ALLERGIC CONTACT-DERMATITIS TO ARTIFICIAL FINGERNAILS PREPARED FROM UV LIGHT-CURED ACRYLATES

Background: Contact dermatitis from artificial nails made from self-cu ring acrylic resins is occasionally reported. Recently, UV light-cured products introducing new acrylics have become available. Objective: O ur purpose was to identify relevant allergens in commercial light-curi ng products by patch tests and to evaluate the efficacy of ''hypoaller genic'' products by inclusion into the test series, Methods: Patients wearing photobonded acrylic nails who had perionychial and subonychial eczema were patch tested with an acrylate battery and ''hypoallergeni c'' commercial products. Results: Triethyleneglycol dimethacrylate, hy droxyfunctional methacrylates, and (meth)acrylated urethanes proved to be relevant allergens in photobonded nail preparations. Methacrylated epoxy resin sensitization was not observed. All ''hypoallergenic'' pr oducts provoked positive reactions. Conclusion: The omission of irrita nt methacrylic acid in W-curable products does not reduce the high sen sitizing potential of new acrylates. In contrast to the manufacturers' declarations, all ''hypoallergenic'' products continue to include acr ylate functional monomers and therefore continue to cause allergic sen sitization.