Hair relaxers have been linked to a 30% increased risk of breast cancer, raising concerns for millions of women who use chemical hair-straightening products.
What You Can Do & How We Can Help
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting hair relaxer induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know has been diagnosed with breast cancer, uterine fibroids, uterine cancer, or endometriosis after using hair relaxers or chemical hair-straightening products, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Product Liability Litigation Group or call toll free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.
What is the Problem?
Many hair relaxers and chemical hair-straightening products contain toxic chemicals that are known to cause cancer or have hormone-disrupting side effects.
Because many breast cancers are influenced by hormone changes, experts believe that these chemicals could play a role in the development of breast cancer and other reproductive health problems affecting women, such as uterine fibroids, endometriosis, and uterine cancer.
Hair Relaxers Linked to 30% Increased Risk of Breast Cancer
Hair relaxers were linked to an increased risk of breast cancer in a major study that was published in the International Journal of Cancer in December 2019.
The lead author, Dr. Alexandra White and colleagues warned that women who used hair relaxers at least every 5 to 8 weeks were about 30% more likely to develop breast cancer.
The link between hair relaxers and breast cancer was similar in African American and white women, but it was much more common for African American women to use chemical hair straighteners.
The researchers concluded:
“We observed a higher breast cancer risk associated with any straightener use and personal use of permanent dye, especially among black women. These results suggest that chemicals in hair products may play a role in breast carcinogenesis.”
Another Study Links Hair Relaxers and Cancer
In October 2022, another study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute found that women who used hair straighteners were twice as likely to be diagnosed with uterine cancer compared to women who did not use the products. This researchers warned, “Hair products may contain hazardous chemicals with endocrine-disrupting and carcinogenic properties.”
List of Popular Hair Relaxer Products
- Ultra Precise
- Dark & Lovely
- Bantu
- Optimum
- Motions
- Just for Me
- ORS Olive Oil
- African Pride
- TCB Naturals
- Luster’s
- Africa’s Best
- Creme of Nature
- TCB
- Mizani Rhelaxer
- Soft & Beautiful
- Ultra Sheen Supreme
Cancer-Causing Formaldehyde in Hair Smoothing Products
Some types of hair relaxers and other chemical hair-straightening products contain formaldehyde, which is a known carcinogen (cancer-causing chemical).
Formaldehyde is also known as formalin or methylene glycol. Products containing these ingredients are typically applied in a hair salon, followed by a high-heat treatment to seal the solution in. The heat also releases formaldehyde into the air.
According to the American Cancer Society, “professional keratin hair-smoothing treatments can contain formaldehyde or formaldehyde-releasing chemicals. Using these can raise indoor air levels of formaldehyde.”
The highest risk is for people who work in hair salons that use hair-straightening products that release formaldehyde when the solution is heated, according to this FDA warning.
What is Breast Cancer?
Breast cancer happens when cells in the breast start to grow and divide uncontrollably, which creates a mass of tissue called a tumor. The cells can invade the tissue surrounding the breast, or travel to other parts of the body and create new tumors (called metastasis).
Early Symptoms of Breast Cancer
- Breast or nipple pain
- Change in size, shape or contour of breast
- Hard area under the skin
- Lump on the breast
- Tissue thickening in or near the breast or underarm
- Changes in the look or feel of the skin on the breast or nipple (dimpled, irritated, puckered, scaly, inflamed, etc.)
- Skin redness
- Abnormal area on the breast
- Nipple discharge that is blood-stained or clear fluid
- Nipple retraction
Do I have a Hair Relaxer Lawsuit?
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting hair relaxer induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know has been diagnosed with breast cancer, uterine fibroids, uterine cancer, or endometriosis after using hair relaxers or chemical hair-straightening products, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Product Liability Litigation Group or call toll free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.
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