After getting a manicure at the nail salon, I ended up with horrible blisters and swelling and had to be rushed to the emergency room.

Nail tech gets gel manicure, ends up in emergency room with severe blisters and swelling.

Kirsty Conner, a 31-year-old Londoner, was a regular recipient of the cosmetic procedure and had no idea that it could have such dire consequences.

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A decade into offering gel manicures, the Beckenham nail tech had amassed a sizable collection of 300 gel polishes and was seeing about 20 customers per week.

She had used gel-based polish for years before noticing that her nails started to peel and itch.

The 31-year-old started to get blisters on her hands, and her arms and eyes started to swell.

Soon she was having trouble breathing and had to get an ambulance.

The dermatologist at the emergency room informed Kirsty that she was allergic to the chemicals in gel polishes that make the color last longer when exposed to UV light.

A common issue, according to the hospital doctors, Kirsty said.

I want to bring attention to it because I had been using major high-street brands without knowing about it.

Kirsty, a beauty technician, had an extreme allergic reaction to gel polish and has since abandoned it in favor of all-natural, non-toxic alternatives.

Gel manicures have risen in popularity to become the most booked beauty service in the United Kingdom on the online booking platform Treatwell.

Methacrylate is a chemical commonly found in gel polishes; it is a known irritant and allergen.

When ultraviolet lamps are not used for long enough or when equipment is not maintained properly, the chemicals in the gel can seep into the skin and cause irritation.

“The problem is artificial nails and gel manicures have become the norm,” Dr. Justine Hextall, a consultant dermatologist and fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, told The Times.

Nails aren’t meant to take as much abuse as they do from filing and polishing, but many people treat them as though they are.

When consulting with a patient who presents with facial eczema, especially in the eye area, one of the first questions I ask is whether or not they have their nails done, if they use gel polish, and how recently they had their nails done.

Constant facial touching means that expressions of emotion frequently manifest in this area.

Bath dermatologist Dr. Deirdre Buckley speculates that thousands of women across the country have nail polish allergies.

It’s become so commonplace that we can usually diagnose the issue just by looking at a patient now,” she said.

People’s fingernails touching their faces causes a rash that looks like stripes on their cheeks and neck or causes their eyelids to swell.

They’ll look at everything from their makeup to their workplace environment, but never consider their nails as a possible culprit.

Another unfortunate lady who attempted a glamorous at-home manicure only to have an allergic reaction and ruin her nails.

The use of gel and gel polish home kits has been cautioned against by doctors who have previously warned that they can cause unpleasant allergic rashes on the face, hands, and even the vagina.