Do hair dyes increase cancer risk?

This study also had several limitations. First, participants were female nurses of mostly European descent, meaning the findings are not necessarily generalizable to men or to other racial or ethnic groups. Next, the study could not account for every single cancer risk factor (for example, exposure to pesticides and other environmental chemicals). Data were not collected on other hair grooming products beyond hair dyes, and subjects may have mistakenly reported use of permanent hair dyes when they were in fact using semi-permanent or natural dyes. Without data on actual color of hair dyes used, the authors assumed that hair dye color correlated with natural shades of hair. This assumption may miscalculate true chemical exposures, such as in the case of dark-haired users who had additional chemical exposures from stripping the natural darker pigment. To dye or not to dye? Once pandemic restrictions lift, some may reconsider whether to dye their hair. The key highlights from this study are: Personal permanent hair dye use did not increase risk for most cancers or cancer-related death. This is reassuring, but continued safety monitoring is needed. Additional research is needed to study diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds, specific hair dye colors (light versus dark), cancer subtypes, and exposure levels (personal versus occupational). Though this study exposed possible associations between permanent hair dye use and increased risk for some cancers, there is not enough new evi...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Cancer Skin and Hair Care Source Type: blogs