Chemical hair straighteners may be linked to higher risk for uterine cancer, researchers say

BOSTON – Women who use chemical hair straighteners may be at higher risk for cancer of the uterus, researchers found.

Researchers at the National Institutes of Health looked at data on more than 33,000 women and found that those who reported frequent use of hair straightening products, in other words, more than four times in the prior year, were more than twice as likely to develop uterine cancer compared to those who did not use the products. 

The incidence of uterine cancer has been rising in the U.S., especially among Black women, who tend to use hair straightening products and relaxers more often and at younger ages.  

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Mallika Marshall, MD

Mallika Marshall, MD is an Emmy-award-winning journalist and physician who has served as the HealthWatch Reporter for CBS Boston/WBZ-TV for over 20 years. A practicing physician Board Certified in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Dr. Marshall serves on staff at Harvard Medical School and practices at Massachusetts General Hospital at the MGH Chelsea Urgent Care and the MGH Revere Health Center, where she is currently working on the frontlines caring for patients with COVID-19. She is also a host and contributing editor for Harvard Health Publications (HHP), the publishing division of Harvard Medical School.

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