Does Hair Dye Increase Breast Cancer Risk?
For many women, their hair displays a huge part of their identity. Hair dye gives women the opportunity to promote their self-confidence and show an extension of their personality. However, recent research has some women ditching the dye after suggesting that chemical hair dyes may cause an increase in breast cancer risk.
The 2019 study by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) concluded that women who regularly in 12 months used permanent hair dye were more likely to have an increased risk of developing breast cancer by 9% more than women who did not use permanent hair dye.
The study also found the difference between Black women and White women who regularly used permanent hair dye every five to eight weeks. Black women saw a 60% increased risk for breast cancer, while White women saw an 8% increased risk for breast cancer compared to women who did not use permanent hair dye.
Different Types of Hair Dyes
There are three types of hair dyes:
Permanent: These hair dyes are the most popular as they chemically penetrate the hair shaft creating lasting changes until new growth from the scalp.
Semi-permanent: These hair dyes also penetrate the hair shaft but only last for up to 10 washes.
Temporary: These hair dyes don’t penetrate the hair shaft. They cover the hair’s surface and only last up to two washes.
There is no increase in breast cancer risk in semi-permanent or temporary dyes.
Only a small amount of chemicals from hair dye are absorbed through the scalp, and during the 2019 study, there was no information on why these hair products might increase breast cancer risk.
Hair dye treatments containing endocrine disruptors, which are chemicals that may interfere with your hormones, can cause concern regarding hormone-driven cancers such as breast, ovarian, and prostate cancers.
The Effects on Black Women
The researchers noted the products marketed and used by Black women have much higher concentrations of estrogens and endocrine-disrupting chemicals. Other factors are the darker hair dyes, and the frequent use of hair dyes can cause a higher breast cancer risk in Black women.
Alternative Methods
If you are concerned about the hair dye link to breast cancer risk, there are a few modification suggestions:
Try using lighter shades of hair dye.
Dye your hair less frequently.
Use temporary hair dyes instead of permanent dyes. Temporary hair dyes were not linked to increased breast cancer risk.
Try newer hair dye products that are vegetable-based. They are not known to make drastic changes to your hair color, or the color doesn’t last as long as permanent hair dyes.
Whether you use hair dyes or not, there are proven ways to prevent breast cancer risk, such as maintaining a healthy weight, reducing alcohol consumption, quitting smoking, and staying physically active.
Although the 2019 study showed that hair dye might increase the risk of breast cancer, these products do not directly cause breast cancer. Compared to other risk factors and possible causes of breast cancer, using permanent hair dyes is very low. More research must be completed to know how chemicals found in hair products may increase the risk of developing breast cancer.
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If you have concerns and questions regarding breast cancer, schedule your appointment with Dr. Gore by contacting North Atlanta Breast Care.
Disclaimer: This article is not a substitution for seeking medical attention.