Nail product allergy

[user 111574]

Hi,
I have a new client who has recently moved to my area who likes to wear gel polish but clearly has allergy issues.
Her previous salon tried to pinpoint what products she could have without success. The salon was open plan so there was also the question of products in the air such as hair spray.
The lady has absolutely no allergy signs on her fingers or hands but develops dermatitis around the eyes 3 days after application of gel. The gel only lasts about 10 days on her finger nails, but I suspect she picks once any lifting starts.
She has had shellac gel polish on her toes with no problems and the gel stays on for weeks as normal.

So my thoughts are that it is the touching of her eyes when gel polish is on her fingers, that is giving the reaction.

So shellac is a no no for her.
We have tried CND Vinylux and this gave a small reaction around the eyes, again 3 days after application, but did not need steroid cream to treat. So that was better but still not acceptable long term.

I have advised the client to get a dermatology patch test done to get clear information on her allergies. She also has a lot of other health issues.
The client says she can use Nails Inc and Rimmel polish but I can't think, looking at ingredients, how these are much different to vinylux.

Has anyone had a similar problem?
Are there any other brands of gel or polish that anyone can suggest?

@BobSweden ?

Many thanks,
M x

 

[RosieR]

Hi,

I had one client only over the years that has had exactly the same issues as you describe. The added complications from the viewpoint of allergy causes was that she had her eyebrows waxed and tinted. Plus had her hair dyed every 5 weeks. It was easy to eliminate those potential causes which we obviously did.

The skin around her eyes was horrendous, puffy, red, very flaccid, flaky and slightly cracked on occasions.
She eliminated her cleansers, moisturisers etc but nothing worked until she saw a dermatologist.

"Do you always wear nail varnish?" Was the question.

We had used all makes of varnish over the years, but for some reason her immune response had gone mad and caused this big problem. Maybe we'd never know why , but bodies can react and change over the years....and maybe for her it was the menopause.

The dermatologist concluded that it was the ingredients from the varnish that had caused the allergy , and yes it absolutely was due to the constant touching of her face.
Toes with polish were always unaffected , and I am happy to say she is fine with gel polish on her fingernails.

I wait with baited breath for further updates from others x

 

[Robert Giblett]

As you know, the area around the eyes is particularly sensitive. For this reason there are specific cosmetic regulations regarding the ingredients and colourants that can be used in this area.

Although my experience with alllergies to nail polish is limited, there have been cases where it is believed acrylic, gel or gel polish dust from filling; e-files especially produce very small non-visible dust that floats in the air like pollution and will land on exposed skin.

As she appears to already have allergies to one or more nail polish ingredients and therefore her immune system is already sensitised, any use of gel polish should be carefully selected and only those that claim to be hypoallergenic, not simply HEMA-free, should be used.

However, I would be concerned that she reacted to Shellac as this is a hypoallergenic product. That could be an indication that the immune system is so sensitive that she may react to other hypoallergenic products. Of course, different hypoallergenic products use different ingredients, so equally there might not be a reaction.

Unfortunately, with allergies it is always impossible to predict if someone will react or not as the immune sensitivity is unknown. You can obtain some indication of this from the dermatologists patch test results. Someone with many substance allergies is more likely to have a higher sensitivity.

 

[user 111574]

Thank you fellow geeks, if I should make any head way with this client, I'll let you know!

 

[user 111574]

July 2022 update:
Just to update my post regarding my client with allergies: She still hasn't been for a dermatology test unfortunately but we have found that she is ok with Orly nail polish, no reaction with this.

 

[Nailmaster]

Hi,
I have a new client who has recently moved to my area who likes to wear gel polish but clearly has allergy issues.
Her previous salon tried to pinpoint what products she could have without success. The salon was open plan so there was also the question of products in the air such as hair spray.
The lady has absolutely no allergy signs on her fingers or hands but develops dermatitis around the eyes 3 days after application of gel. The gel only lasts about 10 days on her finger nails, but I suspect she picks once any lifting starts.
She has had shellac gel polish on her toes with no problems and the gel stays on for weeks as normal.

So my thoughts are that it is the touching of her eyes when gel polish is on her fingers, that is giving the reaction.

So shellac is a no no for her.
We have tried CND Vinylux and this gave a small reaction around the eyes, again 3 days after application, but did not need steroid cream to treat. So that was better but still not acceptable long term.

I have advised the client to get a dermatology patch test done to get clear information on her allergies. She also has a lot of other health issues.
The client says she can use Nails Inc and Rimmel polish but I can't think, looking at ingredients, how these are much different to vinylux.

Has anyone had a similar problem?
Are there any other brands of gel or polish that anyone can suggest?

@BobSweden ?

Many thanks,
M x

Hi M,

It sounds like you're dealing with a challenging situation with your client's nail allergies. The fact that she develops dermatitis around her eyes but not on her nails is quite intriguing. It does suggest that the issue could be related to touching her eyes with her fingers after applying certain types of gel polish.

Considering that Shellac and CND Vinylux have caused reactions, but Nails Inc and Rimmel have not, it seems like the issue might be with specific ingredients in these products. It's a good step to have your client undergo a dermatology patch test, as this could provide more clarity on what specific ingredients she might be allergic to.

In the meantime, exploring other brands or types of nail products that are known for being hypoallergenic or formulated for sensitive skin could be beneficial. One option to consider is other [builder gels] (Easy One Warm Nude - 50ml - Jana Nails Ireland), which are designed to be gentle yet durable. These might offer a safer alternative for your client, given her sensitivities.

Also, as a precaution, I would recommend ensuring that your salon is well-ventilated to minimize the risk of any airborne irritants affecting her or other clients, especially if she is sensitive to products like hair spray.

I hope this helps, and I wish you the best in finding a suitable solution for your client.

 

[user 111574]

Thank you for your reply to my July 2022 post.
To update, this client contacted me in August 2022 to say that she would go for allergy testing.
I haven't heard from her since but hopefully she found out some useful information to go forward with.