Ren, 29, developed a reaction after using a specific brand of DIY UV glue on her left hand; on the right, she’d sculpted the nails using polygel. “The next morning, the skin on my left hand was red and itchy, then it started swelling. By day three, it started oozing this clear liquid. That’s when I was like, This is unmistakably an allergy.” Soon, the reaction spread to Ren’s right hand. She recalls, “I’ve been doing my nails at home for 15 years, and I don’t do anything without doing extensive research. I knew what the allergy was; I knew the risk, and I stupidly did it anyway. We all think, ‘It’s not going to happen to me.’”
