Have you always depended on hair dyes to lessen those grey strands? Now, there’s some information for your head too. Regular, continuing use of hair dyes for long periods of time can lead to weakness of the muscles around the eyes, allergic reactions on the skin and also increases risk of cancer. Many dye users are now complaining of muscle damage around the eyes and also drooping of eyelids which is called rhabdomyolysis. This occurs due to the chemical in dyes which affects the skin and later damages the nerves and muscles.
Medical experts state that those who are using dyes twice in a week must reduce their usage as that is the moot cause of these problems.
Dangerous dyes
Powder-based dyes are found to cause a lot of damage.
Chemicals like paraphenylene diamine found in dyes are very dangerous.
People must check the labels properly before using these dyes.
‘Do not ignore those mild symptoms’
Chemicals are present in both natural and artificial dyes. When a person experiences extreme reactions such as a burning sensation, itching or burning of the eyes after applying the dye — they must immediately check with the doctor. But many fail to pay attention to the problems and continue using it.
Dr Srikanth Reddy S., a neurosurgeon at the Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences, explains the problems in detail: “Phenylenediamine (PPDA) is the compound which is a reason behind 99 per cent of allergic conditions. It is a common compound both in permanent and temporary dyes. Ammonia and PPDA is present especially in powder based dyes and it is found to cause this problems. Other chemical compounds which cause allergic reactions are lead, acetates and hydrogen peroxide which can cause allergic reactions in people.” The main problem found in clinics is that people neglect the initial allergic skin test advised by manufacturing companies. The mild allergic symptoms like burning of eyes, headache and nausea are often ignored. Dr Reddy says, “Major symptoms such as difficulty in breathing, rashes, swelling of eyes and lashes, continuous watering of the eyes are when people get alarmed. After that, when we take a history sheet, patients realise they had ignored that the smaller signs their bodies had given out earlier.”
‘Dyes tend to increase hypersensitivity’
The regular use of dyes — more than eight times in a year leads to skin irritability, damage to the nerves and muscles near the eyes. Dr Deepika Sirineni, a neurologist at the Apollo Hospitals, says, “When the dyes are used for a long duration, the nerves around the eyes are exposed to chemicals and that leads to swelling of the lids and also causes drooping of the eyelids. The swelling is due to the hypersensitivity of the nerves.”
This condition also leads to problems in vision as the eyelids do not open up completely. This affects the psyche as the person is left uncomfortable in front of others as looking upwards takes much effort to take.
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