Hair Loss News

British researchers have warned that allergic reactions to hair dye are increasing as more and younger people color their hair.  Problems reported have ranged from dermatitis on the face to severe cases of facial swelling.

In this past week’s editorial of the British Medical Journal (BMJ), the following stats on hair color usage were noted:

- In 1992 a survey by the Japan Soap and Detergent Association of young people in Tokyo, 13% of female high school students, 6% of women in their 20s, and 2% of men in their 20s reported using hair coloring products.  By 2001 the proportions using hair coloring agents had increased in these three groups to 41%, 85%, and 33%, respectively. Furthermore, female high school students and young women were dyeing their hair at shorter intervals.

- In the USA the proportion of young men coloring their hair increased by 25% in the five years after 1998.

- One leading Japanese company saw its hair dye sales more than double in the 10 years up to 2001, and according to data from the Japanese government total shipments of hair dye to Japan doubled in the 10 years up to 2001.

- In Denmark 75% of women and 18% of men have used hair dye, and the median age for first use of hair dye for both men and women is during the teenage years.

The problem is usually the result of chemical called para-phenylenediamine or PPD.   More than two thirds of hair dyes currently contain para-phenylenediamine (PPD) and other related agents. During the 20th century, allergic reactions to PPD became such a serious problem that it was banned from hair dyes in Germany, France, and Sweden.

Current European Union legislation allows PPD to comprise up to 6% of the constituents of hair dyes on the consumer market, but no satisfactory or widely accepted alternatives to these agents are available for use in permanent hair dye.

Dermatologists have reported anecdotally that the frequency of positive reactions to PPD on patch testing is increasing. This was confirmed in a recent survey in London, which found a doubling in frequency over six years to 7.1% in a clinic for adults with contact dermatitis. This trend has also been observed in other countries.

The authors say that debate on the safety and composition of hair dyes is overdue and that peer pressure for young people to color their hair is putting people at risk and increasing the burden on health services.