Study: Hair straighteners may increase uterine cancer risk – 10/17/2022

Products that are used to straighten hair increase the risk of uterine cancer, a New study Posted on Monday (17).

Women who use these products frequently, more than four times a year, have a higher risk of developing uterine cancer, especially endometrial cancer. This disease should not be confused with cervical cancer.

“We estimate that 1.64% of women who have never used a hair-straightening product will develop endometrial cancer by age 70. But for frequent users, this risk rises to 4.05%,” estimates Alexandra White, lead author of this study published in Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

“The doubling of this rate is worrying,” he added. However, uterine cancer is relatively rare, accounting for about 3% of new cancer cases in the United States.

The study is based on data from 33,500 American women, who were followed for nearly 11 years.

Because black women use these products more often and tend to start at a younger age, “these results may be particularly interesting to them,” said Chi Jong-chang, co-author of the research.

Nearly 60% of women who said they had used hair-straightening products in the past year identified as black.

The researchers did not collect information about specific products and brands, but did note that several chemicals found in these types of products could contribute to an increased risk of cancer: parabens, BPA, minerals or even formaldehyde.

The latter, known as formaldehyde, is used for the so-called Brazilian individual.

Compared to other classes, hair straighteners can enhance the absorption of chemicals through injuries or burns to the scalp, or through the use of a flat iron, the heat of which breaks down the material, the study notes.

Other studies have already established a link between hair straighteners and an increased risk of infection breast cancer.