FDA Urges to Ban Chemical Hair Straighteners: What Are the Side Effects?

Every woman today wants to look fashionable! Hair styling is considered a game changer when you want a new look. In an attempt to do that, women today are saying yes to chemical hair straighteners, which get the desired results. But they tend to affect women’s health in the long run.

The side effects of these chemicals aren’t limited to brittle hair texture, lack of luster, reduced hair density, or split ends. It can cause life-threatening diseases like cancer, which can affect a woman’s quality of life and lead to death before her time.

Keeping this in mind, the FDA decided to ban hair-straightening products containing or emitting formaldehyde. Some of the experts in the cosmetic industry have declared this chemical unsafe. Frequent use of this chemical can lead to uterine cancer, ovarian cancer, and breast cancer.

According to the FDA, the immediate reactions and side effects of formaldehyde exposure can also include coughing, throat and eye irritation, chest pain, headaches, allergic reactions, and asthma.

In this article, we will look into the link between chemical hair straighteners and cancer and the potential side effects. We will also discuss how one can file a lawsuit when affected by it to get compensated for their loss.

Can Chemical Hair Straighteners Lead to Cancer?

In 2022, the ‘Journal of the National Cancer Institute’ published a study that revealed women making use of chemical straighteners were at a risk of developing uterine cancer four times more than others. Another study by the ‘National Institutes of Health’ in 2022 supports this claim.

Some studies have linked the chemical hair relaxers to an increased risk of endometriosis and uterine fibroids. Therefore, today thousands of women have filed hair straightener cancer lawsuits against leading manufacturers in an attempt to report their story and attain justice for it.

To date, the defendants include names like Strength of Nature, Soft Sheen Carson, and L’Oreal in their lawsuits. The claimants are filing for compensation, which includes their physical suffering, emotional trauma, lost wages, and medical bills. They have further claimed that the defendants continued to sell these hazardous products despite knowing about their side effects and cancer.

It means that women weren’t aware of its potential side effects, and they realized this later after they were diagnosed with cancer or any other disease. It made them lose trust in these brands and seek legal assistance to bring this matter to light and warm other women.

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Why Are Chemical Hair Straighteners Harmful?

Chemical straighteners usually contain formaldehyde, which is the root cause of all life-threatening ailments. Formaldehyde is a known carcinogen. Hence, the chemicals it releases during a permanent hair straightening process cause major health issues for hair care professionals and customers.

Pregnant women have a higher risk of being affected. It’s wise that they speak with their stylist before deciding to style their hair using this chemical. Ideally, they should avoid chemical hair straightening.

Other than uterine and ovarian cancer, these straighteners have other side effects as well. These include:

• Endocrine-disrupting chemicals contained in these products result in hormone-related ailments.
• Asthma-related chemicals that get released during this process have been linked with asthma, mostly in black women and their children.
• Many women of color have also developed alopecia because of the continued use of hair relaxers.

Hence, if you notice any of these symptoms, other than allergic reactions and severe ailments, you need to get a medical diagnosis for them. It ensures that you get the required treatment to remedy the ailment and provide you with relief.

Black Women are More at Risk Compared to White Women

TorHoerman Law mentions the Resilient Sisterhood Project, which states that black women have a higher chance of developing uterine cancer than white women. They are also vulnerable to fatal tumors, such as malignant mixed Mullerian tumors and serous, clear-cell, high-grade endometrioids.

Additionally, the study conducted by the ‘American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology’ on the mortality rate of endometrial cancer affirms the same. The reason for this is obvious. These women tend to use chemical hair relaxers and straighteners more than white women which leads to severe health hazards.

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Seeking a Legal Recourse

Today, the litigation process is in its early stages. That doesn’t mean you can’t ask for justice for the loss you have suffered.

Hence, if you or anyone you know has developed uterine or any other form of cancer or has suffered greatly after your chemical hair treatment, you can file a lawsuit.

However, ensure that you get in touch with a lawyer for this so that they can provide you with the necessary guidance.

Share every piece of evidence that you have with your lawyer so that they use it to build a strong case and ensure that you receive fair compensation.

To conclude, women should address their style demands and look at ways to look stylish. However, they must exercise caution so that they don’t develop any fatal health issues as a result of a chemical hair styling treatment.

The ones who have faced such problems can file a lawsuit, as that will help to amplify awareness and save other women from straightener-induced chronic ailments.