Hair dyes could raise risk of breast cancer

October 16, 2017  17:55

Women who frequently dye their hair may be at greater risk of contracting breast cancer, a new study found.

Professor Kefah Mokbel, a breast cancer surgeon at the Princess Grace Hospital in London, reviewed studies on links between hair dyes and breast cancer and found a 14 per cent increase in the disease among women who coloured their hair, according to the Sunday Times.

“Although further work is required to confirm our results, our findings suggest that exposure to hair dyes may contribute to breast cancer risk,” his study concluded.

Women should dye their hair only up to five times a year, and use products with natural ingredients, such as beetroot, he suggested.

In a separate study, Finnish researchers found that women who use hair dye were more likely to develop breast cancer, but said it’s unclear if the products were the direct cause of the disease.

“It might be, for example, that women who use hair dyes also use other cosmetics more than women who reported never using hair dyes,” said Sanna Heikkinen of the Finnish Cancer Registry.

Haircare professionals suggest that women touch up their hair colour every four to six weeks.

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