Hair straightening products are very common and top the best-seller lists, although the method curly and the love for curls gains ground. But, according to a new study by the US National Institute of Health (NIH), they are not recommended at all. We already have another reason to learn to love our curls. Because girls, although historically we have not seen references with curly hair, this type of hair is also beautiful.
According to study data published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, women who use straightening products frequently (exactly more than four times in a year)are twice as likely to develop endometrial cancer, a type of tumor in the uterus.
And although it seems strange, the work indicates that there are no other beauty products that cause the same problem. And therefore, contrary to what has been thought in the past, it has not been proven that dyes, bleaches and permanents can have similar results.
Alexandra White, lead author of the study, has stated that “1.64% of women who have never used a hair straightening product will have developed uterine cancer by age 70, but for frequent users this risk increases to 4.05%.” Something that she points out as worrying.
The NIH study has followed approximately 33,500 American women for nearly 11 years. Unfortunately, the researchers’ work does not present the specific brands or ingredients used by the participating women. Just the popularity of Brazilian straightening in the period from 2003 to 2009.
Even so, among the conclusions they point out the absorption through the scalp of chemicals such as parabens, bisphenol A, metals and formaldehyde.
In the United States straightening products are very common, especially among the black community. According to the study, 60% of the women in the study who used them in the last year were.
Endometrial cancer is not the first to be linked to hair straightening products. Breast cancer has also been previously.
Laura Costas, a researcher at the Molecular and Genetic Epidemiology in Infections and Cancer Unit of the Catalan Institute of Oncology (ICO), explained to the newspaper El Mundo that “it is necessary to replicate the research to see if the evidence is consistent or not”. According to the doctor, “This is the first study to issue this warning about hair straightening treatments.” “Endometrial cancer is not a rare tumour”keep going, “The known risk factors are hormonal, exposure to estrogens or obesity, in addition to a hereditary component that has been identified”. Y “it has a good prognosis when detected early”.
Photos | pexels
In Trendencias | top 29 outfits by Tamara Falcó that inspire our office days and special occasions