A nail lamp is an essential item in any beauty salon or nail centre. These lamps are used both for curing gel polish and for what's called “curing” acrylic or gel in nail building. They're also portable, easy to use and maintain, and not a very expensive tool.
Both UV and LED lamps emit radiation, but at different wavelengths. In the case of LED lamps, the radiation is lower and the wavelength narrower than in UV lamps.
How do they work?
In the case of acrylic or gel for nail building, the product needs to be cured so it hardens and stays perfectly fixed to the nail surface. For this to happen, the product contains what are called “photoinitiators” that are activated by the ultraviolet wavelengths emitted by the lamp.
It's the same with gel polish. The polish is also formulated with those tiny molecules called photoinitiators that react when exposed to the radiation emitted by the lamp, triggering a series of chemical reactions that harden the polish and keep it on the nail for a long time.
Some polishes are specific to LED and can only be cured with this type of lamp, since they're formulated with “photoinitiators” that require faster curing and don't achieve the same results with UV.
UV lamps
These were the first ones to hit the market and, although they're still used, they're increasingly being replaced by LED lamps.
They come with different wattages that also vary depending on the number of bulbs, but the most common are 36W with 4 bulbs.
The curing time for acrylic or gel is 120 seconds, the same as for gel polish, although it may vary slightly by brand. It's always best to follow the manufacturer's instructions in this regard.
One of the drawbacks is that their lifespan isn't very long; they wear out quite a bit, lose effectiveness over time and usually need to be replaced more often than we'd like (every 2 to 4 months).
Another downside is exposure to UV rays, although in much lower amounts than we're exposed to in other activities. Also, in most cases these are UV-A rays, which are less harmful to the skin than UV-B rays.
LED lamps
The first major positive difference in using these more modern LED lamps is that the curing time is reduced to 30 seconds, which has been a great advantage for beauty salon professionals, not only by shortening service times but also by considerably reducing energy consumption.
Their lifespan is much longer, and the power of their bulbs doesn't decrease over time as with the previous type, so they're easier to maintain and, although they're a bit more expensive, they'll last us longer.
On the other hand, the level of ultraviolet rays they emit is lower, so they cause less damage to the skin and nails.
The downside is that they only cure acrylic and gel products specifically formulated for this type of lamp, so if we choose them, we'll need to specifically choose brands compatible with this type of light.
UV/LED lamps
The newest thing on the market in this regard are UV/LED lamps, which are a combination of the previous two, with the advantages of both to achieve the best results with the highest quality.
One of their great advantages is that they can be used with all types of products. LED light is their main light source, and they only have the minimum ultraviolet light needed to cure gels that only work with this type of light.
Their technology is very new and improved, so it's worth investing in them.
Summary infographic:
As a summary, and so you have a clearer picture of the differences between the different types of lamps and which one is best suited for each purpose, we've put together this infographic with all the details:
Remember that at Seena Owell you have everything you need for your manicure and pedicure services, with the best professional products on the market. We recommend checking out our section:
https://seenaowell.com/en/63-productos-para-unas
Don't hesitate to contact us if you need additional information about any product or have questions when choosing the most suitable lamp for your beauty salon.
