Women with ovarian cancer are filing hair relaxer lawsuits against L’Oreal and other companies.
What You Can Do & How We Can Help
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting hair relaxer induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know was diagnosed with ovarian cancer after using hair relaxers or hair-straightening products, 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.
What is the Problem?
A growing number of lawsuits have been filed by women who developed ovarian cancer after using hair relaxers to straighten their hair.
These lawsuits allege that hair relaxers contain cancer-causing chemicals and endocrine-disruptors, such as phthalates or DEHP. Studies have linked these chemicals to hormone-sensitive health problems, such as ovarian cancer, fibroids, uterine cancer, and more.
Hair Relaxers Could Double Your Risk of Ovarian Cancer
A recent study has found that women who frequently used hair relaxers were twice as likely to develop ovarian cancer. The study also suggested that even occasionally using hair relaxers could increase ovarian cancer risks by 50%.
The conclusions of the study were based on 40,559 women who participated in the Sister Study and reported using chemical hair-straighteners, hair relaxers, and other hair products like dye kits.
After 10 years, 241 women in the study were diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Women who frequently used hair relaxers (4 times/year or more) were more than twice as likely to develop ovarian cancer.
The researchers also warned that many hair relaxer products contain carcinogens (cancer-causing chemicals like formaldehyde) and endocrine-disruptors that can be absorbed into the bloodstream.
They concluded, “Frequent use of hair straighteners/relaxers or pressing products, which are primarily used by African American/Black women, and possibly permanent hair dye, may be associated with the occurrence of ovarian cancers.”
The study was published in June 2021 in Carcinogenesis — “Use of hair products in relation to ovarian cancer risk”
Hair Relaxer Ovarian Cancer Lawsuit Filed in Missouri
In January 2023, a woman with ovarian cancer filed a hair relaxer lawsuit in Missouri against L’Oreal and other companies for failing to warn her about the risk.
The woman, Tamara S., started using hair relaxers when she was 16 years old, including Dark & Lovely, Optimum, Motions, Organic Root Stimulator (ORS) Olive Oil Relaxer, Soft & Beautiful, TCB, and African Pride.
She continued to use hair relaxers to straighten her hair for nearly 20 years, until she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in February 2010 at the age of 35.
Her treatment for ovarian cancer involved a hysterectomy (surgery to remove her uterus and ovaries), other surgeries, and multiple rounds of chemotherapy, causing significant pain and emotional distress.
Her lawsuit was filed on January 11, 2023 against L’Oreal, SoftSheen-Carson, Strength of Nature, and Namaste Laboratories in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri — Case Number 4:23-cv-00023-LMC.
What is Ovarian Cancer?
Ovarian cancer occurs when abnormal cells grow out of control and create a tumor. Ovarian cancer starts in the ovaries, which are female reproductive organs that make eggs. An estimated 21,000 women in the U.S. will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2020, according to the American Cancer Society.
Ovarian Cancer Symptoms
Ovarian cancer may not cause early signs or symptoms. By the time the symptoms do appear, the cancer is often advanced. The signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer may include:
- Vaginal bleeding (particularly if you are past menopause), or discharge from your vagina that is not normal for you
- Pain, swelling, or a feeling of pressure in the abdomen or pelvis
- Sudden or frequent urge to urinate (pee)
- Trouble eating or feeling full
- A lump in the pelvic area
- Gastrointestinal problems, such as gas, bloating, or constipation
How Is Ovarian Cancer Treated?
Treatment or ovarian cancer usually involves a combination of surgery and chemotherapy.
Many women will need to undergo a hysterectomy, which is a surgery to remove the ovaries, uterus, and sometimes other parts of the reproductive system. They may also need to undergo chemotherapy, a treatment that uses medicine to shrink or kill the cancerous cells.
Do I have an Ovarian Cancer Lawsuit?
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting hair relaxer induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know was diagnosed with ovarian cancer after using hair relaxers or hair-straightening products, 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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