By Al Romeo, Rn, Phd, Mothertobaby Utah
If you are pregnant or breastfed, you may be wondering if it is safe for you to go to the nail lounge. After all, there are chemicals in nail treatments and (let’s admit) nail lounges often smell like they are toxic! But are they?
What is in nail treatments? And could be harmful if I am pregnant or nurse?
Common nail products include nail polish and types of acrylic nails, including gels, liquids and powders. There are some ingredients usually found in these products, such as:
- Dibutyl phthalate (DBP)
- Toluene
- Formaldehyde
- Camphor
- Paraffin
- Methacryrylic
- Acetone
- Acetonitril
The names of these ingredients may sound scary, but let’s look at each of them.
The duplicity (DBP) is used in the nail polish to make the gloss more flexible and less likely to break or break. Small amounts have been found in people. These small amounts are not expected to cause increased chances of problems for pregnancy or lactating baby based on the research available.
Tolutolio is a solvent used for the thin nail polish so that it goes smoothly after painting with a brush. Solvents are known to be harmful to the nervous system. Adjustment or gasoline, glue and gasoline can cause dizziness and fainting in addition to the devastating cells of the brain. But when it comes to nail treatments, the amount of toluolio absorbed through the skin or inhaled by the application of nail polish to fingers and nails of the finger is small and is not expected to increase the likelihood of problems for pregnancy or breastfeeding.
Formaldehyde is used to harden nail polish. Nail lounges can also use formaldehyde to disinfect nail care tools. Some people may be allergic to formaldehyde, even in small quantities in the nail polish. Women with these allergies should use formaldehyde nail care products and ask about their use in nail salons. Our bodies make formaldehyde and can be found in healthy foods, such as apples. Just as too much water or oxygen can be dangerous to our body, excess formaldehyde can be a problem. However, the amount in the nail polish is small and the amount that will be absorbed through the skin, nails and smoke is also very small. This small amount is not expected to cause problems for your pregnancy or lactating baby.
The camphor is also used to make the nail polish soft or flexible and give it a pleasant odor. The camphor is found in some pain relief products applied to the skin. The quantity of a gamble in the nail polish is much smaller than in these creams that discover the pain. Based on the limited information available, the use of camphor on the skin has not increased the risks to a pregnancy or lactating babies.
Paraffin is a mineral oil used in cosmetics and ointments to soften the skin. It is not part of the nail polish or removal, but your hands or feet can enjoy it as part of the manicure or pedicure. As an oil, it remains mainly on the skin and is not absorbed in the bloodstream. The small amount of paraffin expected to be absorbed on the skin is not expected to increase the likelihood of problems for pregnancy or breastfeeding.
Metharylic is a chemical in acrylic nails. There is not much of the methacrylic left as it reacts with other chemicals to form acrylic nails. However, the small amount that remains on acrylic nails could cause irritation, redness and swelling in the tissues below and below the nails. The small amount of methacrylic that is expected to be absorbed by the skin or lungs by the use of acrylic nails is not expected to cause increased chance of problems for pregnancy or breastfeeding.
Acetone is a solvent used in nail varnishes. Acetone, when absorbed, can cause problems in the body. The small amount of acetone expected to be absorbed by the skin or lungs when used to remove nail polish is small and is not expected to cause increased chance of problems for pregnancy or breastfeeding. After using nail polish removal, you may want to wash your hands or feet to reduce the amount that remains on the skin that could be absorbed.
Acetonitril is another solvent used to remove artificial nails. It is less commonly used in cosmetics by acetone. Small quantities expected to be absorbed through skin, nails or lungs are not expected to increase the chance of problems for pregnancy or breastfeeding.
But what about the smell?
The smell in the nail lounges is caused by the chemicals in the various treatments they offer. If there is a good flow of air and plenty of fresh air, then it is not likely that much of the chemicals will enter the body by breathing the smoke. But if you have headaches, dizziness or nausea while they are around nail care products, take a break and take some fresh air out.
So what is the withdrawal?
Go ahead, treat yourself with beautiful nails! The use of these cosmetic products as part of nail -routine should not cause you any concern, as there are no increased risks to your pregnancy or lactating baby.
If you have questions about reports during pregnancy or breastfeeding, please contact a Mothhertobaby expert. You can contact us at 866-626-6847 or with text at 855-999-3525. You can also email or live with us with the visit
Alfred Romeo, Rn, Phd, He is a nurse and health teacher. He has been with Mothertobaby for fifteen years, served as chairman of various committees and has served in many roles on the Board of Directors of the Organization of Special Information of Teratology (OTIS)/ Mothertobaby. His experiences include work as a nurse in newborn intensive care units, training medical homes to improve services for children with disabilities and the training of young adults with disabilities in leadership and defense.
