Ladies, those popular gel manicures you’re getting every two weeks are not good for your nails and hands for 3 reasons, notes The American Academy of Dermatology in a just-released press statement.

REASON #1 The durable polish can cause brittleness, peeling and fragile nail beds. It can also camouflage underlying nail diseases such as an infection or tumor, delaying diagnosis and treatment.

REASON #2 Gel nail polish is hard to remove because nails must be soaked in acetone for at least 10-15 minutes to rid of the polish. Acetone is very drying to the nails and irritating to the skin surrounding the nail. This might cause contact dermatitis.

REASON #3 The ultraviolet UV lamps used to seal the polish to the nail poses may up your risk for skin cancer.

Apply a broad-spectrum sunscreen on your hands at least 15 minutes prior to minimize photodamage.

To read the full AAD report, click here.

skin cancer