A mother claims the acrylic nails she used to treat her daughter became so badly infected that her nail had to be surgically removed.
Rebecca Scott from Runcorn in Cheshire paid £45 for a set for 15-year-old Laylah Crane ahead of her prom in June.
But after Laylah stubbed two fingers a few days later, her acrylic nails tore off part of her natural nails.
It wasn’t until she visited a nail technician friend of Ms. Scott’s that she discovered “yellow pus” under her thumb and was rushed to the emergency room.
There she was told to go to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, where doctors confirmed the acrylic nails had caused the infection, Scott said.
Rebecca Scott (left), from Runcorn in Cheshire, paid £45 for a set for 15-year-old Laylah Crane ahead of her prom in June. But after she stubbed both fingers a few days later, Laylah’s (right) acrylic nails tore off part of her natural nails
It wasn’t until she visited Mrs. Scott’s nail technician that she discovered “yellow pus” under her thumb and was rushed to an emergency room
Here she was told to go to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, where doctors confirmed the acrylic had caused the infection, Mrs Scott said.
Now she is urging women to check what products they are using on their nails before undergoing a treatment, fearing a dangerous chemical is the culprit.
Mrs Scott, 37, told of Laylah’s ordeal: ‘On the Sunday after the school dance she stubbed one of her fingers.
‘There was a little bit of blood around the wound, so it looked like her natural nail had lifted up a little bit, but you couldn’t really see it and because she wasn’t in much pain, she forgot about it.
But the following Tuesday she hit her thumb.
‘There was no chip in the acrylic at all because it was so strong. But on her thumb it had torn her natural nail and that didn’t look good at all.
‘One of my good friends is a nail technician, so I called her and she told me to come into the salon and she would soak the existing nails so she could look at the damage.
“She soaked the nails off. When she got to the finger, she slowly filed this nail off because it was painful and she didn’t want to put any product on it.”
She added: ‘When she filed it away she found there was an infection and a lot of yellow pus under the finger.
‘Laylah has now had her nail removed. She had to have general anesthesia and be put to sleep to remove her natural nail.
‘They can’t guarantee that her thumbnail will grow back. It might, but sometimes it won’t, so she could be without a thumbnail for the rest of her life.
Ms Scott now believes Laylah’s infection was caused by the chemical methyl methacrylate (MMA) used in the original salon.
The potent substance used to make certain types of nail extensions has been labelled ‘toxic’ by some industry experts. It is banned in the US and Australia, but not in the UK.
Instead, technicians are advised to use ethyl methacrylate (EMA) or a less hazardous alternative.
The chemicals in nail polish, known as methacrylates, can cause an allergic reaction if they leak into the skin, causing nails to loosen and a severe, itchy rash to develop.
Once the skin is exposed to methacrylates, the body can no longer tolerate acrylates. This means that people with allergies cannot undergo medical treatments that use these chemicals.
Ms Scott now believes that Laylah’s infection was caused by the chemical methyl methacrylate (MMA) used by the original salon. The photo shows Laylah’s acrylic nail after she had bumped it
Ms. Scott claimed that when Laylah nicked her nails, her acrylic nails should have come off. However, the strong substance used caused her natural nails to come off instead of coming off.
Experts previously warned MailOnline that the allergy can occur in high street nail salons if technicians do not hold customers’ hands under ultraviolet (UV) light for long enough because they are in a hurry or are poorly trained.
There are no specific qualifications required to become a nail technician, but professionals often have a cosmetology degree or a diploma in manicurist.
But in some cases, it takes just one day to obtain the diploma.
Ms. Scott claimed that when Laylah nicked her nails, her acrylic nails should have fallen off.
However, the strong substance used caused her natural nails to come loose.
She added: ‘The (second) nail technician suspected that (the original stylist) had used MMA on the nails.
‘Normally when you soak off acrylic it should be a flaky substance. But when she soaked this off it turned into glue and she thought it was MMA.
“The doctor said she had an infection under the nail and the nail had fallen off. They said the acrylic was so strong it lifted the natural nail underneath.
“If you bump the acrylic, it should loosen and separate from the natural nail. But because the acrylic on Laylah’s nails is so strong, it pulled her natural nail bed off. That’s because they used the MMA substance.
“Her nails didn’t even last a week. That’s a lot of money to throw away.”
She added: ‘It’s annoying because there are many nail technicians who charge the same price but use real products.
‘Then you also have salons that use cheap products and charge ridiculous prices, and that’s not good.
‘Do your research before getting your nails done and go to a reputable salon.
‘People should carefully consider where they get their nails done.
“I think this has put Laylah off forever. I don’t think she’ll ever get acrylic nails again.”