Uterine Cancer & Hair Straighteners

Study Discovers Potential Connection Between Uterine Cancer and Chemicals Used in Popular Hair Straighteners and Relaxers

Using chemical hair relaxers and straighteners increases a woman’s risk of developing uterine cancer, according to a recent study from the US National Institutes of Health (NIH).

On October 17, 2022, the results of the study were released in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

Study Specifics

The Sister Study, a sizable, ongoing study searching for risk factors for breast cancer and other health issues, included data from more than 33,000 women.

The study’s female participants were questioned about their usage of various hair products over the course of the preceding year, including hair dyes, straighteners, relaxers, and permanent or body waves.

Women who reported using hair straightening products were nearly twice as likely to have had uterine cancer as those who did not, even after controlling for additional risk factors, following an average of nearly 11 years of follow-up. More than four times in the year prior, frequent straightener users were around 2 12 times more likely to report developing uterine cancer.

The usage of other hair products, such as hair colors, highlights, and perms, did not appear to be associated with uterine cancer, according to the study.

Cancer and Hair Products

In the past, data from the Sister Study have been used to investigate potential connections between hair products and various diseases, particularly tumors that respond to hormones. This covers uterine, breast, and ovarian cancers as well. Endometrial cancers, which begin in the uterine lining, account for the great majority of uterine malignancies or tumors that begin in the uterus.

Specific chemicals used in hair products may be absorbed through the scalp and have estrogen-like effects in the body, raising concerns about potential linkages between some hair products and these cancers. Some hair products may potentially include formaldehyde and other chemicals that have been linked to cancer.

Earlier Sister Study research has also connected using a straightener to a greater risk of breast cancer.

Hair Straighteners Have Bigger Effect on Black Women.

About 60% of the women in the current survey who admitted to using straighteners the year before identified as Black. Although the study did not discover a difference in the risk of uterine cancer based on race, Black women may be more affected because they are more prone to use straightening products. 

According to Che-Jung Chang, PhD, one of the study’s authors, “These findings may be even more significant for them because Black women use hair straightening or relaxer products more frequently and tend to start using them at younger ages than other races and ethnicities.”

Setting the outcomes in perspective.

Using hair straighteners frequently increases the risk of developing uterine cancer from 1.64% to 4.05%, according to research by Alexandra White, PhD, head of the NIEHS Environment and Cancer Epidemiology group and study’s lead author. “This rate of doubling is alarming. Uterine carcinoma is a type of cancer that is rather uncommon, so it’s crucial to put this information into perspective.

Additionally, despite discovering a potential connection between the usage of hair straighteners and uterine cancer, the researchers did not draw the conclusion that doing so is what caused the disease. For this link to be verified and/or made clearer, more research on the subject is required. 

In order to corroborate these results in various groups, ascertain whether hair products contribute to health disparities in uterine cancer, and pinpoint the precise chemicals that may be raising the risk of cancers in women, more research is required, according to White.

Reducing the risk

Based on the few data so far, some women might decide to use hair straightening treatments less frequently or not at all. For those who are worried, there are additional steps you may take to reduce your risk of developing endometrial cancer, the most prevalent kind of uterine cancer, including:

• Achieving and maintaining a healthy weight. Endometrial cancer risk has been associated with obesity (extreme overweight). 
• Engage in regular exercise. A lower risk of endometrial cancer has been associated with higher levels of physical activity.

Have you filed a lawsuit against a chemical hair straightener?

It has been demonstrated that using chemical hair straightening or relaxer products doubles a woman’s risk of developing uterine cancer. You can be entitled to compensation from a hair straightener lawsuit if you used chemical hair straightening products and afterward developed uterine cancer.

Call (214) 390-4173 or use our contact form to learn more about your legal options right away.

The First Hair Straightener Lawsuit

A Missouri lady is suing L’Oréal, Revlon, and other hair straightening companies on the grounds that their products caused her to get uterine cancer.

Just days after a U.S. National Institute of Health (NIH) research revealed that women who frequently used hair straightening products were twice as likely to acquire uterine cancer than non-users, Jenny Mitchell filed her lawsuit in federal court in Illinois.

Later, two additional women in New York and California brought their own complaints. Mitchell’s lawyer, Diandra “Fu” Debrosse Zimmerman of the DiCello Levitt company, is managing an onslaught of such litigation that has been growing and she anticipates it to continue. For a number of cases, Debrosse Zimmerman is collaborating with managing partner Larry Taylor of the Cochran Firm Texas and other legal organizations. Taylor is in charge of matters involving mass torts, employment, crime, and civil rights.

Why Are Manufacturers of Hair Straighteners Being Sued?

According to Mitchell, she started using hair relaxer treatments around the age of eight and maintained using them until March 2022. She was given a uterine cancer diagnosis on August 10, 2018, and six weeks later, had her uterus completely removed, according to the lawsuit.

According to Mitchell’s legal team, her exposure to phthalates and other endocrine disruptors present in the defendants’ hair care products “was directly and proximately caused by her regular and protracted exposure to cancer.”

Other deadly disorders, including endometriosis, uterine fibroids, and preterm births, can be brought on by these complex substances.

The brands under which the hair relaxers are offered include Just For Me, Dark & Lovely, Optimum Care, and Motions, among others.

Mitchell alleges that despite being aware of their potentially hazardous contents since at least 2015, L’Oréal purposefully marketed their hair relaxers to Black women and girls.

The lawsuit’s defendant businesses all either denied requests for interviews or did not do so.

Can Products Used To Straighten Hair Cause Cancer?

33,947 American women between the ages of 35 and 47 who took part in the “Sister Study,” which investigated risk factors for breast cancer and other health issues, were included in the hair straightening study. Uterine carcinoma was discovered in 378 people over the course of over 11 years.

Participants were not questioned by the researchers regarding the manufacturers or components of their hair relaxers. However, they discovered that a number of widely used straightener chemicals might raise the risk of uterine cancer.

They postulated that because relaxers are applied to the scalp and absorbed more quickly through unintentional burns than other beauty treatments, they would be more dangerous.

According to the study’s findings, women who used hair relaxers at least four times in a year had a chance of acquiring uterine cancer by age 70 of about 4%, compared to just 1.6 percent for women who hadn’t used them.

It also mentioned that Black women, who made up just 7.4% of the total participants but almost 60% of those who admitted to using straighteners, had the strongest association between the goods and cancer.

The most prevalent gynecological cancer in the nation is uterine cancer, with rates among Black women rising especially quickly.

Have Hair Straighteners Caused You to Develop Uterine Cancer?

The legal action against the makers of hair straighteners is not the first to center on hair care products.

Proctor & Gamble had to recall Pantene’s dry shampoo in 2021 because it had unsafe quantities of the carcinogen benzene. Customers sued the multi-level marketing beauty company, Monat, in 2018 over hair care products that they claimed included hazardous ingredients that accelerated baldness and caused hair loss.

“Chemical relaxers and straighteners were introduced to us at a young age, as they were to most young African-American girls,” stated Mitchell. To appear a certain way and feel a certain way has become the norm in society. And I am the first of many voices that will rise up against these corporations and scream, “No more.

You might be eligible to join the fight against cosmetic businesses that intentionally utilize harmful chemicals in their goods if you have been diagnosed with uterine cancer and believe it was brought on by your usage of hair straightening products. You can defeat a sizable manufacturer with its own strong insurance and legal team with the aid of an accomplished personal injury lawyer with experience in product liability. 

Call (214) 390-4173 or get a free case evaluation to see if you qualify.

Who May Bring a Lawsuit Against a Chemical Hair Straightener?

Using a chemical hair straightener may qualify you to sue the manufacturer if you:

• Applied chemical relaxers or hair straighteners.
• Later received a uterine or endometrial cancer diagnosis.

Bringing Legal Action Against Chemical Hair Straightening Products

Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case. When a product is put on the market, it should be safe for people to use.

You can take a stand against the manufacturers of chemical hair straighteners by bringing a lawsuit against them and requesting money damages that will help you pay for your medical care.

At Carter Law Group, we are aware of how trying this must be for you and your loved ones. Our lawyers handle every step on your behalf in an effort to reduce your worry during the legal process.

Your hair straightener lawyers and legal team typically participate in this process because:

• Verifying that your situation is suitable for legal action
• Developing your argument by gathering proof such as testimony and medical records
• Submitting your hair straightener claim before any deadlines imposed by law.
• Talking with the defendant in a hair straightener lawsuit settlement(s)
• Seeking a decision during a courtroom trial. 

Chemical Hair Straightener Verdicts & Settlements

One of two possible outcomes from a chemical hair straightener lawsuit is compensation:

• Hair Straightener Settlements: These are known as when your legal team and the defendant(s) can agree on a sum of money as recompense for your injuries.
• Trial Verdicts: In the event that a settlement regarding your hair straightener claim cannot be reached, your case may be heard in court at a trial, when a judge or jury will hear the claim and render a verdict.

What to Search for in a Lawyer for Hair Relaxers?

Not every lawyer or law firm have the expertise and assets required to simultaneously file lawsuits against many major cosmetic corporations. These businesses frequently have strong in-house legal departments that may work to safeguard their financial interests and, if feasible, keep them from being held accountable.

Our lawyers at Carter Law Group work to level the playing field between victims and the organizations or businesses that wronged them.

Why do you want to file a hair relaxer claim with Carter Law Group?

• Established & Experienced: For more than 20 years, Carter Law Group has defended the rights of aggrieved clients by pursuing restitution and justice.
• Millions of Dollars Recovered: Because our staff is dedicated to fighting for the outcomes our customers deserve, we have secured over $100 million in compensating payments to our clients.
• Legal Assistance Available Nationwide: Carter Law Group can assist you no matter where you are in the United States. We have offices and attorneys in almost every state as a nationwide product liability legal firm specializing in Hair Straightener cancer claims.
• No Hourly Fees or Out-of-Pocket Costs: There is no financial risk in pursuing legal action because our hair relaxer attorneys only get paid if your case results in compensation.

You want a lawyer who will stand up for you, and our team will do just that. Let us use our years of experience to your advantage. For a free case evaluation right away, dial (214) 390-4173.

Help with Lawsuit Filing for Hair Relaxers/Straighteners

Carter Law Group is sincerely committed to helping victims who need assistance the most through our legal services and decades-long commitment to ensuring equal access to the justice system.

You weren’t treated fairly, but we’ll do all in our power to make it right. For more than 20 years, our Law Firm has been proudly speaking up for the powerless in the face of damage.

Let us assist you in holding the businesses that produced and sold these hazardous hair products responsible for their avarice and carelessness.

To find out if you qualify, call (214) 390-4173 or submit your case today.