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What is the cost of beauty?: Professors share insight on how hair products can be linked to breast cancer

Parabens are commonly used as preservatives in hair and other personal care products. However, they can also cause breast cancer cells to grow.

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — One in eight women in the United States will get breast cancer, with Black women having a higher risk of getting breast cancer under the age of 40.

A study from the City of Hope National Medical Center found that ingredients found in Black hair products are linked to an increased risk of breast cancer. 

The study said that endocrine-disrupting chemicals called parabens have a large effect on breast cancer in Black women. 

Parabens are commonly used as preservatives in hair and other personal care products. However, they can also cause breast cancer cells to grow.

Dr. Makesha Miggins, Associate professor of breast surgical oncology with the University of Texas MD Anderson Center in Houston, said the study from the City of Hope gives women another opportunity to look at the products they use in their hair. 

It also begs the question, what is the real cost of beauty? 

"Most of my life, there has been some focus on 'is your hair done?' You know, 'do you have your look together.' And I think that we all know that how we look on the outside is really important to us,'" Miggins said. 

She added that the topic of beauty products can provide insight to what people put in their hair. 

"With this study, and all this information about parabens and their effect on our body, potentially being linked to an increased risk of cancer that we have to pay attention to not only the hairstyles that we're choosing, but the chemicals that we're using," Miggins said. 

Relaxer is a popular hair product in the Black community, and is known for its harsh chemicals. 

"We all grew up learning that don't scratch your head, don't do these things before you get the relaxer, protect your ears," Miggins said. 

The product is used to straighten curly hair, but Miggins said that the chemicals used in the product are not discussed enough. 

"We never really heard too much about the chemicals," Miggins said. "And I think that we focused a lot initially on relaxers and whether they contain lye or no lye, thinking that it was the relaxers alone that were the cause."

Leola Coleman, Professor of Cosmetology for Del Mar College, has been working in the cosmetology industry since 1980. She's seen a big difference in the diversity of products that are healthier for clientele.

"Every day there's a new system born and every day the product is getting better and better," Coleman said. 

Whether you're wearing your hair straight, curly, natural, or relaxed, people are urged to pay attention to the chemicals that are used.

"This to me really highlights for us, is that we have to be conscientious consumers," Miggins said. "We have to also do the things that we know are right, pay attention to our health. It highlights the importance of cancer screenings."

For more information on the study, click here.

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