You may have heard that exposure to the chemicals in hair dye can increase a person’s cancer risk. But there’s very little evidence that this is actually something to worry about. Most of the research done has focused on blood cancers and bladder cancer, according to the American Cancer Society. Dr. Arjun Balar, Director of NYU’s Genitourinary Medical Oncology Program, said that people often ask him if the chemicals in hair dye are harmful.
“Right now, it is controversial and I don’t believe that there is a significant, definitive risk associated with the use of hair dyes,” Dr. Balar says. Instead of focusing on avoiding things like hair dye, Dr. Balar recommends people be conscious of the things that we know are associated with cancer risk … like avoiding smoking, hydrating well, and paying attention to symptoms when they occur.
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