DANGERS OF MMA ACRYLICS
When you are looking for a professional nail salon or nail technician, you need to be aware of some serious dangers in the nail industry. A huge danger is Methyl methacrylate liquid monomers, commonly known as MMA.
MMA was a common ingredient in professional nail products, used very early in the nail industry. It was often referred to as ‘dental acrylics" or "porcelain nails". But by the end of the 70’s, the FDA in the United States of America had received numerous complaints related to MMA, which lead to action against several manufacturers.
MMA is used safely to make resins, plastics and plastic dentures. The difference in the dental industry is that these processes are done outside the mouth. The dentures only come into contact with human tissue after they are cured. A person requiring dental prostheses may have several during a lifetime.
This acrylic product is illegal when being used on the nails, it can cause permanent loss and damage of the natural nail, as well as numbness in the fingers. After prolonged usage, this dangerous chemical deemed poisonous by the FDA can cause miscarriages, lesions on the kidneys, liver problems, and respiratory problems.
You can tell a salon is using this product by the following:
* The salon prices are usually significantly discounted
* There is an unusually strong odour (strong, sharp and fruity) The nail technician will often wear a mask to prevent inhalation
* This product has poor adhesion to the natural nail plate so the natural nail plate must be excessively filed (usually with a drill) for better adhesion
* It takes a long time to soak off the MMA acrylic, so they usually have to pick and/or drill it off. Some nail techs even remove them by forcing a nail tip between the natural nail and the enhancement
* Excessive use of drills (because the MMA acrylic is very hard and rigid)
* They are very secretive about the products they are using, the containers are smeared or old, which means they are probably filling illegal product into a reputable companies’ containers.
MMA has been BANNED in the nail industry for over 20 years but is still being used because it is cheap! You, as the consumer, must look for all these warning signs and ask to speak to a manager before having a service done. Also, have them show and explain to you what products are being used in their salon. If they cannot do this, do not have your nails done there or you could have very serious consequences.
What are the alternatives?
Ethyl Methacrylate Liquid Monomers known as EMA's
All top quality professional manufacturers formulate their liquid monomer with ethyl methacrylate. This product has been declared safe for use by trained nail technicians
EMA is a much safer larger atom that doesn’t damage the nail plates, and it is less likely to cause an allergic reaction. EMA and gels are meant to adhere to healthy nail surfaces - their chemical composition/physical structure is meant to match the surface of a healthy nail. Acrylic nails can be and should be safe when properly applied and maintained.
The Acrylic Nail System I use is Hand and Nail Harmony Prohesion which is a profesional line of acrylic nail products. I never use any product that contains MMA’s, I have had several clients come to me after receiving poor quality nail services after an extended period of time and in most cases the damage has been irreversible.
