Horrendous burnt skin on finger tips after home gel nail

[Aemd201]

Hi guys.

Let me take you back to April 2021. I did my nails using a gel nail kit that I’ve been using for 12 months, once a month with zero problems. I used a new matte top coat and the day after application I woke up with sore fingertips. This got worse the next day to the point that I remove the gel nails using acetone (soaking) and it continued to get worse to the point that I was completely unable to do ANYTHING. My partner had to care for me for weeks. My fingertips were just a collection of hundreds of tiny blisters which eventually cracked exposing the flesh of my fingertips. My nails came apart from the beds almost entirely on some fingers.. I was in agony. I put it down to the new top coat as I’d never used it before. Threw it away and havnt down gel nails since.

As it’s been 18 months and I have fully healed nails I plucked up the courage to do them again on Saturday. Since Saturday I’ve had a similar but significantly lesser reaction. My nails on my left hand have the same feeling I had the first few days of the last episode. Tender to the touch and slightly inflamed but only my little finger has even the slightest sign of a blister.

I have no clue what’s going on!! Please help! Could it be the light? Am I allergic to something!! I’ve Googled everything I can think of but all the results just talk about the burning sensation when curing - I don’t get that. I’m at a loss!

Photos of last years incident can be provided if that would help?

 

[Trinity]

You are severely allergic to one or many of the ingredients in the gel polish you are using, this is a serious condition and potentially serious situation.

Repeatedly exposing yourself to the allergens is dangerous for your immune system.

You need to remove the product immediately.

Going forward I would suggest you visit a GP and request allergens testing to discover exactly what chemicals you are allergic to. It is impossible for us to tell you what ingredient is causing the problem, you need to be under the care of medical professionals.

Mismatched lamps and gel polish products are a main cause, resulting in under cured products coming in contact with the skin causing over exposure and allergic reaction. Cheap, foreign products containing any number of banned and dangerous ingredients are the next cause.

It is possible you are allergic to a prep product, we really have no way of knowing without medical testing.

It's unlikely you will be able to wear gel polish again, even the hypoallergenic brands, but it depends on the chemical you are reacting to.

Many products such as hip replacements, teeth implants, etc are made from similar products, depending on what you are allergic to this may be an issue for you in the future.

 

[Aemd201]

You are severely allergic to one or many of the ingredients in the gel polish you are using, this is a serious condition and potentially serious situation.

Repeatedly exposing yourself to the allergens is dangerous for your immune system.

You need to remove the product immediately.

Going forward I would suggest you visit a GP and request allergens testing to discover exactly what chemicals you are allergic to. It is impossible for us to tell you what ingredient is causing the problem, you need to be under the care of medical professionals.

Mismatched lamps and gel polish products are a main cause, resulting in under cured products coming in contact with the skin causing over exposure and allergic reaction. Cheap, foreign products containing any number of banned and dangerous ingredients are the next cause.

It is possible you are allergic to a prep product, we really have no way of knowing without medical testing.

It's unlikely you will be able to wear gel polish again, even the hypoallergenic brands, but it depends on the chemical you are reacting to.

Many products such as hip replacements, teeth implants, etc are made from similar products, depending on what you are allergic to this may be an issue for you in the future.

Thanks for your response. I think I know the answer to this but I’ll ask anyway. As I used the same products for 12 months before having a reaction is it an allergy that’s just randomly come on after repeated exposure? I’d never had any issues before the last time.

I’ll remove the current set of nails. I was afraid someone would say I’d never be able to do gel nails again but I think you’re right.

 

[Trinity]

We'll never know, it could be either. It could have been gradual overexposure and coincidentally it tipped over the day you used the top coat, or the ingredients in the top coat were just too much for your system to take.

Many people mock and disregard us for expressing concerns over the dangers of using products people are not trained to use but unfortunately you have become everything we worry about and dread.

Get some antihistamines in your system asap and the products off.

You may find you are now going to react to various other things like handcreams, hairdye, etc. You really need some testing for safety and your own peace of mind.

 

[cola]

Allergies quite often start as a sensitivity, then with repeated exposure they become full blown allergic reactions.

Sometimes an allergy can be as a result of an illness, your immune system can be in a heightened state and then start reacting to something you've never reacted to before. Covid seems to be quite a common infection before a new allergy occurs.


Either way, you need to get what you are reacting to identified. Allergies at the rash/blister stage will often progress to life threatening breathing difficulties with repeated exposure.

 

[jlsdds]

Is it really important to wear gel enhancements? After my own experience with allergic reactions to gel products which also resulted in sensitivity to some acrylics, I decided that instead of limiting exposure, I eliminated exposure.