A mum has claimed the acrylics she treated her daughter to became so badly infected she was forced to have her nail surgically removed.
Rebecca Scott, from Runcorn in Cheshire, paid £45 for a set for 15-year-old Laylah Crane, ahead of her year 11 prom in June.
But after knocking two of her fingers days later Laylah’s acrylics tore part of her natural nails.
It was only after visiting Ms Scott’s nail technician friend that she discovered ‘yellow pus’ under her thumb and she was rushed to an urgent care centre.
Here, she was told to attend Alder Hey Children’s Hospital where medics confirmed the acrylics had triggered the infection, Ms Scott said.
Rebecca Scott (left), from Runcorn in Cheshire, paid £45 for a set for 15-year-old Laylah Crane, ahead of her year 11 prom in June. But after knocking two of her fingers days later Laylah’s (right) acrylics tore part of her natural nails
It was only after visiting Ms Scott’s nail technician friend that she discovered ‘yellow pus’ under her thumb and she was rushed to an urgent care centre
Here, she was told to attend Alder Hey Children’s Hospital where medics confirmed the acrylics had triggered the infection, Ms Scott said
Now, she is urging women to check the products used on their nails before going ahead with treatment, after fearing a dangerous chemical may be to blame.
Recalling Laylah’s ordeal, Ms Scott, 37, said: ‘On the Sunday following prom she knocked one of her fingers.
‘There was a little bit of blood around so it looked like it had lifted her natural nail a little bit but you couldn’t really tell and because she wasn’t in a lot of pain she forgot about it.
‘But then on the following Tuesday she knocked her thumb.
‘There was no chip at all in the acrylic because it was that strong. But, on her thumb, it had ripped her natural nail and didn’t look good at all.
‘One of my close friends is a nail tech so I rang her and she told me to come down to the salon and she would soak the existing nails off so she could have a look at the damage caused.
‘She soaked the nails off. When she got to the finger, she slowly filed this nail off as it was sore and didn’t want to put any product on it.’
She added: ‘When she filed it down, she found that there was an infection and a lot of yellow pus under the finger.
‘Laylah has now had her nail removed. She had to undergo a general anaesthetic and be put to sleep to remove her natural nail.
‘They can’t guarantee that her thumb nail will grow back. It can do, but sometimes it doesn’t so she may be left without a thumbnail for life.
Ms Scott now believes Laylah’s infection was triggered by the chemical methyl methacrylate (MMA) used by the original salon.
The powerful substance used to make some types of nail extensions has been branded ‘poisonous’ 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 dangerous substitute.
The chemicals in nail polishes, known as methacrylates, can cause an allergic reaction if they leak into the skin, which can see nails loosen and the skin develop a severe, itchy rash,
Once the skin is exposed to methacrylates, the body will no longer tolerate acrylates, meaning anyone with an allergy cannot have medical procedures in which the chemicals are used.
Ms Scott now believes Laylah’s infection was triggered by the chemical methyl methacrylate (MMA) used by the original salon. Pictured, Laylah’s acrylic nail after she knocked it
Ms Scott claimed when Laylah knocked her nails, her acrylics should have come off. The strong substance used, however, caused her natural nails to lift off instead
Experts have previously warned MailOnline the allergy can occur at high street nail salons if the technician fails to keep a client’s hands under the ultraviolet (UV) light for long enough — either because they are rushed or poorly trained.
There is no single qualification required to be a nail technician but professionals often have either a beauty apprenticeship or diploma in manicures.
But in some cases, the diploma can take as little as a single day.
Ms Scott claimed when Laylah knocked her nails, her acrylics should have come off.
The strong substance used, however, caused her natural nails to lift off instead.
She added: ‘The [second] nail technician suspected that [the original technician] had used MMA on the nails.
‘When normal acrylic is soaked off it should go to a flaky substance but when she was soaking this off it went into a glue and said she thought it was MMA.
‘The doctor said she had an infection under the nail and because the nail had been knocked, they said because the acrylic was so strong it lifted the natural nail underneath.
‘If an acrylic is knocked it should pop off and come away from the natural nail but because the acrylic used on Laylah’s nails was so strong it pulled her natural nail bed off and this is because they used the MMA substance.
‘Her nails didn’t even last a week. It’s a lot of money to throw away.’
She added: ‘It’s upsetting because you get a lot of nail technicians charging the same price but they are using genuine products.
‘Then you’ve got salons that are using cheap products and charging ridiculous prices and it’s not good.
‘You should do your research before getting your nails done and go to a reputable salon.
‘People need to do the research of where they are getting their nails done.
‘I think this has put Laylah off for life. I don’t think she’ll get acrylic nails done again.’