People who use these products are at higher risk of uterine cancer

A new study found links between a common hair product and uterine cancer, a type of cancer that’s on the rise.

The study, published in the Journal of National Cancer Institute, found an indirect link between hair straighteners and uterine cancer. This type of cancer is more common in black women, which makes this connection all the more curious.

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez via Unsplash

The study followed over 34,000 women for more than a decade and found that women who used hair straighteners frequently had a 4% higher risk of developing cervical cancer. The study defined frequent users as women who used these products more than four times in the previous year.

In earlier years, hair straighteners were linked to other types of cancer, such as ovarian and breast cancer. Hair products such as bleaches, perms, dyes and more did not report this link.

While all demographics have been affected by the use of hair straighteners, this statistic is more worrying for black women, as 60% of them reported using these types of products.

“We don’t want to panic people,” the study’s lead author, Alexandra White, told the New York Times. “A decision could be made to reduce that chemical exposure, but we also want to recognize that there is a lot of pressure on women, especially black women, to have straight hair. It is not an easy decision not to do this.”

Hair straighteners contain a variety of hazardous elements, including metals, parabens and formaldehyde, which can be absorbed through the scalp. The heat of the straightening process and the damage this process can do to the scalp could compound these risks.

Cervical cancer is more likely to be diagnosed in women over the age of 45, but younger women are being diagnosed more frequently with each generation. According to Cancer.org, approximately 65,950 new cases of cervical cancer will be diagnosed by 2022.