What happens if nail polish gets on your skin

If large spills of products containing acetone occur, wash the exposed area with soap and water as soon as possible for at least 15 minutes and apply a moisturizer to prevent drying effects. You should also take off any clothing or shoes that have acetone on them. It can still cause health issues if you are exposed to large amounts of acetone or use acetone for long periods of time.

Getting acetone on your skin can lead to dermatitis. Use the product sparingly and you'll likely avoid any detrimental side effects of acetone. Sign up for our Health Tip of the Day newsletter, and receive daily tips that will help you live your healthiest life.

Public Health Statement for Acetone. Updated January 21, Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Acetone Fact Sheet. Updated January 27, Canadian Center for Occupational Health and Safety. Updated January 4, Your Privacy Rights. To change or withdraw your consent choices for VerywellHealth.

At any time, you can update your settings through the "EU Privacy" link at the bottom of any page. These choices will be signaled globally to our partners and will not affect browsing data. We and our partners process data to: Actively scan device characteristics for identification.

I Accept Show Purposes. Table of Contents View All. Table of Contents. What Is Acetone? How Is Acetone Used? Effects on Skin. How to Prevent Skin Problems. When to See a Doctor Although acetone poisoning is rare, it can still cause serious health issues.

Was this page helpful? Try soaking your nails in a bowl of hydrogen peroxide and hot water. This may help soften the polish so you can wipe or gently file it away.

Be careful not to damage your nail using this method. Overfiling may take the top layer of your nail off, which could be harmful and painful. If you decide to use a traditional nail polish remover, there are a variety to choose from.

With so many options, you may wonder which product is the best and safest to use. Acetone breaks down nail polish quickly and efficiently. Non-acetone products still contain chemicals that may be harmful with prolonged use. A prolonged soak in acetone is the only way to remove gel nail polish. To avoid exposing your skin to the acetone, consider using acetone-dipped cotton balls on your nails rather than soaking them in a container of the substance.

Try using the following to remove it:. Moisturize with lotion after removing the nail polish since these methods may dry your skin. Then, use an absorbent paper product like a paper towel or a piece of toilet paper to remove as much of the polish as possible. Finally, dab a cotton swab or a small piece of a rag into nail polish remover, either acetone or non-acetone, and blot out the stain. Acetone evaporates quickly, so be careful not to overuse the product. Prolonged exposure to acetone can cause headaches and dizziness.

Acetone is also very flammable, so avoid using it around an open flame. Keep acetone and non-acetone nail polish removers away from children and never ingest them. This can cause lethargy and confusion. Non-acetone nail polish removers may be more harmful than acetone nail polish removers if taken by mouth. One study highlighted two cases when children ingested non-acetone nail polish remover.

Both children experienced adverse symptoms like cardiorespiratory collapse, vomiting, hypotension, and a slowing heart rate. You can try using natural methods to remove nail polish, but you may find that OTC removers are the most effective and least time-consuming.

Try to limit your exposure to OTC removers to just a few minutes a few times a month. You can review the safety of nail polish removers available at the Environmental Working Group website. If you have too much nail polish remover on your brush, it may drip onto your nails and ruin your manicure. Carefully outline your nails with the brush. Always tilt your finger towards the brush.

This will help keep the nail polish remover from dripping onto your manicure. For example, if you got nail polish on the left side of your finger, tilt your finger slightly to the left. If you get too much nail polish remover on your finger, it will drip down the side of your finger instead of onto your manicure. Wipe the area clean with a tissue. Fold a tissue in half, and wipe it around the cuticle area of your nail.

This will pick up any residual nail polish remover. Know what to do in the future. There are a few things you can do to prevent nail polish from getting on your fingers the next time you paint your nails.

The most common are to outline your nails with Vaseline or white school glue. These create a barrier between your skin and the nail polish, making clean up a lot easier. Once you are done painting your nails, wipe the Vaseline off with another Q-tip. Draw a thin line around your nails using white school glue. Let the glue dry, then paint your nails. Peel the dried glue off when you are done with your manicure. Kristin Pulaski. I'd just dip a cotton swab in acetone and gently brush the polish off of the skin.

That's going to be the most straightforward way to fix this. Not Helpful 0 Helpful 1. Some people place strips of tape around their cuticles to keep their skin totally clean while they're painting their nails. You could try that to totally keep the polish off, but it is going to take a while to set up! Try taking a nice, long bath, about 15 to 20 minutes. You could also try wiping it off with some baby oil or olive oil. Do not use any nail polish remover, not even a non-acetone one.

It will sting. Not Helpful 14 Helpful My nephew got my nail varnish and flicked it. One speck got onto his chin and one on his lower eyelid. I wiped it off with a cotton ball. Will he be okay? He should be alright. If there's any irritation, take him to a doctor. He would probably be fine so don't worry. Not Helpful 10 Helpful Soak your fingers in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes, then carefully scrape the polish from your skin.

Not Helpful 6 Helpful You could try using a cheap perfume or body spray. Also, remember to rub it quit hard but not too much. Spray it directly onto your foot. Not Helpful 8 Helpful If you are talking about getting nail polish on your fingers, try applying some Vaseline around your nails before doing your manicure.

Wipe the Vaseline off when you are done. If you are talking about a child, keep your nail polish bottles out of reach. You can also buy some play nail polish for your child so that she doesn't play with yours. My 3-year-old child got nail polish on her face, arms, and legs. She has very sensitive skin. What can I do? Cecilia Flores. Using water won't help much, and acetone and nail polish remover are too harsh for her skin. In the bath, use a soap and a loofa or sponge to gently rub the polish off.

Before bed, put lotion, Vaseline, or moisturizer on her to help the polish loosen up, it should come off after several nights. Not Helpful 2 Helpful 6. Apply moisturizer to the area and use a toothpick to pick the polish off. Not Helpful 5 Helpful 8. Try wiping it off with a towel and baby oil or olive oil. If the child is older, you can also try gently buffing it off with a face buffing sponge. Don't use any sort of nail polish remover, not even a non-acetone one.

Not Helpful 17 Helpful Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. By using this service, some information may be shared with YouTube. Not every method is going to work for everyone. Your skin type, and even the type of nail polish you used, will all have an effect. Helpful 20 Not Helpful 5. Helpful 10 Not Helpful 8. Nail polish will eventually wear off on its own after a few days. If you are not in a hurry or embarrassed about having nail polish on your skin, this is an option.

Helpful 10 Not Helpful Never use acetone or nail polish remover around the face. Try using baby oil, or other food-grade oils instead. Helpful 24 Not Helpful 9.