What are UV/LED Nail Lamps and How Do They Work?

Nearly all of us are concerned about the protection, ministration, cleanliness, and solicitude of ourselves and our bodies so that we look squeaky clean, and unblemished.

On the other hand, many people tend to keep their hands, especially the hand nails, under serious consideration because they usually want them to look more beautiful, flawless, and immaculate.

But did you all ever wonder how your precious nails can look more beautiful than ever?

You might have heard about manicures… But is it the only way to make your hands look beautiful and aseptic?

Absolutely not! There are certain processes needed to undergo to make your hands free from bacteria!

Have you heard about UV/LED lamps?

At the end of this article, you will be able to understand how UV and LED lamps work. You will also be able to discover some mind-blowing facts and some more useful information along with their usage, in detail.

So it’s time to discover them!!!

The Working of UV/LED Lamps

The working of UV/LED lamps is quite simple. Photoinitiator is exposed to the proper UV light wavelength and intensity which then releases a particle called free radical.

The free radical will initiate a “Polymerization reaction (a reaction in which relatively small molecules combine chemically to produce a large network molecule)” with the resins in the gel system.

This polymerization reaction will give off heat which will be felt like a burning sensation on your nails. The process of giving off heat is scientifically called “Exo (release) thermic (heat) process”.

In this way, the UV/LED lamps give off heat which will make the gel nail polishes dry or hard.

But, many people have complained that the burning sensation on your fingernails is quite painful and reaches its zenith.

Therefore, the best way to avoid the burning sensation is to place your fingernails a bit further away from the lamp.

Purposes of UV/LED Lamps:

From the starting of the article, you might be thinking what do UV nail lamps really do? Right? They possess a lot of purposes:

1. Kills Harmful Bacteria

UV rays have the shortest wavelength and therefore have the highest energy, and so is the reason they are capable of killing bacteria.

As mentioned earlier, they have a broad spectrum of light due to which they are capable of killing bacteria by breaking the molecular bonds that hold the viruses’ DNA (Deoxyribonucleic acid).

2. Gives a Shimmering Look to Your Nails

By drying and curing the gel nails, you will discover a sudden new look on your nails!

Your nails will shine just like a diamond and you will be able to do anything you want after getting your gel nails dried and cured, without being agonized and worried.

3. Harden the Gel/Nail Polish

UV nail lamps are the perfect accessory to harden the polish you apply on your nails which will help the polish to stay for a longer period of time.

Gel polishes contain photoinitiators that react with UV light to cause a polymerization reaction which causes the gel polish to harden and cure.

Thus, this gel helps to make your nails shine like a pearl!

4. Remove the Spots on Nails

UV nail lamps are also capable of removing the spots which tend to disturb you and make your nails look ugly.

Due to the heat and light produced by the UV nail lamps, you will get spots free and beautiful nails!

Differences Between UV (Ultra Violet) and LED (Light Emitting Diode) Lamps

The difference between UV and LED (Light Emitting Diode) lamps are based on the amount of radiation they emit.

In some cases, UV nail lamps hold superiority over LED nail lamps or vice versa in other cases.

UV light bulbs take more time to dry and harden the gel polish. Most of the time it takes 60 seconds to 2 minutes to harden while on the other hand, LED nail lamps consume little time-mostly from 25-30 seconds.

UV nail lamps emit a broader spectrum of light and have the shortest wavelength (distance between corresponding points of two consecutive waves.), and therefore emit a higher amount of energy. On the other hand, LED nail lamps emit a narrower spectrum of light and use low electricity as compared to UV nail lamps.

UV nail lamps are affordable to buy. Whereas, LED lamps are a bit expensive so people do not usually buy them but they last for a longer period of time compared to those UV lamps which often need bulbs to be replaced.

For more detailed information on this topic, read this article.

FAQs

Is UV light necessary for gel nails?

Yes, UV lights are extremely necessary for gelled nails. This is because UV lights harden the nails. Other artificial supplements to harden the nails do not really work and consumption of time is at its zenith. That is the reason why experts usually prefer UV lights for gel nails.

Are UV/LED nail lamps dangerous?

To be really honest and open, YES! UV/LED lamps are dangerous. There are various side effects that the person might have to suffer after the process of inserting your nails inside the lamps because unfortunately both the UV and LED lamps emit ultraviolet radiation predominantly in the form of UVA.

Many people have complained that right after the process, they have discovered some premature wrinkles and age spots on their skin. But most importantly, it can lead to skin cancer which becomes really difficult to cure! It can also damage your skin seriously.

According to Chris G. Adigun, a board-certified dermatologist at New York University says:
“UVA irradiance or strength emitted by nail lamps whether fluorescent or LED is at least four times stronger than UVA from normal sunlight.”

Wrapping up:

As we all know that all different things are made for different purposes and so is the case with UV and LED nail lamps as well. They both are designed for their own specific purposes and none of them can do the function of the other.

Now you’ve already discovered the purposes, the side effects of both the types of lamps and the differences between UV and LED nail lamps, therefore it’s your turn to make a wise decision!