Lawsuits have been filed by women who were diagnosed with endometrial cancer after using hair relaxers to straighten their hair.
What You Can Do & How We Can Help
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting endometrial cancer induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know was diagnosed with endometrial cancer after using hair relaxers, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Product Liability Litigation Group or call toll free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.
UPDATE: Hair Relaxer Lawsuit Filed by Woman With Endometrial Cancer
In January 2023, a woman from Ohio who was diagnosed with endometrial cancer in 2019 filed a hair relaxer lawsuit against L’Oreal and other beauty companies. The woman used Dark & Lovely, Motions, and Designer Touch for more than 30 years. Click here to read more.
Endometrial Cancer Lawsuit Filed Against Dark & Lovely Hair Relaxers
In December 2022, a lawsuit was filed by a woman from Illinois who blames Dark & Lovely Hair Relaxers on her endometrial cancer.
The lawsuit was filed by LaDonna M., a woman who started using Dark & Lovely hair-straightening products when she was only 9 years old, in 1986. She continued to routinely use Dark & Lovely until 2007.
She was diagnosed with endometrial cancer in June 2022. She was only 36 years old and had no family history of endometrial cancer.
She claims that her cancer was caused by long-term exposure to toxic chemicals in Dark & Lovely Hair Relaxers, including phthalates and other endocrine-disrupting chemicals that can mimic hormones.
The lawsuit was filed against L’Oreal and Soft Sheen-Carson on December 12, 2022 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois (Eastern Division) — Case 1:22-cv-06978.
What is Endometrial Cancer?
Endometrial cancer (also known as “endometrial carcinoma”) is the most common type of uterine cancer. Every year, about 65,000 women develop uterine cancer in the U.S., and more than 90% of them are diagnosed with endometrial cancer.
Black Women Twice as Likely to Get Endometrial Cancer
Studies have shown that Black women are twice as likely to develop endometrial cancer compared to White women. Black women also suffer a poorer long-term prognosis, although the reasons why are unclear, according to U.S. Cancer Statistics and Facts.
Study Links Hair Relaxers and Uterine Cancer
The number of hair relaxer lawsuits has grown significantly since October 2022, when a major study found a doubled risk of uterine cancer for women who used hair relaxers at least 4 times per year.
The study was published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute by researchers who warned that “hair products may contain hazardous chemicals with endocrine-disrupting and carcinogenic properties.”
What Are Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals?
Hair relaxers may contain phthalates, DEHP, and other endocrine-disrupting chemicals that have been linked to hormone-sensitive health issues that affect millions of women.
How Do Chemicals Get Into My Body?
Unlike other types of hair products, the harsh chemicals in hair relaxers commonly cause sores and burns on the scalp, providing a pathway for endocrine-disrupting chemicals like phthalates to be absorbed by the body.
Health Risks Linked to Hair Relaxers
The problem is that endocrine-disrupting chemicals can mimic hormones like estrogen in a woman’s body. In recent years, studies have linked these chemicals with hormonal health issues, such as:
Common Symptoms of Endometrial Cancer
- Abnormal vaginal bleeding, spotting, or discharge
- Bleeding in between periods, or after menopause
- Pelvic pain or pressure
- Abnormal results from a Pap test
- Painful urination
- Pain during sexual intercourse
- And more
Hysterectomy For Endometrial Cancer
Most women who are diagnosed with endometrial cancer will need a hysterectomy, which is surgery to remove the uterus, cervix, and usually ovaries. In a younger woman, having a hysterectomy can immediately trigger menopause and she will be unable to become pregnant.
Hair Relaxer Lawsuits Seek Compensation for Long-Term Medical Care
For many women, developing endometrial cancer and having a hysterectomy can have a devastating emotional impact, as well as a physical one.
In recent lawsuits against L’Oreal and other beauty companies, women who blame hair relaxers on their endometrial cancer are seeking financial compensation for pain and suffering (emotional and physical), medical expenses, long-term health problems, lost income due to time off work, and more.
Do I have an Endometrial Cancer Lawsuit?
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting endometrial cancer induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know was diagnosed with endometrial cancer after using hair relaxers, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Product Liability Litigation Group or call toll free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.
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