the lamp recommended for the product, and do not mix lamps with polishes bought separately. The BAD says gel that "isn't cured sufficiently" can increase the risk of allergy.
• Training. The BAD asks salon owners to consider the training they give staff, because poor technique raises the risk of becoming allergic.
• Gloves for technicians. Latex and vinyl gloves give no protection from these chemicals. The BAD advises nitrile gloves, changed every 30 minutes.

When buying products yourself, the UK Office for Product Safety and Standards lists a product marked "professional use only" among the warning signs to be wary of when buying cosmetics as a consumer.

If you get a rash, swelling or loosening nails after gel or acrylic nails, stop having them and see your GP. The BAD stresses getting a diagnosis, which usually means patch testing at a skin clinic, so that you know what to avoid. If you are found to be allergic, it is worth telling your dentist and anyone planning surgery or a diabetes device for you.

UV and LED nail lamps and your skin

Gel is cured under a lamp that gives off ultraviolet A light. In 2023, researchers published a study in Nature Communications that put this to the test on cells.

What the study did and found

They shone a 54-watt UV nail dryer, giving off UVA at 365 to 395 nm, on human skin cells and mouse cells in a dish. A single 20-minute session killed 20 to 30% of the cells, and three 20-minute sessions in a row killed 65 to 70%. The light raised levels of reactive oxygen molecules, damaged the cells' mitochondria and DNA, and left mutations whose number rose with the dose.

What it does not show

The authors are clear that the study "does not provide direct evidence for an increased cancer risk in human beings". Cells in a dish have none of the tough outer layer of real skin. The exposures were continuous 20-minute sessions, and how that compares with your manicure depends on the lamp and how many coats are cured. The authors call for large studies in people, which they say will take at least a decade. They also say their results and earlier reports suggest the lamps may cause cancers of the hand, so the question is open, not closed.

For balance, a 2026 review says most authors agree UV-cured manicures carry a very low cancer risk. The 2022 systematic review above found three published case reports of skin cancer after years of gel manicures; case reports cannot show that the lamp caused them.

Simple ways to cut exposure

• The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) suggests a broad-spectrum, water-resistant sunscreen of SPF 30 or higher on the hands, or dark, opaque gloves with the fingertips cut off, before the polish goes on. The 2026 review suggests applying sunscreen 30 minutes before.
• The AAD also suggests choosing a salon that uses an LED curing light, which it says gives off lower levels of UV and cures faster.
• The same idea applies to feet: sunscreen on the tops of the feet and toes before a gel pedicure.

Does gel polish thin your nails?

It can, and the evidence points mostly at removal rather than wear.

• A 2012 report of five people who had regular gel manicures described weak, brittle, thin nails that were hard to strip of polish. In the one person measured, the nail was thinner after gel than before, by both ultrasound and microscope.
• A 2020 survey of 2,118 women in Poland found nail changes were far more common after removal than during application or wear. The changes most often reported were weaker nails and splitting. Nail changes after removal were reported by 18% of those who had gel applied by a professional and 56% of those who did it themselves.
• The 2026 review says removing a manicure with a drill or nail file is the most destructive method, and links it to thinning at the tip of the nail.

The limits are real. The 2012 report is tiny, and the survey relied on women's own reports from Facebook groups, with no doctor examining the nails. The authors of the survey note that lack of examination as a definite limitation. Still, the sources agree on the direction: how gel comes off matters more than having it on.

Safe removal

The AAD's guide to removing gel polish works for fingers and toes:

1. Put a thin layer of petroleum jelly on the cuticles and surrounding skin, to protect them from acetone.
2. Cut cotton wool to the size of each nail and soak it in acetone.
3. Place it on the nail and wrap with plastic food wrap. Leave it for about 10 minutes, and do not wrap so tightly that it cuts off circulation.
4. Wipe off what is left with a washcloth run under warm water.
5. Wash your hands or feet with gentle soap and water to remove the acetone.

What not to do: the AAD says picking or filing gel off "can significantly damage your nails", and warns against using an orange stick to lever it off, which can injure nails and cause white spots. If gel starts to lift or chip, its advice is to leave it and have it removed by your technician.

Between sets, the AAD suggests a break from polish of one to two weeks or longer, and moisturising nails and cuticles. It also advises against having cuticles pushed back or cut, because they help protect against infection. If acetone irritates your skin, or you keep having nail problems, it suggests traditional polish instead.

Home kits or a professional?

The BAD has singled out home kits. Its 2023 update raised concern that people who switched to them during salon closures were taking a riskier route, and its 2018 survey of 742 people at dermatology clinics found 26% were applying nail enhancements at home, with 11% saying the kit instructions were not good enough. The survey above found nail changes after removal were about three times as common with self-applied gel.

A professional is not a guarantee. In the same BAD survey, 16% of dermatology clinic patients reported side effects from salon gel polish and 19% from salon acrylic nails. Whoever applies your gel, the questions to ask are the same: is the lamp the one made for this gel, is the gel kept off my skin, and how will it be removed?

Gel polish on toenails

We found no study of gel polish on toenails specifically, so this section applies what is known about fingernails.

• Allergy works the same way. Uncured gel on the skin of the toes can sensitise you just as it can on the fingers.
• Growth is slower. Toenails grew at 1.62 mm a month in a study of healthy young adults, less than half the speed of fingernails at 3.47 mm, so the gap at the base appears more slowly and any removal damage takes longer to grow out.
• Polish hides the nail. In a small trial of people with fungal toenails, 88% said ordinary nail varnish masked their infected nails. That is the point: under colour you cannot see the early signs the NHS describes, such as a nail turning white or yellow, thickening or crumbling.

If a toenail is thick, discoloured, crumbly or lifting, get it looked at before covering it. If you are already using an antifungal lacquer, that trial found ordinary varnish applied 24 hours later did not reduce the lacquer's activity over 12 weeks. It was funded by the lacquer's maker and did not test gel polish, so ask your pharmacist before putting gel over a treated nail. Our fungal nail infection guide covers the signs and treatment.

Who should think twice

• Anyone who has reacted to gel, acrylic nails or nail glue. The BAD's advice is to get a diagnosis so you know what to avoid.
• People who use, or may need, a glucose sensor or insulin pump, or who have dental work planned. The BAD's warning about similar chemicals in these products is especially relevant to you, so weigh whether the risk of becoming allergic is worth it.
• Anyone with a nail problem. A nail that may be infected, is lifting, or is sore should be checked first.
• People sensitive to acetone. The AAD suggests traditional polish, because gel needs acetone to remove.

For everyone else, gel polish can be a reasonable choice when it is applied carefully, cured properly, removed gently and given breaks.

How we checked

On 10 November 2026 we read the British Association of Dermatologists' 2018 and 2023 statements on nail allergies, the published UK patch test audit, a 2022 systematic review of gel polish side effects, a 2020 survey of 2,118 gel users, the 2023 Nature Communications study on UV nail dryers (in full) and a 2026 review, read through Europe PMC and the journals. We also read the American Academy of Dermatology's advice on gel manicures and removal, the Office for Product Safety and Standards' consumer guidance on cosmetics, and NHS information on fungal nails. We searched for a British Association of Dermatologists statement on nail lamps and found none, so we used the American Academy of Dermatology's advice instead.

We left out figures quoted second-hand that we could not check against the original study, and claims about UK product rules we could not confirm. Fairy Feet offers gel polish; we have reported the risks as the evidence shows them. This guide is general information, not a diagnosis. If you have a reaction, see your GP or pharmacist.

Where Fairy Feet fits

Fairy Feet offers Gel Polish (£9.99) for fingers and toes, alongside a Manicure and Pedicure. Marianna Tapai FHP, a qualified Level 4 Foot Health Practitioner, has worked with nails and feet since 2006. If you would rather avoid gel altogether, the Japanese Manicure is a natural nail treatment with no gel.

Before an appointment, tell Marianna if you have ever had a rash, swelling or loose nails after gel, acrylic nails or nail glue; in that case gel is not the right choice, and a GP referral for patch testing is the place to start. Feel free to ask her the questions in this guide: which lamp is used with which gel, and how gel is removed. If a toenail looks thick, discoloured or is lifting, the Fungal Nail Advice and Treatment or a pharmacist is a better first step than covering it. Marianna is a Foot Health Practitioner, not a podiatrist or dermatologist: she does not diagnose allergies or nail infections.

To ask a question or arrange a visit, use the form on the contact page; there is no online booking.

Questions people ask

Sources

1. Dermatologists issue warning about UK artificial nail allergy "epidemic". British Association of Dermatologists, 9 August 2018.
2. Dermatologists reiterate artificial nails warning and risk of at-home kits. British Association of Dermatologists, 14 April 2023.
3. Recommendation to include hydroxyethyl (meth)acrylate in the British baseline patch test series (Rolls and others). British Journal of Dermatology, 2019.
4. Side effects of gel nail polish: a systematic review (Litaiem, Baklouti and Zeglaoui). Clinics in Dermatology, 2022.
5. Consumer products: cosmetics. Office for Product Safety and Standards (GOV.UK), 10 July 2025, checked 10 November 2026.
6. DNA damage and somatic mutations in mammalian cells after irradiation with a nail polish dryer (Zhivagui and others). Nature Communications, 2023.
7. Is hybrid and gel manicure safe? Current stage of knowledge (Kaminska and others). Advances in Dermatology and Allergology (Postepy Dermatologii i Alergologii), 2026.
8. Gel manicures: dermatologists share tips to keep nails healthy. American Academy of Dermatology, checked 10 November 2026.
9. Artificial nails: dermatologists' tips for reducing nail damage. American Academy of Dermatology, checked 10 November 2026.
10. Dermatologist's secret for removing gel nail polish at home. American Academy of Dermatology, updated August 2023, checked 10 November 2026.
11. Nail damage from gel polish manicure (Chen and others). Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2012.
12. Side-effects associated with gel nail polish: a self-questionnaire study of 2,118 respondents (Putek and others). Acta Dermato-Venereologica, 2020.
13. Growth rate of human fingernails and toenails in healthy American young adults (Yaemsiri and others). Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, 2010.
14. Application of cosmetic nail varnish does not affect the antifungal efficacy of amorolfine 5% nail lacquer in the treatment of distal subungual toenail onychomycosis (Sigurgeirsson and others). Mycoses, 2016.
15. Fungal nail infection. NHS, checked 10 November 2026.