Concern as nail injuries increase

Dozens of women have been admitted to a Birmingham hospital with injuries caused by artificial nails.

David Moore, who works in the accident and emergency unit at City Hospital, said up to six patients a week turned up with problems relating to the nails.

He said in some cases real nails were ripped or torn off and has called for some kind of licensing for nail bars.

A beauty industry spokesman said the nails were safe if properly applied by reputable and qualified therapists.

Mr Moore, a consultant in the A&E unit, said the problem seemed to be the strong adhesives used to bond the acrylic nails onto the original ones.

There will always be people out there who are not going to do the relevant qualifications Chris Tyrer, BABTAC

He said every one of his staff had seen or heard of patients reporting problems with stick-on nails.

"Either they have got into fights and their nails have been wrenched off or they have caught their finger in something," he said.

He said he had not seen such injuries before the recent rise in popularity of false nails leading to an explosion in the number of nail bars.

Check for accreditation

"These places should be licensed, it seems that now anybody can set them up," he said.

Chris Tyrer, operations manager for the British Association of Therapist and Cosmetologist (BABTAC), admitted there is not any licensing for therapists but said its members were all accredited meaning they were fully insured and trained.

"There will always be people out there who are not going to do the relevant qualifications," he said.

"They think it is perfectly good training on a few friends.

"I'd be shocked if it were reputable, fully qualified people who were making mistakes like this."

He warned people having any forms of beauty treatment to ensure the practitioners were insured and accredited.