A 26-year-old woman experienced acute kidney damage on three separate occasions over two years following routine visits to her hairdresser.
Despite having no previous health issues, she suffered from back pain, fever, vomiting, and diarrhea after undergoing a popular “Brazilian” hair treatment that chemically straightens hair.
Doctors suspect that a product used during the treatment caused the organ damage, as the woman experienced burning sensations on her scalp and developed ulcers during each salon visit.
Examinations revealed elevated creatinine levels and blood in her urine, indicating kidney dysfunction, though she showed no signs of infection.
Fortunately, her kidney function improved rapidly after each episode. However, researchers discovered that the straightening cream used on her hair contained glyoxylic acid, which could have been absorbed through her skin and damaged her kidneys.
The report, published in The New England Journal of Medicine, suggests that hair-straightening products containing glyoxylic acid may pose risks of kidney injury and should be avoided.
While glyoxylic acid has been marketed as a safer alternative to formaldehyde in hair treatments, studies suggest it may still carry risks. Lab experiments on mice exposed to a hair-straightening cream containing glyoxylic acid showed evidence of calcium oxalate-induced kidney damage.
The findings raise concerns about the safety of glyoxylic acid in hair products and suggest the need for stricter regulations or discontinuation of such products.
Potential side effects from keratin treatments, which often contain formaldehyde, include eye irritation, headaches, dizziness, sore throat, coughing, wheezing, nausea, chest pain, vomiting, and rash, according to the FDA.
