According to a recent study done by the National Institutes of Health, women who have used hair straightening chemicals or relaxers may be at higher risk for uterine cancer.
Black women are at an even higher risk as they are more prone to using these products to achieve that silky straight look. Although the natural hair movement is becoming the standard, the silk press is still popular in the Black community.
According to “NPR News,” the study was led by the National Institute of Environment Health Sciences, a branch of NIH, that collected medical records and lifestyle surveys from thousands of women between the ages of 35 and 74. It was called a Sister Study since they chose to study the sisters of cancer patients to understand the risk factors of breast cancer and other diseases.
“We estimated that 1.64 percent 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 percent,” said lead author Alexandra White, the head of the NIEHS Environment and Cancer Epidemiology group,” in an interview with NPR News.
Although uterine cancer is rare, a decade later it was reported that there were over 300 uterine cases found from a study of the participants.
Chemical relaxers and treatment should be used sparingly and with caution. Women in the Black community who have been using straightening chemicals for prolonged periods may want to consider taking a break from processing their hair and even consider alternative methods and styles for getting the look they want. The natural hair movement is expected to expand in both scope and popularity if this connection can be made.
Some people shared their thoughts on Twitter about the correlation between the two.
Basically what they're telling us here is that hair straightening chemicals of unknown brands and unknown ingredients could possibly* cause uterine cancer by mechanisms they're yet to consider…that's a lot of unknowns how is this supposed to take down the creamy crack industry?
— Lone traveller in a sea of familiar faces (@yvonnewabai) October 20, 2022
@TODAYshow To what extent is it the straightening of hair with chemicals and/or extreme heat that leads to uterine cancer vs. the ethnicity of the individual?
Or, stated another way, is the % increase of uterine cancer among black women due to hair straightening or skin color?!
— GHL (@ArmyBlue70) October 18, 2022
