Roots – Daily Prompt

How many of you dye your hair? You can’t let those roots show. You must run to the salon or do it yourself to keep your hair that nice bottled color.

Hair dye is a carcinogen.

Researchers have been studying a possible link between hair dye use and cancer for many years. Studies have looked most closely at the risks of blood cancers (leukemias and lymphomas) and bladder cancer. While some studies have suggested possible links, others have not

Most of the studies looking at whether hair dye products increase the risk of cancer have focused on certain cancers such as bladder cancer, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, leukemia, and breast cancer. These studies have looked at 2 groups of people:

• People who use hair dyes regularly
• People who are exposed to them at work

Bladder cancer: Most studies of people exposed to hair dyes at work, such as hairdressers and barbers, have found a small but fairly consistent increased risk of bladder cancer. However, studies looking at people who have their hair dyed have not found a consistent increase in bladder cancer risk.

Leukemias and lymphomas: Studies looking at a possible link between personal hair dye use and the risk of blood-related cancers such as leukemia and lymphoma have had mixed results. For example, some studies have found an increased risk of certain types of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (but not others) in women who use hair dyes, especially if they began use before 1980 and/or use darker colors. The same types of results have been found in some studies of leukemia risk. However, other studies have not found an increased risk. If there is an effect of hair dye use on blood-related cancers, it is likely to be small.

Breast and other cancers: Most studies looking at hair dye use and breast cancer have not found an increased risk. For other types of cancer, too few studies have been done to be able to draw any firm conclusions.

Many people use hair dyes, so it is important that more studies are done to get a better idea if these dyes affect cancer risk.

In my earlier years, I dyed my hair regularly. Once I was diagnosed with IC, I was told that there might be a link between hair dye and bladder cancer so I stopped dying my hair for a while. But eventually I had to give it one more try to see if it had any affect on my IC bladder. I must say, I will not be dying my hair again! I went into a horrible flare almost immediately after the dye was applied. I guess I’m doomed to be a brunette, instead of a red-head. Oh well, it’s all good.

https://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancer-causes/hair-dyes.html