Alarming new study finds link between hair dye and breast cancer
Women who frequently dye their hair may be at greater risk of getting breast cancer, a new study has found.
Professor Kefah Mokbel, a breast cancer surgeon at the Princess Grace Hospital in London, reviewed studies on links between hair dyes and breast cancer and found a 14 per cent increase in the disease among women who coloured their hair.
“Although further work is required to confirm our results, our findings suggest that exposure to hair dyes may contribute to breast cancer risk,” his study concluded.
He recommended that women dye their hair only up to five times a year, and use product with natural ingredients, such as henna, rose hip, and beetroot instead.
Professor Mokbel wrote on Twitter: “Women are advised to reduce exposure to synthetic hair dyes to two to six times per year and undergo regular breast screening from the age of 40.
“It would be preferable to choose hair dyes that contain the minimum concentration of aromatic amines suchas PPD (less than two per cent).
“Further research is required to clarify the relationship between hair dyes and breast cancer risk in order to better inform women.
“It is reasonable to assume that hair dyes that consist of natural herbal ingredients such as rose hip, rhubarb etc are safe.”
He added: “There is no evidence that hair relaxers increase breast cancer risk.”
In a separate study, Finnish researchers found that women who use hair dye were more likely to develop breast cancer, but the study conclude it’s not clear if the products were the direct cause of the disease.
“We did observe a statistical association between hair dye use and risk of breast cancer in our study.
“However, it is not possible to confirm a true causal connection. It might be, for example, that women who use hair dyes also use other cosmetics more than women who reported never using hair dyes,” said Sanna Heikkinen of the Finnish Cancer Registry.