Community News
Chemical hair straighteners are causing uterine cancer, fibroid tumors and infertility in women of colour
BY SIMONE J. SMITH
I hate to be the bearer of bad news my beautiful sisters, but some of you might be doing things to your body, and your daughter’s body that will affect them in the future. What is that you ask? Well, it is that product that some of us use to make sure that our kink remains tame.
Several landmark studies have been published in the last year highlighting the link between chemical hair relaxers — which are reported to increase rates of uterine cancer. A couple weeks ago, after pressure from Democratic Reps. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts and Shontel Brown of Ohio, the Food and Drug Administration proposed a ban on hair-smoothing, and hair-straightening products containing formaldehyde, an ingredient known to cause cancer.
As more research continues to reveal potential dangers, hundreds of African American people have filed lawsuits against big-name beauty and cosmetic retailers like: L’Oréal and Revlon, blaming their chemical hair straighteners as causes of uterine cancer, fibroid tumors and infertility.
I read a story about a woman who developed kidney damage on three separate occasions after receiving hair-straightening treatments at a salon. Her doctors say one of the products used likely caused the organ injuries.
The 26-year-old woman visited a salon to receive the popular hair treatment in June 2020, April 2021 and July 2022. She claims that she had no previous health problems, but on the day of each visit, she experienced: vomiting, diarrhea, fever and back pain. She reported feeling burning on her scalp during the hair treatment and developed ulcers on her head shortly afterwards.
So naturally, she went to the doctor again, and what they had to tell her surprised her; doctors found she had raised levels of creatinine in her blood, a sign that her kidneys were malfunctioning. She had blood in her urine, but showed no other signs of infection, and her urinary system, which includes the kidneys, bladder, ureters and urethra, were not blocked, a computed tomography (CT) scan showed.
At each salon appointment, the woman’s hair was treated with a straightening cream containing the chemical glyoxylic acid. This likely caused her scalp to burn and ulcerate, her doctors suggested in a report of her case, published March 21st in The New England Journal of Medicine. Based on experiments in mice, they also theorized that the acid absorbed through her skin and reached her kidneys, which caused damage upon being broken down. Can you imagine that?
In 2021, the BWHS found that African descended women who used hair products containing lye, an ingredient typically found in salon relaxers, at least seven times a year for more than 15 years had a 30% increased risk of developing breast cancer. Among the 50,543 women who participated in the 25-year study, 2,311 participants had developed breast cancer, including 1,843 who developed invasive breast cancers, meaning the cancers spread into surrounding breast tissue. While African descended women have a 4% lower incidence rate of breast cancer than White women, they have a 40% higher breast cancer death rate, according to the American Cancer Society.
The latest research on the effects of hair relaxers was published by Boston University. According to the Black Women’s Health Study, or BWHS, postmenopausal African descended women who have used chemical hair relaxers more than twice a year or for more than five years have an increased risk of developing uterine cancer.
In following 44,798 African descended women for up to 22 years, researchers found a higher rate of uterine cancer among postmenopausal women who reported having used chemical hair relaxers for at least 10 years, regardless of frequency. Better grasping African descended peoples’ health and the factors that contribute to racial disparities in cancer was the intent behind the 22-year study.
So why is all this happening? Why is a relaxer so harmful? Chemical hair relaxers contain endocrine-disrupting chemicals, which can disrupt the functions of the endocrine system (which includes the: thyroid, ovaries, pancreas and adrenal glands) and affect hormone levels. These chemicals include phthalates and parabens, which can be found in relaxers. People can be exposed to them by absorption through the skin or inhaling them in the air. Black women are often exposed to endocrine disruptors by using relaxers, which are applied on the scalp.
Long story short, women of colour; there are other options now: wigs, extensions, or just rocking your natural, especially because now we are supposedly “trending!”
A message to African descended women: embrace your essence with pride. Your identity, appearance, and the natural kink of your hair are manifestations of greatness. By celebrating who you are and how you look, you honor your heritage and affirm your beauty. Embrace your uniqueness with confidence, for it is a testament to the richness of your cultural legacy.
REFERENCES:
https://www.theroot.com/exclusive-the-f-d-a-is-taking-major-action-to-protect-1850906156
https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/fda-proposes-ban-hair-relaxers-formaldehyde-rcna120866
https://academic.oup.com/jnci/article/114/12/1636/6759686?login=false
Moderate Use of Hair Relaxers Does Not Increase Breast Cancer Risk Among Black Women