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Women warned of hair iron dangers
Girls and young women are burning their scalps and suffering permanent hair loss through overuse of ceramic hair straighteners.
A leading Sydney hair expert has issued a health warning about the current fashion for the “ironed” look.
Tony Pearce, director of National Trichology Services clinic at Rozelle (sic), has warned that many women are using the devices incorrectly.
His warning follows the release of medical research showing that hospital emergency departments have had an increase in women coming in with severe burns from their hair irons, which can reach up to 200 degrees.
There are also concerns that some straighteners have a Teflon coating containing a chemical that may cause cancer. The US Environmental Protection Agency recently identified perfluoro-octanoic acid, a chemical used in the making of Teflon, as possibly cancer-causing.
Ceramic hair straighteners have become increasingly popular in recent years, with top-end brands, such as GHD, costing up to $300.
Mr. Pearce, a trichologist specialising in female hair loss, said using straighteners was fine, in moderation.
“The people who are most likely to use them wrongly are young girls who are trying to pull their hair as straight as possible all the time” he said. “This group are also prone to low iron levels in their body so their hair is already weaker and more liable to damage”.
Mr. Pearce said some people are using the irons far too close to their scalp, causing burning and blistering. Others were pulling their hair so straight they were pulling out (hair from) follicles around the hairline.
“If you keep doing that over and over again the follicles become so damaged they don’t grow (hair) anymore….you can see that they have a receding hairline because of the damage”.
British researchers reported on the hazards of hair straighteners for the first time last year with a study published in the Emergency Medicine Journal.
(As written by Ms. Maxine Frith & appeared in the Sydney Sun-Herald, Sunday September 16th 2007)
About Tony Pearce: Tony Pearce RN is a Specialist Trichologist and a Registered Nurse. He is a founding member of the Society for Progressive Trichology & the official lecturer for Analytical Reference Laboratory (ARL) for hair loss & hormone imbalance. He is the Clinical Director for Trichology Hair Solutions of Virginia/DC in the United States. In Australia he can be contacted on 02 9542 2700, or through his website at www.hairlossclinic.com.au.
© Copyright Anthony Pearce 2007.
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