Researchers find uterine cancer risk more than two and a half times higher for women who used straightening products.
“We estimated that 1.64% of women who never used hair straighteners would go on to develop uterine cancer by the age of 70, but for frequent users, that risk goes up to 4.05%,” the study leader, Alexandra White of the US National Institute of Environmental Health Safety (NIEHS), said in a statement.
“However, it is important to put this information into context. Uterine cancer is a relatively rare type of cancer,” she added.
Still, uterine cancer is the most common gynecologic cancer in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), with rates rising, particularly among Black women.
The link between straightener use and uterine cancer did not differ by race in the study.
But “because Black women use hair straightening or relaxer products more frequently and tend to initiate use at earlier ages than other races and ethnicities, these findings may be even more relevant for them,” Che-Jung Chang of NIEHS said in a statement.