An American study published last Monday sheds light on the link between hair straightening products used by black women and an increased risk of developing uterine cancer. The study that followed more than 33,000 women between 2003 and 2009 reveals that the risk of developing cancer is more than twice as high among women who use these products. An increased risk due to the nature of the chemicals present in this type of hair products
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Paraben, Bisphenol A or the toxic Formaldehyde… All these chemicals are indeed present in hair products intended to straighten the hair. The practice concerns many black women, especially in the United States. Coupled with Brazilian smoothing, these products are clearly toxic for women. This is revealed by this study published in a very serious scientific magazine across the Atlantic.
The study shows that without the use of these products the risk of developing uterine cancer is just over 1.5% in women. For those who use this type of hair product at least 4 times a year, the risk increases and reaches more than 4%. It is therefore more than doubled.
Straightening
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Of the 33,000 women observed, 60% of whom were black women, 378 developed uterine cancer. All of them used straightening products. The researchers therefore warn about the chemicals present in these hair products, without giving a precise brand but denouncing an opacity of the components that compose them.
Cancer of the uterus, not to be confused with that of the cervix, affects just over 8,000 women a year in France. A relatively rare cancer but whose incidence rate is on the rise, especially among black women.