First Large Study of Hair Relaxers among Black Women Finds Increased Risk of Uterine Cancer
Chemical hair relaxers are heavily marketed to, and commonly used by, Black women to straighten curly or tightly coiled hair. Only loosely regulated, these products are known to contain potentially harmful ingredients— including chemicals known as endocrine disruptors that can be absorbed via inhalation or through the skin. Prior studies have linked these chemicals to a wide range of women’s reproductive health outcomes.
A study in the journal Environmental Research has reported that long-term use of chemical hair relaxers by postmenopausal Black women is associated with increased risk of uterine cancer. Compared to women who never or rarely used hair relaxers, those who reported using hair relaxers more than twice a year, or for more than five years, had a greater than 50% increased risk of uterine cancer.
“Our study suggests that moderate and heavy use of chemical hair relaxers may be associated with higher risk of uterine cancer among postmenopausal Black women. In addition, there are major racial disparities in uterine cancer. Compared to non-Hispanic white women, Black women have higher rates of aggressive subtypes of uterine cancer and are nearly twice as likely to die from their disease,” said corresponding author Kimberly Bertrand, ScD, associate professor of medicine.
The researchers asked nearly 45,000 women in the Black Women’s Health Study who had no prior history of cancer and an intact uterus about their past use of chemical hair relaxers. They then followed the women for up to 22 years and compared rates of uterine cancer among women who reported frequent or long-term use of hair relaxers to rates among women who never (or rarely) used hair relaxers. They found that, among postmenopausal women, rates of uterine cancer were statistically significantly higher for those who commonly used hair relaxers even after adjustment for other potential risk factors.