Experts Tell SurvivorNet No Need to Panic about Hair Dye and Cancer Link

A recent large-scale study that identified a link between permanent hair dye and chemical straightening products with an increased risk of breast cancer has many women wondering if they should embrace their natural hair.  Experts tell SurvivorNet, however, that you shouldn’t be too worried.

“This study, while a large number of patients, needs further investigation to determine the correlation of hair dye with breast cancer,” Dr. Sarah Cate, a breast cancer surgeon at Mount Sinai Health System, tells SurvivorNet.

And Dr. Dale Sandler of the National Institutes of Health, who co-authored the study, tells SurvivorNet, “More research is needed before we can make firm recommendations … chemical hair products are just one of many factors that may influence a woman’s chances of getting breast cancer.”

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The Study

Published in the International Journal of Cancer, the study looked at data collected from some 47,000 women ages 35-74 over the course of roughly eight years. Each woman had a sister with breast cancer but was breast cancer‐free herself. Overall, researchers found:

• A 9% increase in breast cancer incidence among all women who had used permanent hair dye
• An 18% increase in breast cancer incidence among all women who used chemical straighteners
• A 31% increase in breast cancer incidence among all women who used chemical straighteners frequently (every 5-8 weeks)

RELATED: Black Women Die From Breast Cancer at Shockingly Higher Rates Than White Women

When it came to the permanent hair dye, the researchers noted that the increase in breast cancer rates was much higher when they looked at black women specifically. They found:

• A 45% increase in breast cancer incidence among black women who had used permanent hair dye, compared to black women who never used hair dye
• A 60% increase in breast cancer incidence among black women who used permanent hair dye frequently (at least every 5-8 weeks)
• A 60% increases in breast cancer incidence among black women who frequently use permanent hair dye is a striking statistic (but as the researchers and experts who spoke with SurvivorNet pointed out, it’s important to recognize that black women were already known to have higher rates of breast cancer at the onset).

Chemicals Are Rampant, but Effects Unclear

The question as to whether hair dye can increase cancer risk is not a new question. Over 5,000 different chemicals are used in hair dye products, some of which are reported to be carcinogenic (cancer-causing) in animals, the National Cancer Institute reports. Many hair products contain chemicals potentially relevant to breast cancer. Researchers have been looking into this for years, and have yet to come up with enough evidence to say for certain whether the link is reason to worry.

In a conversation with SurvivorNet about hair dye and bladder cancer in February 2018, for instance, Dr. Arjun Balar, director of the Genitourinary Medical Oncology Program at the NYU Perlmutter cancer center, came down on the side of not over-thinking the dangers. “I don’t believe that there is a significant definitive risk associated with the use of hair dyes,” he said.

Dr. Arjun Balar spoke with SurvivorNet about how there is no solid evidence that hair dye can cause cancer.

Having said that, the possibility that permanent hair dyes and chemical hair straighteners may have detrimental health effects could be a good reason to switch to alternative products such as temporary or semi-permanent hair dyes and other methods of straightening your hair.

“Since semi-permanent dyes and rinses were not associated with breast cancer risk, use of these formulations may be a good alternative for women if these products work for them,” Dr. Sandler said.

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