THE DANGERS OF CHEAP MMA ACRYLIC NAILS

If you have ever been to a non-standard salon (NSS) you may have the impression that acrylic nail extensions are harmful to your natural nails AND that acrylic nails are cheap to get.

There are two types of monomer liquid that are used in acrylic nails application- MMA (Methyl Methacrylate) and EMA (Ethyl Methacrylate).

Technically MMA was banned from use in the 70s by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). It is significantly cheaper than EMA, sets up fast, and adheres like no other product. Therefore, some salons continue to use it.

MMA is widely used in dental and medical products – teeth filling, bone reconstruction. It is also referred to as ‘dental acrylic’ or ‘porcelain nails’.

Why did the FDA ban MMA Acrylic?

There were a lot of reports of personal injuries – fingernail damage, deformity, contact dermatitis, allergies, permanent nail loss. After thorough research, FDA concluded that MMA was a poisonous and deleterious substance that should not be used in nail enhancements.

The difference between MMA and EMA

1. MMA adheres better to the natural nail.
2. MMA is stronger – too strong.
3. MMA can cause serious skin reactions and permanent nail damage – including nail loss.
4. MMA causes more painful breaks.
5. MMA is cheaper.
6. Molecule structure – EMA has one carbon and two extra hydrogen atoms.
7. EMA has a larger molecule – cannot penetrate body tissue.
8. MMA is banned by the FDA, while EMA is safe to use.

How to recognise if a salon is using MMA

1. Price – if your set seems cheap, then maybe the salon is using cheap products
2. Unlabeled products – red flag if the containers have no brand name and you cannot research what was used on you
3. Overfilling of your natural nails – to make the acrylic adhere to your nail plate, the nail tech needs to remove the shine and make your nail slightly rough. However, this is done very lightly and gently. If you think the artist is overdoing it, then maybe it is because they are about to use MMA or are underqualified.
4. MMA is extremely difficult to remove. Most of the time it cannot be soaked off in acetone
5. Difficult to file – the nail tech uses very coarse files.
6. Your new extensions feel very hard and difficult to break or cut– if you jam or slam your finger, the extension may not just break (which is the safe thing to happen) but instead, your whole nail plate may fall off your finger – leading to serious nail damage.

Do we use MMA or EMA acrylic at Flamingo Beauty?

We can proudly say that we DO NOT use MMA acrylic in our salon. We only use the safe alternative which is EMA.