2024-10-15 22:01:00
According to women’s magazines, Brazilian ironing is “fury” in hairdressing salons. But according to the National Agency for Health Security (ANSES), this hair care technique, which consists of injecting keratin into the hair before passing it under heating plates, is not without health risks. ANSES, together with the General Directorate of Competition, Consumption and Fraud Control (DGCCRF) and the Ministry of Health, has published a “Warning on the risks associated with hair straightening products”. The cause is glyoxylic acid, the chemical agent used to straighten hair and keep it shiny for several months.
Since the beginning of the year, ANSES has received, as part of its new cosmetovigilance mission, four reports of acute renal failure occurring following the Brazilian ironing. Furthermore, the DGCCRF and the Ministry of Health “not recommended” the use of straightening products containing glyoxylic acid. The warning applies to hairdressers and their clients, but also to those who apply these preparations at home.
“We absolutely must get the message across, especially to younger people, not to do Brazilian straightening, claims to World Juliette Bloch, director of alarms and surveillance at Anses. It is Obviously there are many other cases that do not come to our attention today. Brazilian straightening is very common, it is not reserved for Afro hairstyles. » Few doctors today make the connection between the symptoms of kidney failure and leveling.
People without history
Signs of kidney failure appear within hours after exposure to glyoxylic acid. They manifest themselves as abdominal or lumbar pain, nausea or even vomiting. In three of the four cases reported to ANSES, the severity of the renal failure required hospitalization. The latest victim left hospital on Monday 14 October after several days of treatment. This is a young woman of 28 years old. “Every time these are people with no history and from whom we do not expect kidney problemsexplains Juliette Bloch. This is not trivial. Even if we can treat these acute deficiencies with overhydration, in the long term they can lead to chronic kidney failure. »
Glyoxylic acid is currently not subject to any restrictions in cosmetics. It has replaced formaldehyde in straightening preparations, the use of which in this area was banned in 2019 due to its carcinogenic potential. ANSES has initiated an expert evaluation of the renal toxicity of glyoxylic acid when applied to hair. Expected by the end of the year, it should allow us to propose an evolution of the European regulatory provisions: restriction or ban.
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