The internet has slammed a mother who took her 2-year-old daughter to a beauty salon to have gel nail varnish applied.

An account on the popular discussion site Mumsnet has stoked a viral debate on how young is too young for children to have beauty treatments including manicures or ear piercings.

On Wednesday, user Glitterspy wrote: "I'm in the nail bar. It's a hot humid afternoon. This place stinks to high heaven of nail glue. Among the various women and nine-year-olds having their holiday nails done is a 2-year-old, sucking a dummy, having gel nails done."

Since the first nail paint was made from beeswax, gelatine, and flower petals in China around 3,000 B.C., manicures have been a notable part of the beauty world.

In recent years, the gel manicure has become a popular solution to nail treatments. In 1982, the first UV system was introduced using a gel-based nail polish that requires a UV light to cure or lock the polish to the nail.

In 2007, Creative Nail Design introduced their gel polish manicure called Shellac. Also dubbed the two-week manicure, the product was popularized in salons around the world. By 2010, other companies had followed suit, offering their own gel polishes in a range of colors and shades.

In a survey from 2020, Statista calculated that over 100 million women in the U.S. used nail care products in a single year.

The Mumsnet posted explained: "They're using the plug-in file on her tiny nails. The mom is here and argued with the salon owner who said she was too young, got really s***ty and in her face to have it done, so it's happening, but the poor nail tech doesn't look happy about it."

She asked: "Am I being unreasonable for hoiking my judgy pants and saying toddlers shouldn't have gel nails?"

​​A large survey by researchers at Wroclaw Medical University in Poland focused on the side effects of gel nail polish. Of over 2,000 people who used gel nails, 48 percent reported side effects while applying gel nail polish, approximately 20 percent during wear, and more than 75 percent after removing the polish.

Despite reports of side effects including itchiness, swelling and burning during the application, and weakened nails and grooves, almost 80 percent of respondents said that they would continue using gel nail polish anyway.

But it is the potential effects of the light used to cure the polish that is often cited as a bigger concern.

Katie Clark is the director of Katie Barnes Academy, a U.K. based nail education and tool company. Clark told Newsweek: "There is no minimum age on nail services, but techs are not obliged to treat any client, irrespective of who has given consent. If they believe that a treatment is inappropriate or potentially unsafe for somebody under the age of 16, or are just unsure, it is recommended that they do not carry out the treatment.

"Some techs are concerned that if they do not offer a service to a minor, they may then go to someone else who is less professional, or even attempt to carry out the treatment themselves. Whilst many may not be open to it, it is important to share professional knowledge, educate the client on your reasonings, and offer them an alternative treatment such as traditional nail polish, or another suggestion where possible."

A 2020 study by the Department of Dermatology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison looked into the effects of prolonged exposure to UV and LED light used for gel polish manicures.

Researchers found a link to pterygium inversum unguis, a condition that causes the area where the fingertip meets the nail to attach to the nail plate. They also warned of the potential negative effects of UV-A radiation, a known carcinogen.

In 2009, researchers at The University of Texas found that the amount of UV-A radiation from a UV nail lamp is as damaging as spending an additional 1-2 minutes in sunlight each day for two weeks. The current recommendation from the Skin Cancer Foundation is to avoid the use of UV lamps, but if they are to be used, customers should use sunscreen or nitrile gloves before exposure.

There is currently no legal restriction on the age of a client who can receive nail treatments, but commenters on Mumsnet were quick to share their thoughts on the young manicure customer.

"I would report it as child abuse," said one exasperated commenter. While another Mumsnet user wrote: "If you're going to the kind of nail bar that will put gel on a toddler, you really need to find a different nail bar because no decent salon would do that in a million years."

Clark also noted the potential risks of having a child in a salon and said: "When treating younger children, there are a few additional things to consider such as whether they are able to keep still for the service? Will they put their fingers in their mouth with uncured product? If offering a gel polish and they cannot keep still, then you are at risk of touching the skin and causing overexposure. The nail desk is full of professional chemicals and isn't a suitable environment for a child."

In a later comment, the poster agreed: "The salon owner should have kicked her out but she was really aggressive and I wouldn't have wanted to say no to her either."

"I think babies and toddlers with pierced ears was awful enough, this is another level," said another reply.

One Mumsnet user wrote: "I have read many crazy things on here but that is one of the craziest," while another relayed their own experience and said: "I was in a nail shop last week where a woman was paying for her 9-year-old daughter to have a full set of acrylics done. Bewildering."

If you have a similar dilemma, let us know via life@newsweek.com. We can ask experts for advice, and your story could be featured on Newsweek.

UPDATE 07/29/22, 10:15 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional expert comment.

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