Skin Deep

My finger nails look hideous.


Apparently, after about 10 years of getting manicures at the same nail salon, I have developed an allergy to ethyl methacrylate...also known as...nail acrylic.


On New Year's Eve I shimmied on over to the nail salon, ready to take advantage of some of the money I received as a Christmas gift. A day after my manicure, I noticed some little bumps on the skin around the nails on a few of my fingers. With the last manicure I got, which had been almost a year prior, the same thing happened, but I attributed it to the friction created by the rough buffing they had received by the nail tech, and thought no more of it.


I usually wait 2 weeks before I go back to the salon for a fill in. However, because my job is so hard on my hands and nails, I decided to go back exactly one week after my prior appointment.


Fast forward about 6 hours.


I'm relaxing at my aunt's house, watching movies and giggling, when I absent mindedly begin to scratch my thumb. The more I scratch it, the more it itches. When I look down at it, the skin around the nail is practically screaming at me. It was red, swollen, and rather bumpy.


"I think I'm having an allergic reaction" I say.


The hunt for the cortisone  cream ensues. And continues for roughly 20 minutes.


We never found it.


I ended up putting a piece of ice on it. Ha. Hey, what ever works, right?


By the time I got home, it had stopped itching, but was still really red and warm to the touch. I examined my other fingers and found that little bumps had made an appearance on them as well. I found my own stash of cortisone cream, and hoped the little bumps would be gone in the morning.


They weren't. In fact, they were worse.


Determined to try to figure out what was going on, I googled "nail acrylic allergy". Within minutes I found an article that described my symptoms perfectly. Tiny hives on the skin around the nail. Itching. Lifting of the nail plate from the nail bed. Yeap. I have a bona fide acrylic allergy.


*Sigh*


I spent an hour and a half last night soaking my nails in acetone(also toxic) and then scraping the remaining acrylic off with various manicure tools. It wasn't fun. But it's better than my nails separating completely from my nail bed, and getting an infection, right? The bad thing about soaking your nails in pure acetone and then scraping off the acrylic, is that you're actually taking a layer of your nail plate off along with the acrylic. The result?  My nails look like someone tried a new method of torture on them. 


I'm sad though. Manicures are one of my favorite ways to pamper myself and feel pretty. And if I don't get an acrylic overlay, my manicure will barely last until I get out to my car. Guess I'll be finding a new way to pamper myself. 


Some interesting facts about nail acrylic for you ladies. It'll make you think twice before getting it at your next nail salon appointment. 


-Methyl Methacrylate(MMA) was banned by the federal government in the 70s...but a lot of nail salons still use it. 


-Ethyl Methacrylate(EMA) is the legal form of MMA. It does the same thing as MMA but without all the health risks. Supposedly. The fact is, however, that even though it is permitted by the government, it is only permitted if the caveat of "avoid contact with skin" is attached...Um, hello? There's no way you can apply this to the nail without it getting on the skin. Hence the allergic reactions. 


My advice ladies? If you're thinking about getting an acrylic overlay at the nail salon...DON'T.