‘Breast cancer risk’ from dyeing hair more than six times a year

HAIR dye has been linked to a higher risk of breast cancer – and women should only use it six times a year at most, an expert has warned.

Professor Kefah Mokbel, who has carried out research, said his study suggests that dyeing hair increases the risk of developing the disease by 14 per cent.

The breast cancer surgeon said: ‘What I find concerning is the fact that the industry recommends women should dye their hair every four to six weeks.’

His study concluded: ‘Although further work is required to confirm our results, our findings suggest that exposure to hair dyes may contribute to breast cancer risk.’

Writing on Twitter, the professor, who works at the Princess Grace Hospital in London, said: ‘Women are advised to reduce exposure to synthetic hair dyes to two to six times per year and undergo regular breast screening from the age of 40.

‘Further research is required to clarify the relationship between hair dies and breast cancer risk in order to better inform women.’

He also advised women to switch to products with natural ingredients, such as henna, rose hip and beetroot.

He added: ‘It would be preferable to choose hair dyes that contain the minimum concentration of aromatic amines such as PPD (less than 2 per cent).’

PPD stands for paraphenylenediamine, a chemical often used in hair dyes. Professor Mokbel’s warnings come as Finnish research also suggests that women who use hair dye are more likely to develop breast cancer – though the reasons for this are not clear.

Sanna Heikkinen, from the Finnish Cancer Registry, said: ‘We did observe a statistical association between hair dye use and risk of breast cancer in our study.

‘However, it is not possible to confirm a true causal connection. It might be, for example, that women who use hair dyes also use other cosmetics more than women who reported never using hair dyes.’ The Cosmetic Toiletry and Perfumery Association said hair dyes were covered by robust safety requirements.

More than one in four cases of breast cancer could be prevented, according to charity Cancer Research UK.

However, suggestions that deodorants and other cosmetics could also cause breast cancer are untrue.

On the charity’s website, it says: ‘Rumours about deodorants and other cosmetics causing breast cancer started as an email hoax. There’s no sound scientific evidence that deodorants cause breast cancer.’