Dangers of underage kids using gel

[Beautygirl1977]

Hi guys, I wonder if you can help me. I'm looking to find some information I can show my younger clients and their parents about the dangers of using soak off gel from online.
I had a lady and her 9 year old girl in yesterday and her friend got a uv lamp and shellac from "Santa" which I presume was bought on eBay. My client won't allow her daughter to have Gel until she's older and she asked me to explain to her. So I said I had spent a lot of money on training etc and it's actually illegal to sell shellac online etc. Anyway I wonder if anyone has a document I can use. My sister in law had also bought my niece a bashed up old uv lamp and gelish from eBay! What can I do though. They won't listen to me! Thanks in advance. X

 

[cherry-berry]

Hi you can simply find all the gel polish chemical ingredients in internet and read about it. I always tell to my clients that I don't do acrylic or gel (hard or soak off) to ladies under 16. This is my red rule. And I reccomend to my clients to have couple months brake between gel polish. Good luck to you!))

 

[Melissa82]

Any picture that is a direct result of overexposure should do.

 

[JuicyLucy]

. And I reccomend to my clients to have couple months brake between gel polish. Good luck to you!))

This is unusual advice. I have had gel polish on my nails (and so have many of my clients) for nearly two years without a break with no problems. For what reasons do you recommend a break? Do you recommend it just for gel polish or for hard gel too?

 

[NancySyd]

You might find a local pediatrician to give you some guidance on this.

When I consulted my sister who is a pediatrician about this, she was horrified by the idea of doing this on a child under 12. Her advice was that children under 12 (she preferred 14, but yielded to 12) should not get enhancements or gel/power polishes. These monomers and polymers have a high potential for allergic reactions (yes even Shellac) and that the more one uses it, the more likely an allergic reaction becomes. A child's immune system is not the same, not as developed, as an adult's and an allergic reaction is even more likely. And that allergy is for life, which could be a bigger problem in the future as more products use these monomers, polymers and oligomers for different purposes. Also, she felt that although we know that exposure over the course of a few years is probably safe, with children starting that young, the potential for 30-40 years of exposure is real. Hopefully we're not talking about a 9 year old starting a life-long every-two-week gel polish habit but we just don't yet know the consequences of such long-term use. My sister really didn't like the idea of soaking in acetone for a child. Also, because children often have their fingers in their mouths, there was additional exposure through ingestion. Finally, she also felt that most children could not be depended on to do the aftercare reliably and that damage could result from that.

Some people will respond to all this medical information, some won't. You might also appeal to their business sense - that your insurance doesn't cover anyone under a certain age because they recognize the liabilities involved and that it is a bad business practice that should not be duplicated at home.

Good luck, I suspect you will not be able to convince them. I just hope that these children don't wind up suffering from their parents' ignorance.

 

[geeg]

Hi you can simply find all the gel polish chemical ingredients in internet and read about it. I always tell to my clients that I don't do acrylic or gel (hard or soak off) to ladies under 16. This is my red rule. And I reccomend to my clients to have couple months brake between gel polish. Good luck to you!))

Why? Honestly I think some people go WAY over the top about this.

 

[Beautygirl1977]

Thanks for the replies. Nancy that's great thank you!
I have done as young as 10 with gel a couple of times for special occasions but I've had written consent from their mother. That's not really my issue here though.
I don't want to scare people into think soak off gels is a bad thing because I don't believe that! I have people come every 2 weeks and their nails are fine! No problems at all.

 

[sukic]

I have no idea about the dangers of gels for kids, I just think some things should be left for when kids are a bit older. Gel polish, spray tans, properly made up make up? What will they look forward to when they're older? I'm digressing, and I don't want to high jack this thread. Can't we just let kids be kids? Just a bit of a pet peeve of mine.

 

[cherry-berry]

This is unusual advice. I have had gel polish on my nails (and so have many of my clients) for nearly two years without a break with no problems. For what reasons do you recommend a break? Do you recommend it just for gel polish or for hard gel too?

For both. I had a talk with a doctor.

 

[cherry-berry]

Why? Honestly I think some people go WAY over the top about this.

It is my personal opinion based on my, my colleagues and teachers experience, consultation with a doctors and chemical structure of all gel and acrylic products.
Thank you

 

[welshrarebit]

Another very basic reason why children shouldn't have any type of professional product put on their nails is that most will pick it off and not get it removed properly.
We all know that picking the product off the nails causes nail damage, imagine the damage that can be caused to such young under developed nails, they layers of natural nail that would be pulled off by the picking.
This reason alone should be enough, plus in my experience parents can relate better to this explanation rather than the ingredients and over exposure reasons,parents and children are not trained and the professional explanation tends to go over their heads (I'm not suggesting people are stupid) just that it needs to be made more understandable rather than saying about the chemical reactions etc

 

[geeg]

I don't believe there is any danger in a genuine professional using professional products on teens .. The danger is the young teens using professional products on themselves .. Bought from eBay or not.

The Inexperienced are far more likely to have potential overexposure issues as they will handle the products in an uninformed way; whether they are adults or teens.
All Potentially hazardous chemicals need handling with care (even ordinary nail polish).

I could argue about a professional acetone soak off not being damaging to a young persons skin but on this beautiful winter morning in a wonderland covered in white snow (I am in Sherbourn, Massachusetts) I just can't be bothered right now. :biggrin:

 

[mizzy_dizzy]

Sadly In this world today There's worse things a child could get involved in than looking after them selfs and caring about there appearance ,don't think nail products are a gate way drug
Not all young nail clients will turn into honey boo boo.

 

[Beautygirl1977]

Thanks Geeg that's what I'm trying to say! I'm not looking for a age debate but the damage it may cause 9 year old girls just now or in the future. My client has asked me and I said I would help. She doesn't want her child using a uv soak off gel at her friends house. The girl has done it already against her mum but that's kids for you. Anyway i've done my best to explain to the girl why she shouldn't do this but I was hoping I could send her a document of some sort. I've trailed the Internet but can't find what I was looking for.
As for there are worse things like drugs don't even go there!
Thanks for the help ladies. X

 

[geeg]

Thanks Geeg that's what I'm trying to say! I'm not looking for a age debate but the damage it may cause 9 year old girls just now or in the future. My client has asked me and I said I would help. She doesn't want her child using a uv soak off gel at her friends house. The girl has done it already against her mum but that's kids for you. Anyway i've done my best to explain to the girl why she shouldn't do this but I was hoping I could send her a document of some sort. I've trailed the Internet but can't find what I was looking for.
As for there are worse things like drugs don't even go there!
Thanks for the help ladies. X

I don't know of a document. All you can do is give her your professional advice; that should be good enough. She either will or will not take it! That's life. :Love:

 

[valleygirl]

I think the best you can do is really as Geeg said, explain in plain English and the simplest of terms what could happen to her. She is after all 9 yrs old and doesn't understand big words! What you may find is that the initial excitement of trying something new will wear off as do things with most children, it's new and exciting at first but she will soon get board of it. And usually with Children if their mother says no they have to try to go against it.

You could try making a deal with her like you'll give her a mini manicure the next time her Mum comes in if she doesn't use it. I tried this recently with the Daughter of one of my clients who bites her nails between us her Mother and I agreed if she didn't bite her nails next time I did her Mum's Shellac I'd do a manicure for her, which I did just before Christmas as she had managed to grow 2 nails. Massive achievement for her and deserved her reward.
Slight difference I know but it may work, Not a lot more you can do really. Good luck x