Asian Woman Obsessed With Hair Dyeing Now Suffers From Chronic Liver Damage

Hair dyeing is a form of fashion statement. Some people would want to dye their hair with bright colors while others go for neutral tones. There are also those who dye their hair to conceal gray hairs. Beauty comes with a price and one woman in China had to learn it the hard way. She dyed her hair every month for 10 years and not giving her hair some time to rest. The result? She is said to have developed chronic liver damage from it.

A woman, known only by her surname, Chen, discovered 10 years ago that she already had gray growths. In hopes of concealing them and not look old and tired, Chen went for hair dyeing and giving her hair monthly touch-ups.

Every month for 10 years, Chen visits the salon to dye her hair.

She does it to conceal gray hairs so she won't look old and tired.

Just two months ago, Chen started to have some health problems. As reported by Sina News, Chen went to bed feeling breathless and tired. She dismissed the ill-feeling as if it was nothing. But when her husband saw her, he was shocked to see that his wife has turned yellow. Chen’s skin, as well as her sclera — or the whites of her eyes — have turned yellow.

Chen was rushed to the hospital.

The Harbin resident was taken to the hospital where doctors did some tests. It was then found out that Chen had high levels of bilirubin in her body – 10 times more to be exact. Bilirubin levels are high in cases of anemia, jaundice and liver disease.

Apparently, the woman already has an advanced stage liver damage. Doctors were puzzled by the case since they can’t find a reason why Chen would have cirrhosis. She didn’t appear to have taken drugs that might cause the disease.

After a thorough investigation, doctors found that Chen’s consistent hair coloring resulted in the liver damage. Sources say that Chen went through 20 days of hospital treatment. The good news is that she eventually got better. However, the doctors could no longer reverse the damage done to her liver.

The skin can absorb the chemicals found in many hair dyes.

These chemicals are then metabolized in the liver. However, for Chen, her liver worked overtime to keep breaking down the chemicals from her consistent hair dyeing. Eventually, her liver couldn’t keep up. In cases like these, people now prefer to use plant-based hair dyes much safer. Hair experts also always recommend that hair coloring should be done in a six-month interval. This should give the hair some rest to avoid damage and breakage to strands, as well as minimize a person’s exposure to chemicals.