Full thickness burns caused by cyanoacrylate nail glue: A case series

• Artificial (acrylic) nails are popular and are considered safe to use.
• We report three cases of full thickness thermal burns sustained from nail glue.
• The patients all received surgical debridement and split skin graft reconstruction.
• We aim to highlight the dangers of artificial nail application.
• Raising public and professional awareness is essential to decrease burn incidence.

Artificial (acrylic) nails are popular cosmetic enhancements that provide the user with the appearance of manicured nails, do not chip or crack, and are generally considered very safe to apply. We report three cases where full thickness thermal burns were sustained from nail glue adhesive (cyanoacrylate) during the application of artificial nails. All three cases underwent surgical debridement and split skin graft reconstruction. We carried out an experiment to characterize the exothermic reaction between nail glue and cotton leggings. The average high temperature produced was 68 °C which was sustained for 12.2 s which is more than sufficient to cause full thickness burns on skin. We report these cases to increase both professional and public awareness of this serious potential complication associated with the application of artificial nails.