With gel nail polish growing in popularity, you cannot help but ask if a professional UV lamp is good for your skin and can cure your nails. Unlike regular nail paint, you cannot cure gel polish just like that. It needs special equipment, UV nail lamp to harden the polish and giving a touch of shiny finish.

The UV lamp has become staple equipment for home manicure kits and nail salons. Mostly, it is safe to use, but to what extent it is safe and the case really poses a threat to your health is what many people have concerns about. A few researches and studies have shown that exposing yourself to UV lamps for too long can result in some issues or even skin cancer in some cases. However, you should make sure that you are putting all safety precautions in place while using it.

If you will be using UV lamp in future or already planning to invest on one, read more about gel nail polish and UV lamp to add to your knowledge.

What Is UV Lamp Used For?

Using UV lamp has clear motive that is to harden the nail polish to make it last longer unlike the normal nail polish, so it lasts longer and doesn't chip or peel off like regular nail paint.

By producing ultraviolet light it causes a chemical reaction, setting the gel polish on your nails, giving you a durable and long-lasting result, so the polish doesn't come off in a few days.

Gel nail polish is not like regular nail paint. It stays for weeks or months unless you try to remove it yourself.

Is It Safe To Use UV Lamps For Gel Nail Polish?

A common question is if UV lamp for nails are dangerous? They are safe to use till done with certain precautions. They are not good to use directly on skin and you must avoid it at any cost. Since UV lamps produce ultraviolet rays, using them regularly can cause problems, making it important to be careful around it.

There are certain health issues which are associated with UV lamps like skin aging or cancer, if used for too long without safety precaution. However, still many people ignore this and continue to do this common mistake as a practise.

When you place your hand under the lamp, you expose yourself to UV light and radiation that damages your skin and cannot be reversed. This is why you should use it in a limited amount so you don't harm your skin.

What Do Experts Say About UV Lamps?

Experts have much to say about UV lamps; you should know if you will use them on your nails.

Exposure Levels

Compared to other UV light sources, UV lamps produce less radiation and are not as harmful as tanning beds or the like. Also, most of them use UVA light, so it doesn't harm your skin like UVB light, one of the major causes of skin cancer and sunburn. However, to be safe, you should use UV lamps less frequently, so you don't have to worry about all that.

Usage Frequency

Most people use UV lamps occasionally, like once or twice a month, and not every day, because including it in your daily routine is not advised. So, unless you use UV lamps frequently or expose yourself for too long, you don't have to bother damaging your skin.

Exposure Duration

Even the exposure duration matters when it concerns a UV lamp, so you cannot ignore it like it is unimportant. Curing your nails under a UV lamp takes just a few minutes, so unless you are exposing yourself for too long, you have nothing to worry about.

Can You Get The Desired Gel Nails Without Damaging Your Skin?

You can achieve the desired gel nails using a UV lamp as long as you are careful and follow the rules without messing up the steps. If you have ever had a gel manicure, you know that after every coat of gel polish sets, you place your hand under the lamp for 2-3 minutes in total.

The light coming from the lamp activates a chemical reaction that dries the gel polish quickly and does not let it smudge or chip like cheap nail paint. This is one of the main reasons why gel polish is more popular and in high demand in the market.

Using a high-quality UV lamp, it is easy to cure your nails and have the desired finish that you so wanted.

Tips To Protect Yourself

Using a UV lamp is not without risk, but taking a few precautionary steps can resolve that problem. Since many of you are new to gel polish and not accustomed to how it works, we have provided some tips in the lines below. This will help you apply gel polish and cure it safely without worrying about the risks involved.

• Apply a good amount of sunscreen to your hands and wrists to protect them and prevent your skin from absorbing the radiation from the UV lamp.
• Choose LED lamps if possible because they are safer and give you faster results than UV lamps ever can.
• Wear UV-blocking gloves to fully cover your hands, leaving only your nails exposed to the lamp.
• Moisturize your hands using a hand cream after treatment so your skin stays healthy and hydrated.
• If you are still paranoid, use UV lamps less frequently so you don't need to bother yourself with these things and keep your skin healthy and problem-free.

Final Words

Using UV lamps is fine as long as you are doing it within a limit and not exposing yourself too much because that causes the problem, so you shouldn't take it lightly. For safety reasons, use UV lamps only once or twice a month. This way, you don't expose your skin to UV light too frequently and also avoid the health concerns that come with it. Also, use a high-quality UV lamp as they are better and safer than the poor-quality ones available at a cheaper price.