Hair-straightening and cancer
October 18, 2022 6:23 PM Subscribe
Hair-straightening chemical products linked to increased uterine cancer risk in new study. Ongoing research previously suggested that hair straightening chemicals are associated with an increased risk of certain hormone-related cancers, including breast and ovarian cancers, and now, a new study links use of hair straightening products with an increased risk of uterine cancer. Black women may be more affected due to higher use of the products, the researchers noted.
Sigh. I bet that if this had been a product that was primarily used by white people, the possible connection would have been investigated a lot earlier.
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 6:51 PM on October 18, 2022 [8 favorites]
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 6:51 PM on October 18, 2022 [8 favorites]
Crown Laws need to be passed everywhere immediately. Natural hair has to be allowed in business situations without repercussion.
posted by Bottlecap at 7:06 PM on October 18, 2022 [13 favorites]
posted by Bottlecap at 7:06 PM on October 18, 2022 [13 favorites]
25-year-long study of Black women links frequent use of lye-based hair relaxers to a higher risk of breast cancer (2021 PBS article about "Hair product use and breast cancer incidence in the Black Women’s Health Study"); 2017's Hair product use and breast cancer risk among African American and White women
posted by Iris Gambol at 7:11 PM on October 18, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by Iris Gambol at 7:11 PM on October 18, 2022 [2 favorites]
Are the risks higher with more exposure? Some products may be self-applied, but anything done in a salon could be putting both the customer and the stylist at risk; stylists could have quite high exposure. If they show accordingly higher risk too that’s even more reason why this association should have been found earlier.
posted by nat at 12:15 AM on October 19, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by nat at 12:15 AM on October 19, 2022 [3 favorites]
Customers at hair solons would also have more exposure than people straightening their hair at home.
I'm not panicking (maybe just a little), but there was a time in the late 60s when Jewish girls (and probably other curly-haired girls) were straightening their hair. I don't know whether formulations for white people were less concentrated.
posted by Nancy Lebovitz at 3:01 AM on October 19, 2022 [2 favorites]
I'm not panicking (maybe just a little), but there was a time in the late 60s when Jewish girls (and probably other curly-haired girls) were straightening their hair. I don't know whether formulations for white people were less concentrated.
posted by Nancy Lebovitz at 3:01 AM on October 19, 2022 [2 favorites]
well this is awful
posted by supermedusa at 10:26 AM on October 19, 2022
posted by supermedusa at 10:26 AM on October 19, 2022
I'm an oncologist but I don't manage patients with endometrial cancer. This is alarming - any environmental exposure that increases risk of cancer is worrisome, and people are right to point out that if this was a significant question for white women, it would have been asked and answered years ago.
I haven't had a chance to look in-depth at the data to identify sources of bias. I'm waiting for an actual published article, as opposed to the press release from NIH who is running the Sister Study. This was the same team that previously identified a possible increase in risk with hair dye and relaxers in breast and ovarian cancer.
The most recent SEER data for endometrial cancer from 2015-2019 supports that rates of endometrial cancer are pretty similar across race, but far more worrisome is how much more likely Black women are to die of endometrial cancer (which tracks, given that although rates of diagnoses are similar, Black women are more likely to be diagnosed with later stage or higher-grade cancers). It's almost double.
What I want to know:
How much is this data confounded by health disparities and difficulty in accessing basic gynecological care, and then appropriate subspecialty care?
Knowing also that there are several generations for whom the horse is out of the barn - how are we (as health care professionals) going to adapt and change our messaging to make sure that EVERY WOMAN has access to the health care they need, to avoid delays in diagnosis (and decrease death rates)?
How are we going to account for the past sins of medicine to improve patient trust, so that Black patients feel comfortable and safe bringing their health concerns to their HCPs?
How will physicians and pharmaceutical companies work to earn trust from Black patients so that they feel comfortable and safe enrolling in clinical trials for potentially life-saving drugs?
----
A lot of this is going to involve community engagement. It's going to require a focus on social determinants of health, and creating environments of equity and access that go beyond health care. Focusing on access to transportation, air quality, water quality, access to nutritious food, etc.
It's also going to require an ongoing commitment towards creating a diverse group of physicians and advanced practice providers, etc. - starting with prenatal care, child health insurance, quality public education, scholarships and grants to attend college, building pre-admission pathways and other avenues towards postgraduate degrees in medicine, nursing, public health, etc. It's going to mean an ongoing commitment to make sure that health care professional environments aren't actively hostile for minority HCPs, and that there is a commitment towards equity for practice advancement.
posted by honeybee413 at 11:14 AM on October 19, 2022 [4 favorites]
I haven't had a chance to look in-depth at the data to identify sources of bias. I'm waiting for an actual published article, as opposed to the press release from NIH who is running the Sister Study. This was the same team that previously identified a possible increase in risk with hair dye and relaxers in breast and ovarian cancer.
The most recent SEER data for endometrial cancer from 2015-2019 supports that rates of endometrial cancer are pretty similar across race, but far more worrisome is how much more likely Black women are to die of endometrial cancer (which tracks, given that although rates of diagnoses are similar, Black women are more likely to be diagnosed with later stage or higher-grade cancers). It's almost double.
What I want to know:
How much is this data confounded by health disparities and difficulty in accessing basic gynecological care, and then appropriate subspecialty care?
Knowing also that there are several generations for whom the horse is out of the barn - how are we (as health care professionals) going to adapt and change our messaging to make sure that EVERY WOMAN has access to the health care they need, to avoid delays in diagnosis (and decrease death rates)?
How are we going to account for the past sins of medicine to improve patient trust, so that Black patients feel comfortable and safe bringing their health concerns to their HCPs?
How will physicians and pharmaceutical companies work to earn trust from Black patients so that they feel comfortable and safe enrolling in clinical trials for potentially life-saving drugs?
----
A lot of this is going to involve community engagement. It's going to require a focus on social determinants of health, and creating environments of equity and access that go beyond health care. Focusing on access to transportation, air quality, water quality, access to nutritious food, etc.
It's also going to require an ongoing commitment towards creating a diverse group of physicians and advanced practice providers, etc. - starting with prenatal care, child health insurance, quality public education, scholarships and grants to attend college, building pre-admission pathways and other avenues towards postgraduate degrees in medicine, nursing, public health, etc. It's going to mean an ongoing commitment to make sure that health care professional environments aren't actively hostile for minority HCPs, and that there is a commitment towards equity for practice advancement.
posted by honeybee413 at 11:14 AM on October 19, 2022 [4 favorites]
This was great (by which I mean horrifiying) news to read a week after relaxing my hair. Good thing I don't do it very often...
posted by May Kasahara at 12:19 PM on October 19, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by May Kasahara at 12:19 PM on October 19, 2022 [1 favorite]
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Several factors likely play a role in the frequent use of hair straightening products: Eurocentric standards of beauty, social pressures placed on Black and Latina women in workplace settings related to microaggressions and the threat of discrimination, along with desired versatility in changing hairstyles and self-expression.
posted by tiny frying pan at 6:26 PM on October 18, 2022 [5 favorites]