Cheap nail products behind huge rise in allergies and health problems

Experts are advising people to avoid using acrylate nail products, unless they are done professionally.

A trained nail technician has warned of a looming health crisis arising from unqualified providers using inferior products.

Jody Mackay said it was a “huge problem” and she had seen several people in Shetland whose nails had been separated from the skin or completely destroyed.

Others have developed life-changing allergies to some of the chemicals used in cheap gel products.

The problem has become so severe that the UK government’s Office for Product Safety and Standards has launched an investigation.

And the British Association of Dermatologists is now advising people not to use acrylate nail products, unless they are done professionally.

Miss Mackay, from Lerwick, sad the troubles began during lockdown when there was a rapid rise in people buying home kits to do their own nails.

But she said these kits used cheaper products of inferior quality.

Meanwhile, unqualified technicians – some of them girls still at high school – have begun practising on people after watching social media influencers on YouTube or TikTok.

The products contain chemicals called hydroxyethyl methacrylate (Hema), which are used to bond the formula to the nail.

While Hema has been an ingredient in gel formulations for decades, cheaper products can contain too much of it or use low grade forms of the chemical, which can cause people to develop an allergy.

Miss Mackay said the products had been used safely for years – but now she was seeing more and more people experiencing problems.

And the mother-of-two blames the range of cheap products in shops and online.

“They think they are getting a great deal but it’s actually dangerous,” she said.

“And because it’s so cheap, when they are applying it, they’re just slapping in on like nail polish and it mean they are exposing more of the product to their skin.

“Because it has very small particles it can be absorbed into the nail plate and into their skin, particularly if it is under-cured.”

As well as damaging people’s nails, Miss Mackay said allergies could lead to complications if people needed products such as hearing aids or hip replacements in later life.

And she was shocked to see an increase in children, some as young as five or six, having these treatments.

“Why on Earth would anyone bring their kids for these treatments?” she said.

“At that age their nails are so thin and porous so they are even more susceptible to the problems arising.

“It’s a health crisis waiting to happen.”

As nail treatments are a beauty procedure, Miss Mackay believes people do not properly consider the health implications, and allow unqualified technicians to practise on them without qualifications or insurance.

Having recently gained accreditation as an education provider, Miss Mackay is now teaching courses in how to perform nail treatments safely.

“It makes a huge difference if you are fully knowledgeable about what you are doing and what the risks are,” she said.

“It ensures your clients are as safe as they can be and avoids the risk of legal action if things go wrong.”

Search for @jodydoesjels on instagram for more information.