throbbing, itching nails. is it the acrylic?

I have finally figured out what has been causing my fingers and cuticals to be itchy and sore. I have been getting my nails done for years and all of a sudden, I am having this weird reaction on the tops of my fingers. I feel a tingly, itchy sensation. I have been driving myself crazy trying to figure it out. I thought for sure it was just dry weather so I loaded on the lotion (Including Cortizone) to stop this annoying itching. Then I thought maybe it was some new sort of nerve thing or food alergy...

I realized what it was yesterday....It has been a about three weeks since I have felt this feeling because it has been about three weeks since I was able to get out and go get my nails filled ( Lots of SNOW).

I get Gel nails. Most of the way through the process and before they paint, they apply the GEL finger polish (little Grey Bottle). Once they apply to your nails, they put your hand under a strong UV light to set and dry this top coat. I could actually feel a tingly sensation, like my fingers were getting a sunburn! For 2 minutes my hands were under the purple light, then removed and painted, then back under for drying and final setting.

About an hour from getting my nails done, that itching came back just like it did three weeks ago. Annoying and tender, with no red bumps or blisters, just itchy and tingly.

I now know that it has to to with the UV light. Not sure what I will do next time I go, but I am going to have them leave out the UV light and maybe go back to acrylics to see if there is a difference. The only weird this is why is this happening now? I have been doing this same routine for over a year. I can only guess that it is the lack of humidity and moisture. Very dry weather, mixed with the UV light is irritating the skin on my hands through these winter months.

Please respond if you have had this experience or something similar :-D

I got Eczema, due to using false nails and the use of acrylic powders, nail glue or super glue didn't help, they just added to problem. I stay away from those products. Because I tried again using just the nail glue and tips and the itchy sensation returned, so I just stay away from them.

I got the same itchy sensation and used to rub my hands on the office carpet, it offered no relief but it felt good. I went to three different Dermatologists, of course the last one did the trick, and she handed me a handful of little tubs filled with a certain ointment, clear almost like vasaline, I should have kept one of the tubs. They were SAMPLES and it did the trick! The itch was gone within 10 minutes, now my hands were itching for 6 long months. You know relief when you feel it.

The print was too small to read, what it was called, or what it contained. The first Derm. compared my had to an image in her book and said is this what you have, I place my hand next to the picture and said, wow I guess so, all they prescribed was high strength Cortizone (white cream). It didn't work. The second Derm. said your going to have to live with all you life.
I most certainly think, NOT so!


Eczema Disease
Classification and external resources

Typical, mild dermatitis

(OED)Eczema is a form of dermatitis,[2] or inflammation of the dermis.[3] The term eczema is broadly applied to a range of persistent skin conditions. These include dryness and recurring skin rashes that are characterized by one or more of these symptoms: redness, skin edema (swelling), itching and dryness, crusting, flaking, blistering, cracking, oozing, or bleeding. Areas of temporary skin discoloration may appear and are sometimes due to healed lesions. Scratching open a healing lesion may result in scarring. Eczema may be confused with urticaria. In contrast to psoriasis, eczema is often likely to be found on the flexor aspect of joints. Eczema has a lot of leading causes. One of the first things to do once a patient is diagnosed with eczema is a prick test as they may have food allergy.

Light therapy (or Deep penetrating light therapy) using ultraviolet light can help control eczema.[36] UVA is mostly used, but UVB and Narrow Band UVB are also used. Overexposure to ultraviolet light carries its own risks, particularly potential skin cancer from exposure.

When light therapy alone is found to be ineffective, the treatment is performed with the application (or ingestion) of a substance called psoralen. This PUVA (Psoralen + UVA) combination therapy is termed photo-chemotherapy. Psoralens make the skin more sensitive to UV light, thus allowing lower doses of UVA to be used. However, the increased sensitivity to UV light also puts the patient at greater risk for skin cancer.

Diet and nutrition
Recent studies provide hints that food allergy may trigger atopic dermatitis. For these people, identifying the allergens could lead to an avoidance diet to help minimize symptoms, although this approach is still in an experimental stage.[39] Dietary elements that have been reported to trigger eczema include dairy products, coffee (both caffeinated and decaffeinated), soybean products, eggs, nuts, wheat and maize (sweet corn), though food allergies may vary from person to person.[citation needed] However, in 2009, researchers at National Jewish Medical and Research Center found that eczema patients were especially prone to misdiagnosis of food allergies.

Recently Margitta Worm et al. discovered that a diet rich in omega-3 (and low in omega-6) polyunsaturated fatty acids may be able to reduce symptoms.

i have had my nails done for years and quit while i was pregnant, when i started getting them done again i had the same reaction. a few hours after i had them done mcuticles nad skin underneath my nails would get super itchy and swell up, cracking and become super sensitive. i even tried going to multiple salons and got the same result.  i gave up and for a few years did not get my nails done, started again with a another salon and i think i have narrowed it down to the polish!!! i dont know what it is called but a lot of salons around where i live use this pink lotion that they dab on each nail and then use a buffer pad to make them shiny. the new lady i use doesnt use this  "pink stuff" and i have had no problems. I really think this was the culprit causing the issues, hope this helps someone ;)

This is not normal, but is caused by have the chemicals in contact with your skin to often, its called over exposure. These symptons do subside in about a week, and the nails can be left on, use a anti-histamine for the itching and moisturize regularly as the skin around your nails will dry out....you may have to swap over to gel nails in the future as I had to....

I have had the same problem. I had gone to the same place for months and it just started! Never any problems. Tried a new salon that used different product,did fine the first 3-4 times and then it started again.I don't know what to do now except stop the nails :(

I just found this out have had the same problem it wasn't the nails it was the primer burning my skin, i had gel overlay so i soaked them in acetone to deactivate the primer now i still have the nails for my wedding and the swelling itch throbbing is gone,, can't say it will work for everyone but wort the try..

This happened to me years ago and after a lot of trial and error...I figured it out.  It was the nail glue or super glue.  I have not been around this type of glue in years because if I even smell it I begin to feel the the tingle around my fingers.  You can still get your nails done, I do, but they cannot use tips or glue the nails if a nail begins to lift. :). You also should not glue other things with th glue if this turns out to be your issue because for me the allergy just kept getting worse.  Let a loved one glue anything thathappens to break.

I have always head acrylic or gel nails for last 25 years but my fill before last my fingers itched and burned and my little finger when infected and had to have antibiotic. Didnt connect it but then had infills yesterday with gel acrylic and my fingers itched and burned so much kept me awake. I have now removed them myself and have found from various sites that even after years of acrylic nails you can become allergic to acrylics etc., and it is the body rejecting. Looks like i will have to just save myself the money each month and just have a manicure.

I have had gel nails for over 3 years; same salon, same person every 2 weeks. Just recently (last 4 visits) I have been getting this extreme itching on my fingers, a few times I get 2 or 3 blisters. It all goes away within 36 hours, but it leaves me dreading the next fill in.

I spoke to the owner of a different salon yesterday and she told me it is from the acid primer that gets painted on the nail before the fill in. She said I need to get a more expensive, non acid primer (OPI has one on the market). I plan to try it.

I can assure you it's the glue! I started doing my own nails simply using crazy glue and just about any nail tip out there and have the same reaction! I've never had a problem before and have been getting my nails done for the past 20 years! It's just mind boggling because why now after so many years of doing this????

 

Hi, I do love your post! very helpful, to the point & answered my 5 year question.. I also been having my nails done for over 20 years, & all of a sudden my nails would itch, burn & I'd have little tiny (almost looking like) blisters around my cuticles..This would start after the first day of having them filled & last about 2 days after..I stopped getting them done for a long time..Then I was back in the job market seeking employment & wanted to look professional & tidy..I went to have my nails done (taking that huge risk of the itching & burning)..I couldn't believe it, no itching, no burning, no blisters, however the nail tech couldn't do nails worth a c**p...she put them on crooked, the paint job was a horrible mess, I asked for narrow & curved, I walked out with wide & flat..mind you I was the only customer in their....2 weeks later I go to a different salon, very busy, no walk in's, appointment only..The itching, burning & blisters came back, it was the worst ever, my cuticles were swollen & very red...it's now time for a refill..My question to you is, how do I approach a nail salon, do I just come right out & ask do you use MMA or EMA for your liquid products?? Thank you so much!

to be honest, I think it's either the Primer or the liquid they use! Like I mentioned in another post, it doesn't matter if do acrylic, gel, or pink & white this itching, burning thing always happens...I found one salon that is perfect, but the nail tech does a horrible nail job!

take them off!! you are having a reacion to the acrylic. I'm not doctor, but I've had the same reaction to nails, shoes, and my latest discovery,yarn. While crocheting baby blankets for my first, i made a scarf for myself and now my neck is swollen and my face if puffed up. So, TRUST ME, it's the acrylic!

Itchy, burning, redness - all within hours of application.  The skin goes tingly within hours then the redness and shiny skin starts.  Itchiness goes on for days - almost a week.  Then the second week the skin peels out from underneath the nail and hardness alla round the cuticles.

I firmly believe its not the product.  Was doing UV/Gel nails for years then went to gel polish.  I can assure you my problem seems to be directly related to the LIGHTBOX.  I spoke to a woman at an expo selling LED lights.  She said that the UV drying causes radiation burning similar to solarium damage and can cause skin cancer. 

So I go out and buy a LED dryer.  EXACTLY The same thing happend last night.  It cannot be the polish as that is not even applied to the surrounding skin which is where my reaction occurs. 

Thoughts and comments would be appreciated.

I too had a reaction to acrylic nails after 5 years of going to the same technician. At first, it was just a couple of fingers..cuticles red and swollen, itchy..then gradually got worse each time a fill-in was done until all fingers involved. I had them taken off..waited 3 weeks...tried the gels last night...same reaction by this morning..cuticles red, itchy, swollen. My real nails have always been thin and prone to breaking..i really hate the thought of going back to that. Is there any hope ? I saw the info about the Wraps..wondering if that would work.