Woman can no longer move hands after years of wearing gel nail polish

A mum, who can now barely use her hands, believes it to result from using gel nail polish.

Lisa Dewey said she had been getting her nails done for years with no issues. However, after having a full set of gel polish done in February, her nails became inflamed and started peeling away from her nail beds.

It was put down to a bacterial infection which she was given a steroid cream and antibiotics to help get rid of.

Last month, Lisa opted for a set of acrylic nails and found her nails to become "very aggravated" yet again. She said she could barely move her hands due to the pain. Lisa even struggled to wash her daughter's hair, fasten her seatbelt and hold a pen.

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"I've been getting my nails done all my life for acrylics or gels," Lisa said. "So when it first happened after a set of gels in February, I thought it was a bacterial infection.

"My nail bed started going purple, and I worried I would lose my whole finger. When I had them done again recently - this time acrylics - the same thing happened."

She said her "skin is like paper" and has had a knock-on effect on her confidence.

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After removing the gels and taking a break from nail products, she thought it was over.

But after getting a set of acrylic nails put on again in April, the problem reared its head once more. But not only did her fingernails begin to lift again, but the skin around her nails became "like paper".

She has recently been prescribed a different round of medication to treat her.

"Washing my daughter’s hair is hard because you have to bend your fingers," she explained. "Even strapping her in the car - if I catch my finger on the belt, I jolt from the pain because the skin is raw.

"It gets so aggravated, but wearing gloves doesn't even help because sweaty hands aggravate it too.

"Anything scented or fragranced makes it worse - I can't put a conditioning treatment or mousse in my hair."

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Now Lisa has vowed to stay away from nail products for good - and warned others.

"People can get their nails done for years with no issues until one day it hits them," she said.

"This has knocked my confidence so much - I don't normally care what people think of me, but now I hide my hands away.

"It's just embarrassing to have hands like this - there's a coronation party this week, and if my hands aren’t better, I won’t be going.

"I just want to do my bit in trying to get the word out that things might not be as good as they seem."

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