Study: Women Who Permanently Dye Their Hair Could Be at Higher Risk of Developing Breast Cancer

There’s no denying that dyeing your hair can be fun as you get to experiment with all kinds of colours that will give you a whole new look.

But research has reportedly discovered that women who use permanent hair dye or chemical straighteners often could be at a higher risk of getting breast cancer, reported Daily Mail.

About 50,000 white and African-American women were tracked over eight years by researchers at the National Institutes of Health.

They discovered that those who used permanent hair dye regularly were nine percent more likely to develop breast cancer, compared to those who hadn’t, while those who did chemical hair straightening every five to eight weeks were at a 30 percent higher risk of developing the disease.

Source: Shutterstock

This is because the chemicals used in hair dyes are able to get into the skin through the scalp, while the chemical fumes could also be inhaled while applying the dye, according to researchers.

Hair dye products contain more than 5,000 chemicals, some of which are allegedly carcinogenic in animals, reported the National Cancer Institute.

The women who participated in the study were asked about their use of hair dyes and chemical hair straighteners. The researchers then looked at who developed breast cancer at follow-up.

Source: LA Times

African American women who used permanent dyes every five to eight weeks had a 60 percent increased risk of breast cancer, while the risk was eight percent among white women.

This may be because hair products that African Americans use have different chemicals or because they are more likely to use dark colour dyes – which have a higher concentrations of chemicals.

A mixture of chemicals is applied to the hair, including formulations in which the carcinogen formaldehyde is an active ingredient. On the other hand, researchers found little to no increase in breast cancer risk for semi-permanent or temporary dye use.

Source: New Nation News

Now, it is not stated that women will confirm confirm get breast cancer if they permanently dye their hair. It just states that there is an increased risk of cancer and it all depends on how much, how long and how often women are exposed to carcinogenic chemicals.

Also read: M’sian Mum Regrets Giving 2yo Son Junk Food After He Develops Cancer Symptoms