Hair Coloring During Pregnancy or if you are pregnant
Or planning to get pregnant or if you are working in a hair salon, please read the following carefully. About 20 million Americans, mostly women, are exposed to hair dyes each year. It has been estimated that at least 35 to 40% of all women in the United States and Europe use hair dyes. When it comes to taking care of your hair, isn’t it more satisfying to be crowned by a head of thick, shiny hair? Want to share your life with good and bad hair days? When a Bad Hair Day leaves your depressed and apathetic, while a good one can lift your spirits. Guess what? You are not alone! According to Hoovers, there are about 65,000 hair care salons in the United States with combined annual sales of about $19 billion! A small portion of these sales are for hair cuts, but most of this money is spent on Hair Color.
Potential Dangers to Hair Coloring During Pregnancy
According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), concerns exist pertaining to the safety of these products. Why? Because some of the ingredients in hair dyes are carcinogenic and teratogenic (causing malformations in fetuses). There are reports of hairdressers having increased risk of spontaneous abortion, congenital malformations, childhood cancer and developmental problems exist. Older literature from 1980 reported that men and women exposed to hair dyes, on their job, where at an increased risk of leukemia and cancer of the urinary bladder, ovaries, gastrointestinal tract and respiratory tract. Nasca, reported in the Journal of the NCI, that there is a higher risk of breast cancer in women that use hair dyes. Pregnant women around the world, using some common beauty products, have a higher risk of exposure to themselves and their unborn child, because of potentially carcinogenic chemicals in these products. Many women are hesitant to use dyes and Hair Coloring During Pregnancy, due to fears regarding chemical use and absorption, with risks to the fetus.
Concerns about the safety of hair dyes overall with Hair Coloring During Pregnancy
The combination of hormonal hair growth increases during pregnancy, and the increased need for coloring as a woman ages, obviously predicts an increased use of these products. With all this in mind, I thought it would be a good idea, to write an article, examining the literature we have to date, regarding the concerns about the safety of hair dyes and safety overall with Hair Coloring During Pregnancy. You can then make up your mind, whether to use these products or not. Overall conclusions, however, should be based upon the method of dye application (personal vs hairdresser), the colors used, the frequency of coloring, and the differences between varying product components available on the market. What are the different kinds of hair dyes? There are three classifications: Permanent, Semi-permanent, and Temporary. Chemical composition of hair dyes determins the classification. Permanent dyes are the most common and comprise about 75% of all hair dye products. They act by oxidation of dye precursors with hydrogen peroxide, permeating the hair fiber and producing the color associated with the dye. Hair dyes are often applied with a brush. Permanent hair dyes allow more dramatic changes in hair color. Do not wash, and it will last until the hair grows out or is cut. Semi-permanent dyes comprise approximately 20% of all dyes and directly penetrate the hair cortex without the use of oxidizing agents. The color usually lasts for 6-12 washes. These dyes, often applied by hand, are mostly used to cover gray or highlight the natural color, and are often purchased over the counter. Temporary dyes, which are about 5% of all hair dyes, last until the hair is washed. This hair coloring is deposited on the cuticle layer of the hair and remains until shampooed out. It generally does not lighten hair, but is used to restore the natural color of hair to intensify a different color, or add highlights to natural hair color. It is also used to cover a limited amount of gray hair, or eliminate yellowish shades from white or gray hair. Hair dye chemicals are a concern with Hair Coloring During Pregnancy . Several studies have reported an increased risk of childhood brain tumors (CBT) as a result of to exposure to N-nitroso compounds, which are shown to be commonly found in hair dye.
There are 2 broad classes of the N-nitroso compounds: Nitrosamides and Nitrosamines
Nitrosamides are unstable and do not require enzymatic activation and are inclined to tumor formation at the exposure site. Nitrosamines, commonly found in tobacco smoke and beer, are considered carcinogenic agents. Chemicals in hair dyes are aromatic amines which are converted into nitrosamines. Nitrosamines, require this bioactivation and can initiate tumor formation in places at locations other than the initial exposure site. Hair dyes are NOC-related aromatic amines tested and contain the solutions with ammonia, hydrogen peroxide, dyes, coal tar and lead acetate. Many studies classify these agents as carcinogenic in animals when dosed orally, because they alter DNA, but there exists “inadequate evidence” to determine carcinogenicity in humans when applied topically. How does exposure to the fetus occur when a pregnant woman uses Hair Coloring During Pregnancy ?Exposure to the fetus occurs during routine use since many of the chemicals used are skin permeable. Exposure can also occur via ocular, oral, or inhalation routes, which can then cross the placenta and affect the fetus. Many of these chemicals can be stored in body fat and mothers milk.
What type of toxicities have been described in Hair Coloring During Pregnancy
What type of toxicities have been described in Hair Coloring During Pregnancy ? There have been many inconsistent results between use of hair dyes and various childhood cancers. Some studies have an association between hair dye and maternal risk of childhood cancer. The immature nervous system of the fetus has been found to be especially vulnerable to carcinogens and mutagens. If exposure occurs during development of the nervous system during the first trimester, the nervous system may be more vulnerable to cancer and brain tumors. Neuroblastoma, comprising about 6 to 10% of all childhood tumors in the developed world, is one of the most common cancers in children during the first year of life. This increased risk in Hair Coloring During Pregnancy is also confirmed by McCalls article in 2005 in Cancer Causes and Control. Many of the chemicals used in 1987 in hair dyes have since been discontinued (2-4-diaminoanisole, 4-amino-2 nitrophenol), and HC Blue. Other studies from the West Coast have found no association with hair dye use before or during pregnancy.
Do different types of hair dyes present different levels of risk?
Temporary dyes (includes semi-permanent) appear to have more toxicity than permanent dyes in pregnancy. Unlike permanent dyes that contain oxidizing agents that allow the dye to irreversibly bind to the hair shaft, and therefore has lower skin absorption. Semi permanent dyes achieve their coloring action via the use of various solvents (alcohols and ethylene glycol ethers) which penetrate the scalp more efficiently compared to permanent dyes. In addition, skin contact occurs with more semi-permanent dyes, as a foam or rinse solutions of surfactants, which facilitate the absorption. Semi-permanent hair coloring products also contain nitro derivatives of phenylenediamines or aminophenols, azo dyes and aminoanthraquinone dyes and N-nitroso compounds that have been shown to be transplacental neurocarcinogens in rodents. In addition, semi-permanent dyes tend to be used by the same person, permanent dyes were used more by a hairdresser. With self-application there is more exposure to skin surface, such as hands, than if an outside person did the applications. Smokers have also been found to have greater toxicity than non-smokers with the use of dye. Added exposure to nitrosamines and other carcinogens in cigarette smoke added to those carcinogens present in the hair dyes. (International Agency of for Research on cancer-IARC-1993) Certainly skin disorders like contact dermatitis and occupational asthma are major health problems for hair dressers. (Kersemaekers, 1995)
Summary:
Limited human data, inconsistent results, and differences among products with varying chemical formulations used, make it impossible to draw conclusions on safety. Overall, many studies support no consistent association of congenital anomalies with hair dyes, after many of the regulated carcinogens were removed.
There does appear to be some difference between the use of permanent and temporary hair dyes with Hair Coloring During Pregnancy. Risk appears to be higher for mothers with semi-permanent dyes at any time with Hair Coloring During Pregnancy or in the months before pregnancy, compared to other types of hair dyes used. Hair dye formulations have changed over time with removal of some substances and inclusion of new and better ones for color range.
The FDA has discontinued use of 2,4-diaminotoluene, and 2,4-diaminoanisole in permanent dyes and HC Blue No 1 and 4-amino-2-nitrophenol used in semi-permanent dyes because of possible carcinogenic effects. It is absolutely essential that pregnant women reduce their risk, especially in the first trimester. If dyes are going to be used, using protective gloves and facial mask, using a well-ventilated room, avoiding eating or drinking during exposure, and avoiding frequent exposure are essential.
If one chooses to use Hair Coloring During Pregnancy it is generally recommended to wait until after the first trimester, when most of the baby’s organ systems have been formed. Dying the strands in this manner will prevent the chemicals from contacting your scalp, reducing the absorption risks.
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Consult your obstetrician for further information on Hair Coloring During Pregnancy .
