Brain/Skull Scarring

[motherpopcorn562]

Question:
If the relaxer/dye cannot penetrate the skiull (which makes sense because it is a bone), can it then be absorbed into the skin( scalp) and redistributed to the brain, via the bloodstream, therefore causing brain damage?


Just a question for those who know.

 

[mrsmeredith]

This has been a hoax for years now but if caustic chemical exposure is such a big issue then there would be no soap. We use soap everyday or I hope everyone does but there is no soap without Lye. No such animal exist.

 

[C.I.M.S.]

So relaxers can permeate the skull and permanent hair color cannot?

 

[Emoniegirl03]

deleted .................

 

[hair4romheaven]

OK, I'm confused.

I was a forensic major and D.R.s have commented on the use of chemicals on the scalp over a long period of time can and will cause discoloration to the outer layer of the brain, however there hasn't been any core case studies to prove that the relaxers, dyes etc is the actual cause of said discoloration. This is all a matter of opinion from a D.R. I do believe that the use of any hard chemical over a period of time has adverse effects but of course that is my opinion.

 

[supermodelsonya]

This has been a tale since the beginning of time.

Anyone that knows anything about bone composition and the would be effects of such a low percentage of sodium hydroxide, never mind the all of the layers of vascularized tissue it would have to penetrate in order to even reach the skull can figure out that there is not basis to this claim. And brain scarring? So the chemical would have to get to the cranium, penetrate the 6-8 millimeters of bone to then reach the meninges....Okay

I SWEAR I look forward to reading your posts.....always a breath of fresh air.

 

[naturalepiphany]

I remember hearing about this a couple years ago. Last year I had a speech to do for one of my classes that required research from creditable sources. I took this opportunity to pursue the subject. Do you know that out of all the scholarly research I went through I only found one article that actually gave ONE paragraph about relaxers and that its most harmful effects were possible hair loss after extended use or if used improperly. I found journal articles by doctors that were saying that most operating room fires started from a patients hair not being properly covered and having products in them. I also found more research articles about developing children, out side of a study, and rats in a research study receiving cancer from different lotions. Another article I found was not from a scholarly journal, but it was a newspaper that stated a stylist was giving herself a hair color service and died. It was detailed in the article that she died from repetitive inhalation of the chemicals in color treatments as a stylist. Its what she did day in and day out.

I don't know what I find more interesting the fact that I found more articles on side effects to lotion, or the fact that there was close to nothing about relaxers in general. That was the purpose of my speech, but instead I ended up talking about lotions (I personally switched to shea butter), hair sprays, and briefly color treatments (I love henna). I have to be honest with you all the information I found made me a little more informed, but not drastically enough to completely change everything I was using.

But, if you really want to find the truth about the products your using in general you have to do the research yourself which in turn makes you a better and healthier consumer.

For more info on the chemicals in your products you can go to ewg.org

Or to find out more about a specific product you can go to cosmeticsdatabase.com
Just a forewarning this cosmetic database does not have every single product they are still building.

 

[Ms. Alainious]

Yea...not sure I buy the scarred brain theory.

However, I DO know a lady who sustained MAJOR damage when some relaxer got inside her ear canal...

Watch your ears ladies! If you/your stylist gets sloppy with the creamy crack, you might want to put some cotton inside your ears.

 

[Lola Laughs]

...
I don't know what I find more interesting the fact that I found more articles on side effects to lotion, or the fact that there was close to nothing about relaxers in general..

Don't hold your breath. Black health in general is not a priority in the medical community, IMO. Especially since black hair products = $$$$$.

 

[Kash]

Don't hold your breath. Black health in general is not a priority in the medical community, IMO. Especially since black hair products = $$$$$.

that's what i'm thinking too. there is no way the fda is going to mess with an industry that makes billions for the white man, but only affects the health of black women. based on the history of this country, i can't see it really being a priority of theirs.

 

[firecracker]

I've worked in the M.E office and funeral homes Yes this is true!
I always justified it by saying I relax only 2x a year but hey everything has something in it that will eventually kill you with excessive use. Deodorant causes cancer(it has aluminum in it) toothpaste and silver filling causes cancer it has flouride & mercury in it.
Ok I'm done I'm going to live in a bubble! anyone like to join me? LOL

Well plenty of us 60's babies gon die from that silver filing cancer fo sho. I am sure women of other races are being skull scarred to from relaxers and going bald along with thinning hair from all that hair dyeing. We are all choosing a greater or lessor evil living in todays world. I guess I can now tell my employer I'm irrational due to all that scarring from years of relaxer. I"m gon just stick to Chinese medicine and join this poster in her bubble.

 

[jada1111]

It must be the same with white women that color their hair blonde for years on end (usually beginning in their teens).

 

[Kurlee]

that's what i'm thinking too. there is no way the fda is going to mess with an industry that makes billions for the white man, but only affects the health of black women. based on the history of this country, i can't see it really being a priority of theirs.

we definitely need more blacks in research. The issues that affect our quality of life are simply not looked into because the ones doing the research are not aware or checking for those areas.

 

[MissYocairis]

Hey op i found this on a MD forum.

" Q. Is it true that all Black women straighten their hair with dangerous chemicals ?

A. 73% of all African American women with naturally kinky, tightly coiled hair straighten their hair by using very powerful chemicals like “lye” which work to change the basic structure of your hair. Very powerful toxic chemicals penetrate the hair cortex and break down the structure and pattern of your hair.

After the process the hair is permanently damaged in a very powerful and dangerous way and no matter how you look at it; it is bad for your hair and scalp, and most likely will eventually lead to hair loss.
This process of straighten or relaxing the hair will make the hair like hay, weak and fragile and more susceptible to breakages.

Constant use of the potent relaxer chemicals can cause toxin by-products that will eventually clog up your hair follicles and seep into the scalp and blood stream."

I'm a relaxed gal. And, I believe the above bolded. I also am leaning toward believing the "urban legend" about the green/gray "cap" that is found on dead bw during an autopsy. It just makes sense, that something so causitc WOULD INDEED leave some damage to the scalp, follicles, bloodstream, etc. after prolonged use. It really isn't that far of a stretch.

I asked this question in a stretching/growth thread...if you stretch longer, does your hair grow faster due to the reduced exposure to lye on your follicles? Clearly your follicles are going to be damaged from lye...what if you reduce the exposure to none or very little? Do your follicles have time to regenerate and heal? Thus producing better hair growth?

I'd love for some of our doctors and medical students to chime in on this thread.

I don't think it has to be a relaxed versus natural debate...but just getting down to brass tacks about what prolonged exposure to lye will do to your follicles and bloodstream.

Thanks for starting the thread, OP.

 

[comike]

I was a forensic major and D.R.s have commented on the use of chemicals on the scalp over a long period of time can and will cause discoloration to the outer layer of the brain, however there hasn't been any core case studies to prove that the relaxers, dyes etc is the actual cause of said discoloration. This is all a matter of opinion from a D.R. I do believe that the use of any hard chemical over a period of time has adverse effects but of course that is my opinion.

You were a forensics major so you should know a little about anatomy and physiology, I guess. And, I'm sure you also know that the brain is not only protected by the scull but also by cerebrospinal fluid. I'm sure you're also aware that the brain is a very vascular (lots of blood vessels) and the tissue of the brain is very delicate, therefore, the least bit of damage to the brain would be apparent in the cognitive, motor and sensory functions of the body. The least amount of injury to brain tissue itself would also result in brain swelling. Maybe these sculls and brains that you observed had scarring from something other than a relaxer.

Another thing to point out...it's even difficult to treat brain tumors because it's nearly impossible for medications to penetrate the blood-brain barrier...to get medications to brain tissue. If it was so easy for chemicals to pass from the scalp to brain tissue, I'm sure scientists, medical professionals would have figured it out by now.

 

[Adaoba2012]

Question:
If the relaxer/dye cannot penetrate the skiull (which makes sense because it is a bone), can it then be absorbed into the skin( scalp) and redistributed to the brain, via the bloodstream, therefore causing brain damage?


Just a question for those who know.

Absolutely not. There is a something called the Blood brain barrier which prevents chemicals and harmful substances that aren't supposed to flow into the brain from entering the brain. There is no way that this stuff would get to the brain that way unless it was specifically formulated to do so...and an example of that would be a drug made to work in the central nervous system...not a perm.

 

[MissYocairis]

OK but what about damage to hair FOLLICLES? Anyone? Hmm? Anybody?

 

[kittykhat]

Note: This is not an attack against those who relax their hair.

I was watching some vids on youtube and came accross this comment.

@MissLady8282 I had a relaxer up until 2008 when I interned in a Manhattan ER & we did rotations thru every dept of the hospital. In one I worked in the morgue & we did an autopsy on a black woman. When we cut her scalp, she had brain/skull scarring. Our docfellow said most black women putting chemicals in their hair are slowly frying the skull & eventually the brain. I dont care about natural vs. relaxed; i care about health.

OMG!!! :burning:

I don't know if this is happening to every black women who relaxes but I'm sure a good majority of us didn't/ don't get our hair properly relaxed. (I was one of them )

How sad

There definitely needs to be more education about caring for our hair.

(p.s. This is not an attack against those who relax their hair. I am just saying that in real life, at least in my personal experience most black women don't know how to care for their hair..natural or relaxed.)

I believe there definately damaging, no matter how healthy the relaxed hair may look. But it's just like smoking, or not taking care of yourself--i.e. eating junk food all day or not exercising. Meh.

 

[longhairlover]

Relaxers will cause scarring when used improperly like any other chemical, if you are burning your scalp then yeah you will have some scarring but the body is made to heal and that's what it does heal, alot of women are victims of bad perms both done at home and at the salon. all women use chemicals from coloring to various types of relaxers and these are women of all races, in that person's comment they are assuming it's from the relaxer but the person really didn't specify if they took samples to test so that her comment is 100% on point. It's like "this patients black that's from relaxers, was the patient even relaxed"? I think she like many others was talking out her arse because why emphasize it was a "black" woman, what would've been the assumption if it had been a white person? People........

 

[Adaoba2012]

I mean I'm sure if you applied a relaxer in you hair and left it on for 2 days you would have significant folicle damage products have specific directions for a reason.

 

[gymfreak336]

You were a forensics major so you should know a little about anatomy and physiology, I guess. And, I'm sure you also know that the brain is not only protected by the scull but also by cerebrospinal fluid. I'm sure you're also aware that the brain is a very vascular (lots of blood vessels) and the tissue of the brain is very delicate, therefore, the least bit of damage to the brain would be apparent in the cognitive, motor and sensory functions of the body. The least amount of injury to brain tissue itself would also result in brain swelling. Maybe these sculls and brains that you observed had scarring from something other than a relaxer.

Another thing to point out...it's even difficult to treat brain tumors because it's nearly impossible for medications to penetrate the blood-brain barrier...to get medications to brain tissue. If it was so easy for chemicals to pass from the scalp to brain tissue, I'm sure scientists, medical professionals would have figured it out by now.

Brain scarring usually occurs with tramua to the brain via strokes, severe migranes, seizures, or some sort of neurological disorder.

As far as the blood stream goes, the first layers of your skin are not vascularized so there is not blood vessels to penetrate. Plus if you are relaxing correctly, you won't have the chemical on your head long enough to begin to breach certain layers of your skin. Another reason to properly use relaxers or don't use them at all. Base the scalp, don't let the chemical burn you, don't apply them too frequently, etc... all are part of being responsible with the chemical service, no different than being responsible with hair dyes and facial chemical peels.

 

[gymfreak336]

OK but what about damage to hair FOLLICLES? Anyone? Hmm? Anybody?

That would be on a person to person basis. Considering that follicular damage has many sources, how much one impacts a person depends on many factors. Part of the reasons why follicular damage can occur with chemical relaxers is misuse. People leave the chemical on their heads too long, they relax too frequently, they don't base their scalp before application, and they don't follow a proper shampoo and conditioner regime on a regular basis.

Hair loss in our community is not exclusive to relaxed heads. You see people that have never relaxed their hair have hair loss from follicular damage just as you see people who left Just for Me on for 45 minutes every 6 weeks for 2 years have hair loss from follicular damage. The rate of recovery of follicular damage is dependent on the source, the length of exposure, and the overall habits of that person.

 

[motherpopcorn562]

This has been a hoax for years now but if caustic chemical exposure is such a big issue then there would be no soap. We use soap everyday or I hope everyone does but there is no soap without Lye. No such animal exist.

There is soap without lye. Glycerin saop. Castille saop. Vege based oil soap etc

I have to use it becuase of my allergies

 

[UrbainChic]

I def think if this were an issue there would be tons of research on it. Also I highly doubt the FDA would approve relaxers if this were the case.... Although, they approve all other sorts of dangerous things... perhaps the hundred years of hair relaxing slipped through the cracks?!?! OMG this may very well be the cosmetics company equivalent of the Tuskegee experiment. The government and scientific community does have a history of being shady.

The FDA has extremely limited authority over cosmetics. Cosmetics are the least regulated products American consumers buy. There is no required testing before a product hits the market, so a products safety ( or lack thereof) can only be be evaluated AFTER it has hit the market and AFTER it has damaged several individuals and probably AFTER they have a class action suit.

According to the FDA website, the FDA does not have legal authority to require or mandate a recall, the a recall is a voluntary action taken by a company or producer of a product.( the FDA can ask for a recall, but has no authority to enforce it-- so if it happens its probably due to pending litigation)

also because of the category of product relaxers fall into, exposure to sodium hydroxide and other caustic chemicals does not qualify as ill effects from exposure to an "adulterated product", so the FDA will probably not be able to even politely request a recall.

Just thought you guys should know, YOU have to be vigilant about your own cosmetics because the FDA has limited capacity to protect you as a consumer.

I dont think relaxers seep through the skull and then into your brain, it goes against what I know about biology, but I definitely want you guys to know you have to look out for yourself!

BTW I posted this info to empower all of you, not scare and/or depress you!

Here are some links and resources--including the FDA website-- just so you know I'm not a conspiracy theorist and didnt pull this out of my behind :


You can start by taking the FDA How Smart Are You About Cosmetics quiz here-- short but extremely enlightening

FDA Hair page

FDA Authority over Cosmetics

Women's Health.gov FAQs

safecosmetics.com

Smartskincare.com

 

[Junebug D]

If relaxers were that harmful and deadly, we'd see and hear a LOT more about how so-and-so died or had a stroke or got diabetes or whatever from lye overdose; and there'd be a lot of bald-headed women walking around. And by that I mean BALD, not short & damaged hair that can be corrected with TLC. Relaxers aren't anything new.

 

[Junebug D]

Hair loss in our community is not exclusive to relaxed heads. You see people that have never relaxed their hair have hair loss from follicular damage just as you see people who left Just for Me on for 45 minutes every 6 weeks for 2 years have hair loss from follicular damage. The rate of recovery of follicular damage is dependent on the source, the length of exposure, and the overall habits of that person.

Yes, I believe our styling choices and methods are perhaps even a bigger cause of concern: pulling our hair back tightly. Personally, I lost more hair from wearing an afro puff and from 8 weeks of microbraids than I lost the whole time during childhood and beyond that I was relaxed.

 

[Bene]

Not to be a total d*ckhead cynic and all, but I can't see how this would make any sort of sense. I mean, are we supposed to completely ignore the skull and all the membrane layers and what not that you have to get through to get to the actual brain? Really, in order for any sort of chemical to have the sort of effect on the brain, the skull would have had to have been melted away or something.

It's one thing to criticize the use of relaxers because, if misused, they can lead to hair loss. But to tell people that they scar brain tissue is both physiologically inaccurate and somewhat alarmist.


edit:

Gymfreak said it better

 

[~Sparklingflame~]

With all the chemicals we slather on our bodies, with all the chemicals and fumes we breath in with every breath, and all the chemically laden foods we ingest all day every day, a chemical relaxer barely even registers on the radar.

If we're gonna die, surely its not from a relaxer.

 

[MissYocairis]

Brain scarring usually occurs with tramua to the brain via strokes, severe migranes, seizures, or some sort of neurological disorder.

As far as the blood stream goes, the first layers of your skin are not vascularized so there is not blood vessels to penetrate. Plus if you are relaxing correctly, you won't have the chemical on your head long enough to begin to breach certain layers of your skin. Another reason to properly use relaxers or don't use them at all. Base the scalp, don't let the chemical burn you, don't apply them too frequently, etc... all are part of being responsible with the chemical service, no different than being responsible with hair dyes and facial chemical peels.

How is this different from medical/chemical topical creams? For instance, Progesterone cream is administered by just rubbing into the skin and it makes its way into your bloodstream. And, what about the patch?

Is the difference between these sorts of medications and relaxers just the amount of TIME that the product has contact with skin/scalp? I'm just wondering how we actually know that the relaxer doesn't have time to breach those layers and get into the bloodstream. There have been no toxicology studies published that illustrate that theory.

It's just us taking the word of the FDA and Softsheen Carson 'nem. Which, for cosmetics is a voluntary organization. The FDA does not require premarket approval on cosmetic products. You can put your relaxer on the market and never register with them.

And, even if a relaxer is registered with the FDA, they are not subject to testing unless there has been a series of complaints and they decide to do a plant inspection. Since when are the FDA and Soft Sheen Carson 'nem sufficiently concerned with the healthy hair growth for black women over profits and commerce?

Where are the toxicological studies? I always found it "odd" that relaxers are supposedly safe during pregnancy. How so? Where's the proof on that?

I guess my point is, just like there are no studies proving the theory of the "green cap", there are also none that show the effects of long-term relaxer use on the scalp, hair follicles, and/or the human body in general and there is very little regulation in place for the marketing of products that contain either sodium hydroxide or guanidine hydroxide.

And, since there are no studies supporting or refuting either position, then neither position can be ruled out.

 

[MissYocairis]

The FDA has extremely limited authority over cosmetics. Cosmetics are the least regulated products American consumers buy. There is no required testing before a product hits the market, so a products safety ( or lack thereof) can only be be evaluated AFTER it has hit the market and AFTER it has damaged several individuals and probably AFTER they have a class action suit.

According to the FDA website, the FDA does not have legal authority to require or mandate a recall, the a recall is a voluntary action taken by a company or producer of a product.( the FDA can ask for a recall, but has no authority to enforce it-- so if it happens its probably due to pending litigation)

also because of the category of product relaxers fall into, exposure to sodium hydroxide and other caustic chemicals does not qualify as ill effects from exposure to an "adulterated product", so the FDA will probably not be able to even politely request a recall.

Just thought you guys should know, YOU have to be vigilant about your own cosmetics because the FDA has limited capacity to protect you as a consumer.

I dont think relaxers seep through the skull and then into your brain, it goes against what I know about biology, but I definitely want you guys to know you have to look out for yourself!

BTW I posted this info to empower all of you, not scare and/or depress you!

Here are some links and resources--including the FDA website-- just so you know I'm not a conspiracy theorist and didnt pull this out of my behind :


You can start by taking the FDA How Smart Are You About Cosmetics quiz here-- short but extremely enlightening

FDA Hair page

FDA Authority over Cosmetics

Women's Health.gov FAQs

safecosmetics.com

Smartskincare.com

***Thanking Ms. UrbanChic***