Can hair treatments lead to kidney diseases? Here’s what researches say

To the dismay of those who love salon-based hair treatment for achieving silky smooth hair, a recent study suggests that keratin treatments that contain glycolic acid or glyoxylic acid may cause acute kidney injury. The study that was published in the New England Journal of Medicine says that such hair treatment products may form oxalate crystals in the kidney. As part of this study, certain experiments were done on rats. The researchers observed that the plasma creatinine levels in the rats that were applied with hair straightening creams were significantly higher, after 28 hours. The CT scan of the kidneys of these rats proved the presence of calcium oxalate monohydrate crystals.

Meanwhile, the same opinion was shared by another study that was published in the American Journal of Kidney Diseases. Glycolic acid is an ingredient contained not just in hair straightening products but in cleansers, toners and moisturizers too. However, there isn’t any conclusive evidence to suggest that the skincare products cause harm to the kidneys. The concentration of glycolic acid in skincare products is not as high as in hair straightening products. Meanwhile, researchers say that more studies are required to understand how keratin-based hair products affect the health of kidneys.