Allergy to acrylic nails

Rarely, but people can develop allergies to acrylic nails. This presents as dermatitis. You may be allergic to acrylic glue – it is the main cause of all acrylic allergies. Anyway, all forms of artificial nails contain forms of acrylic acid that may be allergenic to sensitive people. Although they seem strong, acrylic nails require more care than natural fingernails. In order to prevent infection and nail damage go to a licensed nail technician. Artificial nails are a protected environment for fungi and bacteria to grow. You must regularly go to see you manicurist. Anyway, it is the liquid form of the acrylates that you may be sensitive to, but a good technician will avoid skin contact with the liquid.

For those of you who have an allergy to artificial nails like me, there are ways to manage the problem.

When my first allergy appeared, I couldn't figure out what was happening, so I asked a specialist doctor where I work about it. He said I had an allergy, but that other than discomfort, there should be no problem. He did tell me to watch for infection though.

At the same time, he also said the allergy could be managed similar to other allergies. Because my reaction only lasts a few days, he said it was likely due to the unsolidified product, or the dust settling in pores of the skin. Once the acrylic or gel hardens, it should be okay, except for some rare people. He also said that the light curing process may make the allergy worse.

Anyways, he suggested the following:

1) take an antihistamine approved by your dr. before you get the nails done,

2) make sure the manicurist lets you wash your hands often while getting the nail, taking care to wash off any powder anywhere.

3) ask the technician to be extra careful and stay completely away from the cuticle.

4) after getting the nails, apply a corticosteroid cream or benadryl allergy cream to the hands, and especially around the nail beds & cuticle.

5) make sure you re-apply cream several times a day until the reaction subsides.

When I follow this process, I have almost no trouble at all & the tissues are protected from the typical inflammatory reaction. If these measures do not work for the most part, my doctor said that acrylic or gel nails should be avoided.

Just wondering what you do to get the nails off once you have the allergy and they become infected and sore. WIll soaking them off make things evern worse?
You ladies have been so helpful

Thanks

Most often, the remedy for contact dermatitis is to avoid all contact with the allergen which is causing the reaction in the first place. In the case of acrylic nails, this could be one of several different chemicals. But, continued contact to a chemical which causes allergic reactions only worsens them over time. And, once you have it, it doesn't go away. No, soaking them off does not make them worse. If anything, it will relieve the symptoms of the allergy. The best thing if you think you are allergic to any of the chemicals in acrylic nails is to see a dermatologist. He/she can do some testing and narrow down the specific allergen for you. Then, you may be able to switch to a UV gel system that doesn't contain that (those) chemical(s). Or even a silk or fiberglass wrap may work for you. It all depends on what the chemical is that is causing the reaction. Then, you can go from there and determine if you would be a good candidate for other types of nail enhancements, or maybe you will have to stay clear of all acrylate based nails - which is pretty much all of them - gels and wraps included.



The author of this thread was probably correct in her thinking that MMA was the culprit that was causing her reaction. This is a chemical which is commonly used by the cheaper, 'discount' salons that are so prevalent these days. It's always best to avoid this type of salon. Sure, the nail services may be less expensive, and no appointments are needed, but the end result could turn out to be a rather serious health problem for the customer. MMA has been banned for use on nails for about 25 years now, and it is illegal in many states for use on nails - in the form of acrylic monomer. It is known to cause many problems but the severity of these depends on the person. It varies for everyone. Some people aren't affected. Others may become quite ill and develop internal injuries from MMA. At the very least, MMA is almost certain to ruin your natural nails, sometimes to the point of nail loss which is often permanent. I want to note that MMA is frequently used in dental applications (actually, it is used in many different industries, and in many products). However, MMA is only potentially hazardous in it's liquid form, such as when used in the application of acrylic nails (its the 'liquid' component). In dentistry, this chemical is already hardened, and dry by the time it comes into contact with the patient (think dentures), and therefore it is essentially safe for this purpose.

Hello,
I have finally come to find out that im allergic to acrylic nails ... i have had my nails done with my mom and at a nail salon . Every time i get them done my fingers tend to get blisters, they itch and get swollen . For those who play guitar you know that feeling of when your fingers are so sore from being a beginner and they feel like your fingers have been sliced well it feels like that only twice as bad and the blisters dont help either .. its quite painful , my fingers kinda even get hot as if they have fever . when my mom would do my nails after the acrylic nail dried my fingers automatically began to itch terribly but when i got them done at the salon it took about two days for me to feel these symptoms. Im concerned whether anyone else has been through this . If so i would so like to know if gel nails help or not cause im a nail biter and i hate seeing my nails so short . I dont bite my nails when i do get them done however because they look soooooo pretty .. any advice would help

The same thing happend to me. It started about five years ago. I would get my nails done every now and then. Untill one day as i was getting my nails done I started itching very bad it was burning. The next day my cuticles were swollen, and the back of my nails were very crusty green like..the finger tips were very sensitive and I started getting little tiny bubbles below the cuticles and between the knuckles. I ended up taking my nails off, and then with in a week my real nails developed black ridges. My finger tips started drying up and then they started to peel. It Was very painful. This went on for weeks untill my nails grew out completely. I waited about three months and the same thing happend. I waited five years, by this time I had grown out my real nails and would get manicures instead of acrylic nails. One day I decided to see if it would happend, and sure enough it did :-( once again the pain lasted for weeks. Then I went to get a manicure and all of a sudden the next day my finger tips felt swollen, and itchy. I started getting little small clear bubbles and my finger tips dried up and peeled. I didnt understand why. Then I researched it and it turns out that some nail polish contain acrylic, so if people are allergic to acrylic those are the symptoms. Last week I got a manicure and I was introduced to a special nail polish which was suppose to last up to two weeks, well with in two days same thing my cuticles were swollen fingers were itching and bubbles appeared again!! So I know now that it probably contained acrylic!

pay attention to your body. the acrylic nails burned when put on. Also was allergic to acrylic glue they use for a temporary cap in mouth. I had to do without the cap, becauae of this glue. I t caused Bell's Palsy. Just do without until your dentist can secure with the cement for your permanent crown.

i loved having acrylic or gel nails and i even taught myself nail art but the last couple of times my fingers swelled became hot and itchy...my skin around my fingers even peeled ...since my last attempt one of my nails has actually lifted at the base and now i am waiting for it to grow out...it looks horrible...i really miss my nails as my natural onesnever seem to grow...any advise on good affordable nail strengtheners and nail grow products wuld be good...i really miss doing my nail art

Hi, I too have just found out I am allergic to acrylic nails.  I have had acrylic nails for months now with little or no problems, my fingers sometimes felt itchy and I had very small blisters but they soon went.  However, this time (last week) I had a new set put on and within a day my fingers started itching, not just on the top of my nail but on my hand and fingers.. it was so painfull.  My fingers then blistered and swelled but the worst thing was that each nail lifted off the nailbed.  I had to go to my local hospital and they treated every finger as it had been burnt and bandaged each and every one separately!  Not a nice sight and I will definately NOT get them again.

I'm also allergic to acrylic nails, my fingers would blister, the last time I had acrylic nails put on my legs and feet started hurting which made it very hard for me to walk, I thought it was problems with my feet.  I had them taken off and soon started to feel better. One month ago my step daughter wedding I wanted a pedicure and the place I usually go to used jell nails on my large toes and I asked my manicurist not to use anything that has primer.  Well as of one week later my legs are killing me again and in a few days I will be going in to have the jell nails removed and I will never use anything with acrylic or primer again......... But Good news for me I use the the liquid plastics and they look nice no break out but they do not hold up as well as the acrylic nails, because of my job I'm always in water and do heavy duty cleaning, Ive been using them on and off for four years and not a problem. 

@Sandra - do you think it could be that you're sensitive to the acrylic liquid? A friend of mine is a cosmetologist & said that it's possible that the liquid isn't a good quality/highly-acidic liquid. I have the same symptoms as you do. I'm wondering if you got an answer to your questions. Did anyone tell you the same thing?

Ever since I got acrylics I have been breaking out in hives on my legs when my nails make contact. But my doctor thinks this is from stress. If its the nail gel I'm allergic to how do I get rid of it if I want to keep them? Because the allergy meds my doctor proscribed me don't work.

I get that too. My nails itch like crazy, I get these little bumps all over them and they get dry and my fingertips feel numb and sometime turn yellow and peel.

I have found no artificial nails that work because even gel is acrylic just already in liguid form.

I have been getting my nails manicured and using shellac nail polish, which doesn't make them longer but does help them not break and I can still get a french manicure.

Be careful too of nail polishes. I just used a nail polish I have never used before and broke out. It looks like it has an acrylic chemical compound, not specifically acrylic but a chemical that is also found in acrylic.

The shellac works for me just because I didn't care about length per say - my nails grow fast anyway - just wanted them to look pretty.

I get shellac manicure. It is just a nail polish but it hardens and is stronger than regular nail polish. It does not contain acryllic. Have had it done over a year now with no side effects.