NIApedia

According to the North American Contact Dermatology Group (NACDG), 20 percent of U.S. women color their hair, along with an unknown number of men. (Have you seen Walt Frazier in those Just for Men hair-gel commercials?) With baby boomers aging and younger women turning hair color into a fashion accessory, these numbers are only rising.

But although changing your look is common, new research shows that Black folks are more likely to be allergic to p-Phenylenediamine (PPD), the active ingredient in hair dyes. The more you use hair color, the greater the likelihood you'll become sensitive to it, as well as to other unrelated substances, from sunscreen to prescription medications. In fact, PPD causes so many people to react to it that the NACDG named it the Contact Allergen of the Year in 2006.

What are your risks? Click below to find out more.

Known by a variety of aliases, PPD is found in almost all consumer and professional hair colors, as well as fabric and fur dyes, dark-colored cosmetics, black henna temporary tattoos, black rubber, greases, and other substances. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved it for use in hair dyes, but not for direct application to the skin--which seems odd, given that it touches the scalp, ears, and forehead for roughly 30 minutes.

No wonder that all hair-coloring products bear a warning label stating that the product "contains ingredients which may cause skin irritation on certain individuals, and a preliminary test according to accompanying directions should first be made. . . . "

Why Are Black People at Higher Risk?

Recent research shows that PPD affects Black folks more adversely than it does other groups. In a six-year-long study of 45 common allergy-causing substances (allergens), the NACDG identified PPD as the only chemical causing a higher number of allergic reactions among Blacks than among Whites.

Although genetics may play a role in making Blacks more sensitive, experts suspect that Black folks use dye differently than Whites. "We believe that Blacks experience more sensitivity because they use darker shades of hair dye, which contain higher concentrations of PPD," says Vincent DeLeo, M.D., chair of the dermatology department at New York City's St. Luke's Roosevelt Hospital. "We don't think Black people color their hair more, though no one really knows."

And what about the fact that we often relax our hair as well as color it, giving our bodies a double dose of chemicals? "That harshness [of the chemicals in relaxers] affects the scalp, and when you damage the skin, you have more penetration of PPD," Dr. DeLeo says. "Plus, Black people wash their hair less frequently than Whites, because of manageability issues. As you wash, you get rid of allergens." Although this theory hasn't been scientifically proven, Dr. DeLeo, whose dermatology department includes the well-known Skin of Color Center, suspects that it may be an important cultural factor.

People who react to PPD in hair dye usually experience dermatitis (eczema) of the upper eyelids or the edges of the ears. However, allergic responses can range from the reddening and swelling of the scalp and face to, on rare occasions, anaphylactic shock, a life-threatening reaction involving the entire body.

To prevent allergic reactions, the FDA recommends that users perform a patch test 72 hours before dyeing their hair to determine whether the product inflames their skin. If you react, you shouldn't use the dye. But does anybody really do the patch test? And keeping it real, from relaxers that singe to marathon braiding sessions, Black women expect to do some suffering in the name of a beautiful do.

How to Protect Yourself

Even if PPD didn't irritate your skin the last time you used it, you may experience an allergic reaction the next time. Hairstylists are particularly vulnerable. A Spanish study of more than 600 hairdressers found that reactions caused by occupational exposure increased from 46 percent in the period between 1980 and 1993 to 58 percent between 1994 and 2003. You may also become allergic to other products, through a process called cross sensitization. Cross sensitization means that "you become sensitized to one chemical, then react to other chemicals you've never reacted to," says Dr. DeLeo.

People who become sensitized to PPD often react when they are exposed to these substances:

• Anesthetics, especially benzocaine--commonly used in first aid creams, sore throat rinses, and sunburn remedies--but also including novocaine and all other "-caine" drugs;
  
• Sunscreens;
  
• Drugs used to treat infections;
  
• Diuretics;
  
• Fabric dyes;
  
• Drugs that treat diabetes;
  
• COX-2 inhibitor pain relievers.

To protect yourself, it's important to read product labels, looking for PPD under its many names, although, according to Dr. DeLeo, at this point almost all hair dyes sold in the United States contain PPD. The sole exception? The Elumen line of hair color from Goldwell, which Dr. DeLeo recommends because not only does it not contain PPD, but it also doesn't contain any cross-reacting substances.

Although none of the following approaches have been scientifically proven, you might want to exercise some commonsense strategies to minimize your chances of having an allergic reaction:

• Tell your doctor that you are allergic to PPD before taking any over-the-counter or prescription drugs.
  
• Patch-test your hair dye each time you use it.
  
• Always wear gloves when you handle and apply the dye.
  
• Do not allow hair color to touch your face; nor should you touch your face with your hands while dyeing your hair.
  
• Dye your hair less often.
  
• Use lighter hair colors.
  
• Wash dyed hair more often--ideally, right after dyeing it.
  
• Avoid dyeing relaxed hair.
  
• Make sure any burns caused by relaxers, or other scratches, on your scalp have healed before you apply hair dye.

Do you color your hair? Do you do the patch test beforehand? Have you ever had an allergic reaction to the dye? Tell us about it in the comments section below.

Hilary Beard is a Philadelphia-based writer

Published on: 11/21/2006

InteliHealth: Contact Dermatitis  
Medline: Contact Dermatitis  
Medscape: Allergen of the Year (registration required)  
Wikipedia: p-Phenylenediamine  






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