Nail polish is also popular with pregnant women. We will tell you here whether you can wear gel nails during pregnancy or whether you should paint them yourself.

Gel Nails During Pregnancy – Are They A Problem?

The hormonal changes during pregnancy make expectant mothers shine from within. Nevertheless, many pregnant women do not want to do without beauty treatments and painted fingernails. 

Due to their long durability, gel nails are particularly popular during pregnancy, but their modeling usually uses ingredients or devices that could be harmful not only to the mother but also to the baby.

Gel Nails During Pregnancy: Dangerous Or Harmless?

In order to completely rule out possible risks to the baby’s health from cosmetic products and applications, pregnant women should ideally avoid chemical ingredients and treatments. 

Natural cosmetics or special pregnancy products contain fewer or no substances that are harmful to health and should therefore be the first choice, especially during pregnancy. Because a clear statement as to whether gel nails are completely harmless during pregnancy cannot be made.

Especially in the case of artificial fingernails, there is a lot of controversy about the risks of UV- light used to harden the gel nails or Shellac. Depending on the duration and strength of the radiation, UV- light is even classified as carcinogenic. 

However, whether the use of UV light in manicures can actually lead to skin cancer on the hands is a matter of controversial scientific debate.

What Pregnant Women Should Look Out For With Gel Nails:

In addition, there is another problem with gel nails during pregnancy, which plays a role in terms of the health of mother and baby: bacteria and viruses can easily colonize and nest under the thick layer of topcoats on artificial fingernails. Inflammation or injuries to the nail bed are therefore often noticed too late. 

In addition, fungal infections can occur more frequently. Especially with acrylic nails, the probability is increased.