Treatments, prices and after care information.
My article in Scratch magazine
This page is all about MMA (methyl-methacrylate).
About MMA
MMA (methyl-methacrylate) is a liquid sometimes used in acrylic nail applications, which since 1974 has been banned in the USA. Despite the evidence and the FDA warnings against its use in the nail industry, unscrupulous nail technicians/ studio's continue to subject an unsuspecting public to this hazardous chemical.
To understand the problems associated with MMA, a little background knowledge is needed. Acrylic is created by combining a liquid monomer with a powder polymer. A chemical reaction between these two ingredients causes the acrylic to harden in about three minutes. While still soft, acrylic can be applied to nails and shaped to form enhancements. In the early 1970's, nail technicians purchased acrylic from dentists and medical supply stores. Over time, it became clear that when used on nails MMA caused serious health risks. In its liquid form, the small size of the MMA molecule enables it to penetrate the skin, sometimes causing severe allergic reactions. Additionally, MMA has a very strong and distinctive odour. Breathing these vapours may cause asthmatic symptoms.
Even after the acrylic has hardened, MMA still poses a threat to the health of the nail. MMA acrylic bonds very tightly to the natural nail, so tightly in fact that when the nail is subjected to stress, rather than breaking from the natural nail, the acrylic can actually pull part or all of the nail off the nail bed. When the hazards of MMA use on nails became clear, responsible manufacturers developed a safe alternative, Ethyl-Methacrylate or EMA. EMA is hundreds of times less likely to cause allergic reactions, and because EMA acrylics are somewhat softer than MMA acrylics, they break more easily under stress, saving the natural nail.
The question is, if this safer EMA is available, why do some nail technicians still use MMA? The answer is simple economics. MMA monomer costs about 90% less than EMA monomer. MMA is still widely available from unethical distributors, at a fraction of the cost of EMA, and until something changes, MMA will continue to be used in the nail industry.
Most responsible manufactures formulate their liquid monomer with ethyl methacrylate (EMA). The nail industry has had considerable experience with EMA, which has been declared safe for use by trained nail technicians by the prestigious Cosmetic Ingredient Review Board on two separate occasions.
You will be pleased to know that i do NOT use MMA i use EMA (Ethyl Methacrylate) which is safe for nails, please read on.
What you need to know
You may wonder why you should pay £40 or more for a set of nails, when you can go to any salon in the high street and get a full set for as little as £20. The technicians will be very keen to apply a whole new set instead of in fills, because the nails will turn an ugly yellow after a few weeks Degeneration of the nail plate Damage caused by an untrained person using an electric drill
Over the last few year's you will have no doubt seen many nail studio's and boutiques springing up all offering very low priced acrylic nails. However, it is very important for you to chose carefully where you have your nails done. This is because, not all, but some of them, are using a product which is very dangerous (MMA) and which can be very harmful to your nail beds. You, as a client will be unaware of the product used, but there are signs:
Some salons use large or oversize brushes in order to save time, and make beads of acrylic that are far too wet. The belly of a large brush can carry enough liquid for 4 medium wet beads, enough for three nails. This means the product, which may appear to be hardened, does not set up in the correct amount of time and the harmful chemical MMA leeches through the nail plate and then into the nail bed which can cause irritation and may cause severe allergic reactions which can leave long term tissue damage and cell scaring.
MMA creates nails which are not easily removed without causing severe damage to the nail plate. It can take anything up to 2 hours to remove MMA-based nails, and then sometimes only by using electric drills and files. In order to save time, discount salons often pry or nip the acrylic nail off which pulls off layers of the natural nail and may injure the matrix (which is crucial in the formation of cells for the new nail) leading to permanent deformities of the nail.
However, a set of nails that have been based on Ethyl Methacrylate (EMA), which is far more safer to use and does not have the same molecular structure as MMA and therefore does not cause the same level of irritation or cell damage, takes only 30 - 35 minutes to remove by soaking in acetone.
Remember, which ever salon you go to, if their training & insurance certificates are not on show then ask to see them, there are alot of UNTRAINED people out there calling themselves Nail Technicians when they are not, they can do just as much damage with an ordinary hand file as they have not had the appropriate training. Your Nail Technician should be able to answer any question that you ask them about any of the products they use or sell, i hope that this page will help you in your search for a reputable salon with properly trained and fully insured Nail Technicians. Thankyou for your time, Jo.xx
Damage at the base of the nail
Nail damage due to MMA