The dermatologist should perform the standard Methacrylate patch test, in addition to testing for many other potential allergies such as nickel, perfume, animal hair etc. The ingredients used in the Methacrylate test are the most common cause of allergic reactions, however there are many other ingredients that are also known to cause reactions that are not tested for.
If you would like to send me the list of ingredients in the products you used when reacting, I will be happy to take a look. It's unlikely that you reacted to acetone as this is produced in the human body.
Allergies to nail product ingredients have exploded the last 8 years. Today, I receive emails and messages every week from students, Tech's and salon clients with allergies who are looking for advice. 10 years ago, it was much more rare and typically only found in Techs who had worked 10 years or longer.
The important thing to know, is allergies can only occur if there is repeated skin contact of uncured or under cured artificial nail product, usually over a longterm. If there is no skin contact, it is impossible for an allergic to develop. This means it is very important to determine how this happened and to eliminate it.
One of the most common reasons is under cured gel polish. It is critical that the LED/UV lamp used has been matched to the product and cured it correctly. Correct curing can only be determined in a lab by a chemist.
The narrative than any LED/UV lamp can cure any gel or gel polish is absolutely false and a dangerous myth. Brands, resellers, educators or Techs who claim this are ignorant of gel product chemistry and do our industry a big disservice.
My advice to anyone with a proven allergy to nail product ingredients, is to :
a) eliminate the skin contact that caused it and
b) only use hypoallergenic products in future (HEMA-free only eliminate one major allergen and is not the same as hypoallergenic. Often the replacement to HEMA is also a major allergen in these products).
