A few days ago there was a report in the press about the relationship between the use of smoothies and the risk of developing uterine cancer. It did echo of a study published in the magazine Journal of the National Cancer Institute, on 17 October 2022. The study in question is this: Use of Straighteners and Other Hair Products and Incident Uterine Cancer.
During these last days have seen in innumerable social networks videos speaking of this news and thousands of women concerned by the effect of the straightened in his health, doing queries on if this or that straightened can generate cancer or if they go to have to leave to dye the peel by the risk to suffer cancer in a future. And I find it logical, because the headline that has appeared in the means is not for less.
Why in Spain do not have to go in in phase of alarm in front of this news that seems to run like the gunpowder in social networks?
To start with the study is made in United States on a population (afroamerican) and legislation other than Spanish.
The study doesn't identify the type of straightened used by the participants in said study, probably because neither the users nor the hairdressers knew it. To know interpret properly the labeling of the straightened it is necessary to be an experienced professional of the cosmetic (chemical, pharmaceutical... specialized).
And it is that the labels of the products of straightened sell different types of straightened: straightened of keratin, straightened Brazilian, Japanese smoothing, Moroccan smoothing, taninoplastia, botox capillary and endless names created by the marketing team of the companies, but, What is really behind these names?
The article does not identify it, but yes speaks of formaldehyde. It fits a question All the straightened used by the members of the study contained formaldehyde? A priori it would seem rare that like this was, but consider that this data is very important to the hour to establish conclusions, since it could not indicate the straightened like something general, but the straightened with formaldehyde or even do manager to the ingredient, of the cancer of uterus.
The African American population that has participated in this epidemiological study would have made use of this type of straightening in many of the cases about 4 times/year in both hairdressers and at home.
As I have indicated before, the mentioned study yes does allusion to that the formaldehyde could be one of the managers of the increase of risk to suffer cancer of uterus, but it is necessary to take into account that in Europe and therefore in Spain, the formaldehyde is forbidden in cosmetic.
It is necessary to indicate that a product of straightened with formaldehyde carries it in proportions a lot greater, more than 5%, but as I say, these proportions are forbidden by the European cosmetic legislation.
Therefore we can't extrapolate the results obtained in United States with the situation of the straightened in Spain, since our legislation does not allow the use of straighteners with formaldehyde and this study relates a priori directly, formaldehyde with the highest risk of developing uterine cancer. Even in the United States it shouldn't be said that straightening agents could be responsible for the increase in uterine cancer, since according to the article, the formaldehyde contained in straightening agents would actually be responsible.
Headlines like these only create alarm and confusion for consumers, and put the cosmetics industry on the ropes.