Rochester, New York: Hair Relaxer Lawsuits

Jed Dietrich, Esq., Recognized as a Best Lawyer and American Institute of Personal Injury Attorneys 10 Best Attorney, is Committed to Protecting the Rights of Hair Relaxer Injury Victims In and Around Rochester. If You or a Loved One Has Been Diagnosed with a Hair Relaxer-Related Cancer, Our Experienced Team of Attorneys Could Help You Collect the Evidence You Need to Obtain a Fair Settlement.

Hair relaxers usually rely on strong chemicals to break down naturally curly or coily hair.

The science behind hair straightening products is anything but uncertain. If you go to a salon and ask for a relaxer, workers will straighten your hair before applying a relaxing solution to a comb or other tool. Once the solution is brushed through your hair, it will typically be heated with an iron. This kick-starts a chemical reaction that causes something akin to a controlled burn. By damaging the bonds that give your hair its natural strength and shape, a relaxer can eliminate curls or make them much more manageable.

The most common risks of getting a perm are well-known. Since harsh chemicals are an important part of the process, using a relaxer could hurt your hair at the cellular level. Spills can present another risk, particularly if the relaxer contains formaldehyde or another carcinogenic compound. Side effects can be vicious, potentially irritating the skin or causing pain across the entire body.

However, scientists now believe that hair relaxers could have another, hidden risk.

According to a recent series of studies, women who use hair relaxers are more likely to develop uterine and ovarian cancer than those who do not. One report further found that African-American women face the highest risk. This is not necessarily due to genetics, but to the fact that beauty companies like L’Oreal, SoftSheen, and Strength of Nature often target Black women in marketing materials for hair straightening products.

You have a right to know what goes into your body and your hair.

If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with uterine cancer, ovarian cancer, or another serious medical condition after using hair relaxers, you could be entitled to file a personal injury lawsuit. A recognized U.S. News & World Report Best Law Firm, the Dietrich Law Firm P.C. could help you investigate your diagnosis, obtain the evidence to prove your claim, and represent your interests through settlement negotiations and at trial. Call Jed Dietrich, Esq., today at 585-939-3939 to speak to a hair relaxer injury lawyer near Rochester and schedule your 100% free, no-obligation consultation.

One of the most frequently used compounds in hair relaxers is formaldehyde.

Formaldehyde is a common type of preservative that is sometimes found in keratin-based beauty products. During a perm, a special serum containing keratin can be combed through or brushed onto the hair. The hair is then blow-dried and flat-ironed at a high temperature, typically around 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

“Some hair smoothing or straightening products can contain or release formaldehyde,” the U.S. Food and Drug Administration wrote in a recent media release. “When such products are heated, formaldehyde gas is released into the air. Breathing in formaldehyde gas can be harmful and cause immediate reactions ranging from irritation of the eyes and throat to coughing, wheezing, or chest pain to chronic or long-term problems such as more frequent headaches, asthma, skin irritation, allergic reactions, and possibly cancer.”

The link between hair relaxers, formaldehyde, and cancer is speculative, meaning that it has not been definitively proven. However, while many aspects of cancer remain a medical mystery, there is little question that chemicals like formaldehyde are dangerous. Formaldehyde has long been recognized as a carcinogen, a substance that is capable of causing cancer and cancer-related mutations in humans. The FDA and other regulators believe that salon workers face the highest risk, but the danger is not limited to employees. Customers have also reported cancer diagnoses, some of which could be attributed to perms and other hair-straightening treatments.

Hair straighteners have been tentatively linked to:

1. Uterine cancer;
2. Ovarian cancer;
3. Endometrial cancer;
4. Uterine sarcoma; and
5. Uterine fibroids.

Certain kinds of relaxer-related cancers, like ovarian cancer, are highly aggressive. However, aggression does not always mean that an illness is easily identifiable. Most cancers take years to develop and can take even longer to become fully symptomatic. Many women who are diagnosed with cancer may not realize that anything is wrong until the disease has progressed to a point where routine treatment would not guarantee recovery.

Not all hair relaxers have been tied to cancer, many of the beauty companies currently facing relaxer-litigation sold products that contained either keratin or lye. However, many chemical straighteners have never been tested, and there is no evidence to suggest that certain kinds of relaxers are significantly safer than others.

Some of the products implicated in hair relaxer cancer lawsuits include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. Affirm by Avlon;
2. African Pride by Strength of Nature and Godrej SON Holdings;
3. Crème of Nature by Revlon;
4. Dark & Lovely by L’Oreal and SoftSheen;
5. Dr. Miracles by Strength of Nature;
6. Dream Kids by Strength of Nature;
7. Mizani by L’Oreal;
8. Pink Conditioning No-Lye Relaxer by Luster;
9. Revlon Realistic by Revlon; and
10. Smooth Touch No-Lye Relaxer by Luster.

If you were diagnosed with cancer after using any of these products, or another chemical relaxer not on this list, you could be entitled to significant compensation in a product liability lawsuit.

Beauty companies are not held to the same high testing standards as the pharmaceutical industry, but that does not mean that corporations like L’Oreal and Strength of Nature have the right to release a product that could cause cancer through routine use.

However, filing a lawsuit is often much easier than fighting one.

Depending on the circumstances of your case and the severity of your injury, you may have to prove that the defendant company:

1. Failed to warn you that a chemical hair relaxer could cause cancer;
2. Breached a product warranty by selling a product that did not work as advertised or was not safe for ordinary use;
3. Sold an inherently defective product that posed an unreasonable danger; and
4. Was in some way negligent.

If and when a company does not do its due diligence, whether when designing a product or writing warning labels, it could be held liable for the cost of any resulting injury.

In New York, damages in a hair relaxer lawsuit could include:

1. Your medical bills;
2. The costs of future care;
3. Physical rehabilitation;
4. Elective or reconstructive surgery;
5. Lost income from work;
6. Diminished earning potential;
7. Loss of enjoyment;
8. Pain and suffering;
9. Disfigurement; and
10. Wrongful death.

Since our founding in 2005, the Dietrich Law Firm P.C. has helped our clients in Rochester and throughout the state secure more than $300 million in damages. We could help you, too, but you have to act fast. Under state law, all personal injury lawsuits are subject to strict statutes of limitations. If you delay, critical evidence could go missing, or the statute of limitations could lapse. Once this happens, you could lose your right to sue.

Do not take chances with your rights: call Jed Dietrich, Esq., today at 585-939-3939 to speak to a hair relaxer lawyer near Rochester and schedule your 100% free, no-obligation consultation as soon as possible.

Call the Dietrich Law Firm P.C. immediately at 585-939-3939 so that our aggressive, tenacious, and hardworking personal injury lawyers can fight to obtain the best result for your personal injury claim in Rochester, New York. We are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and there is never a fee until we WIN for you!