Abstract
Chemical relaxers are products marketed to straighten the hair and have been principally used by African Americans since the early twentieth century. They contain alkaline agents that break and reform hydrogen and disulfide bonds, leaving hair permanently straightened. Relaxers cause loss of tensile strength and increased fragility of the hair shaft that lead to increased risk of hair breakage and thinning. When used improperly, they can also cause local irritant contact dermatitis and chemical burns to the scalp and hairline that can potentially lead to a scarring alopecia. After interviewing several cosmetology educators in the field and reviewing the literature, we generated a list of ten pearls that all dermatologists should know about relaxers to provide professional guidance to their patients.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 9-11 |
| Number of pages | 3 |
| Journal | Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology |
| Volume | 16 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs |
|
| State | Published - Mar 1 2017 |
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Keywords
- African hair
- afro-centric hair
- afro-textured hair
- chemical relaxers
- cosmetic
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Dermatology
Cite this
Ten pearls every dermatologist should know about the appropriate use of relaxers. / Richardson, Vanessa; Agidi, Ada T.; Eaddy, Erica R.; Davis, Loretta S.
In: Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, Vol. 16, No. 1, 01.03.2017, p. 9-11.Research output: Contribution to journal › Comment/debate
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Ten pearls every dermatologist should know about the appropriate use of relaxers
AU - Richardson, Vanessa
AU - Agidi, Ada T.
AU - Eaddy, Erica R.
AU - Davis, Loretta S
PY - 2017/3/1
Y1 - 2017/3/1
N2 - Chemical relaxers are products marketed to straighten the hair and have been principally used by African Americans since the early twentieth century. They contain alkaline agents that break and reform hydrogen and disulfide bonds, leaving hair permanently straightened. Relaxers cause loss of tensile strength and increased fragility of the hair shaft that lead to increased risk of hair breakage and thinning. When used improperly, they can also cause local irritant contact dermatitis and chemical burns to the scalp and hairline that can potentially lead to a scarring alopecia. After interviewing several cosmetology educators in the field and reviewing the literature, we generated a list of ten pearls that all dermatologists should know about relaxers to provide professional guidance to their patients.
AB - Chemical relaxers are products marketed to straighten the hair and have been principally used by African Americans since the early twentieth century. They contain alkaline agents that break and reform hydrogen and disulfide bonds, leaving hair permanently straightened. Relaxers cause loss of tensile strength and increased fragility of the hair shaft that lead to increased risk of hair breakage and thinning. When used improperly, they can also cause local irritant contact dermatitis and chemical burns to the scalp and hairline that can potentially lead to a scarring alopecia. After interviewing several cosmetology educators in the field and reviewing the literature, we generated a list of ten pearls that all dermatologists should know about relaxers to provide professional guidance to their patients.
KW - African hair
KW - afro-centric hair
KW - afro-textured hair
KW - chemical relaxers
KW - cosmetic
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84979742696&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84979742696&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/jocd.12262
DO - 10.1111/jocd.12262
M3 - Comment/debate
VL - 16
SP - 9
EP - 11
JO - Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology
JF - Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology
SN - 1473-2130
IS - 1
ER -