Hair Relaxers Linked To Fibroid Tumors In African American Females

A new study in the American Journal of Epidemiology has linked hair relaxers to uterine fibroids, as well as early puberty in young girls.

Scientists followed more than 23,000 pre-menopausal Black American women from 1997 to 2009 and found that the two- to three-times higher rate of fibroids among black women may be linked to chemical exposure through scalp lesions and burns resulting from relaxers.

Women who got their first menstrual period before the age of 10 were also more likely to have uterine fibroids, and early menstruation may result from hair products black girls are using, according to a separate study published in the Annals of Epidemiology last summer.

Three hundred African American, African Caribbean, Hispanic, and White women in New York City were studied. The women’s first menstrual period varied anywhere from age 8 to age 19, but African Americans, who were more likely to use straightening and relaxers hair oils, also reached menarche earlier than other racial/ethnic groups.

While so far, there is only an association rather than a cause and effect relationship between relaxers, fibroid tumors, and puberty, many experts have been quick to point out that the hair care industry isn’t regulated by the FDA, meaning that there’s no definite way to fully know just how harmful standard Black hair care products really are.

Fibroid Facts

Fibroids are tumors that grow in the uterus. They are benign, which means they are not cancerous, and are made up of muscle fibers. Fibroids can be as small as a pea and can grow as large as a melon. It is estimated that 20-50% of women have, or will have, fibroids at some time in their lifetime.

If you were considering ditching your relaxer to improve the health of your hair, now there might be good cause to avoid them for your body's health, too. A new study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology reports that the use of hair relaxers may increase the risk of uterine fibroids.

This new research reveals that in a sample of 23,000 pre-menopausal Black American women between 1997 and 2009, Black women had reportedly two or three times higher rate of uterine fibroids. In the case of young Black girls, their research shows that there is an association between African-Americans girls who use straightening and relaxer hair oils and the onset of their menstrual cycle. This is earlier than other racial groups including African Caribbean, Hispanic, and White women. The Mayo Clinic defines uterine fibroids as noncancerous growths of the uterus that often appear during your childbearing years.

Researchers fear that Black women are being exposed to chemicals that gain access into the body through lesions on the scalp by burn from hair relaxers.

Will you be thinking twice before your next relaxer?

Fox 29's Joyce Evans also reports that the hair industry is not regulated by the FDA. This means there is no way of knowing just how dangerous chemical relaxers are.

Hair Relaxers & Fibroids: MyFoxPHILLY.com

Read more: http://www.essence.com/2012/02/24/hair-beat-can-hair-relaxers-cause-uterine-fibroids/#ixzz1qL4p77o6