Permanent waving, hairdressers

Thiols (RSH) are easily oxidized, by air. for example, to disulfides (RS-SR). This chemistry of cysteine is used by hairdressers to give perms or permanent waves. The hair proteins are first reduced so that any disulfide cysteine to cysteine) cross-links within each strand are reduced to thiols. Then the hair is styled and the final stage is the... 

Hairdressers Soaps and detergents, shampoos, permanent wave liquids, bleaches, and dyes... 

Since ancient times people have experimented with ways to change their hair. Today, getting a permanent wave is a routine procedure that can be done either in a hairdresser shop or at home. Changing straight hair to curly hair is a practical application of protein denaturation and renaturation. 

For example, the incidence of occupational contact dermatitis was assessed in different occupations in a population-based study (Fig. 1). The risk resulting from exposure to wet work (Lammintausta et al. 1982) and exposure to permanent wave solutions was determined (liter et al. 1995), atopic diatheses was proven to be an endogenous risk factor (Diepgen 1991), and preventive actions were taken in hairdressers, known to be frequently affected by contact dermatitis (Schwanitz et al. 1996). Comprehensive reviews on the epidemiology of (occupational and non-occupational) contact dermatitis have been published (Smit and Coenraads 1993 Schnuch 1994). 

The effects of mechanical trauma on nails is discussed in Chap. 31. We recently reported on two hairdressers with occupational koilonychia from the combined effect of mechanical trauma and ammonium thioglyco-late present in solutions for permanent waves (Alanko et al. 1997). 

The fermentation process can be artificially controlled and impeded by the addition of sulfur dioxide or potassium metabisulfite. The addition of this preservative poses a potential health hazard. The residual sulfites present in wine have been known to elicit urticaria, asthmatic reactions and respiratory failure. In the United States, since 1987, warning labels indicating the presence of sulfites must appear on wine bottles containing at least 10 ppm of sulfites (Fisher 1997)- In addition to their importance in wine making, sulfur dioxide and sulfites are used as food additives for their antimicrobial effect. Contact dermatitis to potassium metabisulfite has developed in a pharmaceutical worker (Nater 1968) and may also occur in bakers, from occupational exposure to flour (Apetato and Marques 1986), and in hairdressers to permanent wave solution, but has not been reported in winemakers. Sulfur dioxide has also been reported to cause contact urticaria (Maibach and Johnson 1975). 

Ammonium thioglycolate is contained in permanent waves solutions and causes contact dermatitis hairdressers. 

Glyceryl monothioglycolate is an acid permanent wave ingredient, which induces contact dermatitis in hairdressers. 

Uses component in acid permanent waving formulations, mainly for use in hairdressing salons. GLYCERYL THIOGLYCOLATE... 

---