While the risk of developing skin cancer is known to be linked with
exposure to ultraviolet light, it's been less clear whether the UV lamps
used in nail salons might raise the risk of skin cancer. Now, a new
study suggests these lamps don't increase skin cancer risk.
In the study, researchers looked at three commonly used UV nail
lamps. They measured the light, in terms of its likely carcinogenic
effects, and calculated the "UV dose" that a user would receive during a
10-minute nail-drying session.
Not all ultraviolet lamps are the same — for example, people with the
skin condition psoriasis may be treated with lamps, and studies have
shown these "narrowband UVB" treatments raise the risk of skin cancer
only minimally, compared with the more damaging rays of
tanning salon lamps.
The new study showed that between 13,000 and 40,000 nail-drying
sessions would be needed before a person would receive the same UV dose
as a
person with psoriasis
who
received light treatments for their condition, according to researchers
Dr. Alina Markova, of the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, and
Dr. Martin Weinstock, of Brown University.
That's about 250 years of weekly manicures.
The findings mean that using these UV lamps "does not produce a clinically signi?cant increased
risk of developing skin cancer," the researchers wrote.
Two previous studies have looked at this question, the researchers
said. In a 2009 report, researchers concluded that UV nail lamps were a
risk factor in the cases of two women who developed skin cancer known as
squamous cell carcinomas
on
the backs of their hands. In the other study, a laboratory hired by the
nail salon industry tested many UV nail lamps and concluded UV light
levels emitted were low and safe.
However, researchers of the new study noted that report about the two
women was anecdotal, and did not include measurements of the UV light
from the lamps. They also said the methods used in the industry-funded
study were inappropriate.
"Dermatologists and primary-care physicians may reassure patients
regarding the safety of these devices," the researchers wrote in their
article, published Thursday (Dec. 6) in the Journal of Investigative
Dermatology.
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