Allergic Contact Dermatitis, Allergic Airborne Dermatitis, and Occupational Asthma Caused by (meth)acrylates in Artificial Nails

Allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) caused by (meth)acry- lates is traditionally an occupational disease among dentists, printers, and fiberglass workers. With the use of artificial nails, cases have been reported both in nail technicians and in users. ACD caused by (meth) acrylates used in artificial nails is a relevant problem for both nail art- ists and consumers. We present the case of a 34-year-old woman who was working in a nail art salon for two years prior to the appearance of severe hand dermatitis, especially on her fingertips together, with frequent appearance of face dermatitis. The patient had artificial nails for the last 4 months because her nails were more prone to splitting, so she was regularly using gel to “protect” them. While she was at her workplace, she reported multiple episodes of asthma. We performed patch test to baseline series, acrylate series, and the patient’s own ma- terial. In the baseline series, the patient had positive reactions to nickel (II) sulfate (++/++/++), fragrance mix (+/+/+), and carba mix (+/+/+), 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (2-HEMA) (++/++/++), ethylene glycol dimethylacrylate (EGDMA) (++/++/++), hydroxyethyl acrylate (HEA) (++/++/++), and methyl methacrylate (MMA) (+/+/+). Semi-open patch test was positive to 11 of the patient’s own items (10 out of 11 were made of acrylates). There has been a significant increase in the incidence of acrylate-induced ACD among nail technicians and con- sumers. Cases of occupational asthma (OA) induced by acrylates have been described, but respiratory sensitizations of acrylates are still in- sufficiently investigated. Timely detection of sensitization to acrylates is primarily necessary in order to prevent further exposure to allergens. All measures should be taken to prevent exposure to allergens