Fashion & Beauty: Electric Hair-Styling Tools Causing Thousands of Burns in Children and Young People
In a new study, it has been revealed that electric hair-styling products, such as curling irons, have caused nearly 31,000 burns in children and young people over a 10-year period. Shockingly, this has resulted in approximately 1,000 of these individuals having to seek treatment in the emergency room. The findings, which are set to be presented at the AAP National Conference & Exhibition in Washington, DC, provide an analysis of emergency room visits related to hair-styling tools between 2013 and 2022 for individuals aged 24 and under.
Researchers recorded a staggering 30,839 burn injuries and 1,050 emergency room visits, with hair curlers and curling irons accounting for 97.4% of these injuries. Dr. Brandon L. Rozanski, the lead study author and pediatric resident at Tripler Army Medical Center in Hawaii, emphasized the importance of handling these tools with care. Despite their usefulness in creating the perfect hairstyle, there is a significant risk of accidents when they are not used correctly. Electric hair-styling tools can reach extremely high temperatures, up to 450ºF in just a matter of minutes. This poses a serious risk of unintentional burn injury for both the user and those nearby.
The study also revealed that children under 10 years old are most vulnerable, accounting for 68% of the injuries, and that 65.1% of those injured were female. Furthermore, almost three-quarters of the burns occurred at home (72.3%), and the vast majority of cases (98.6%) did not require hospital stays.
Dr. Rozanski stressed the importance of clinicians taking this opportunity to educate families on the potential hazards associated with the everyday use of electric hair-styling tools. He also emphasized the importance of promoting age-appropriate use and providing guidance for both supervised and unsupervised use. By raising awareness and implementing targeted preventive measures, we can help reduce the number of injuries caused by these popular hair-styling tools.
Source: [New York Post](https://nypost.com/2023/10/22/hair-styling-tools-burning-thousands-of-kids-each-year-study/?utm_source=url_sitebuttons&utm_medium=site%20buttons&utm_campaign=site%20buttons)
