Estrogen exposure in a child from hair lotion used by her mother: Clinical and hair analysis data

Abstract

Premature estrogenic effects may result from exogenous exposure to estrogenic substances. We report the case of a 36-month-old girl who presented with vaginal bleeding, uterus enlargement, and thelarche. Questioning of the parents revealed that the child's mother had used hormone-based hair lotions on her own scalp and that the child was in the habit of playing with her mother's hair while falling asleep, and that the girl played with her mother's combs and the empty lotion vials. The onset of hyperestrogenic syndrome was temporally related to the handling of lotions containing ethynylestradiol 0.5%. Analysis of long scalp hairs from the girl and her mother identified ethynylestradiol in concentrations of 10.6 and 46.6 μg/g, respectively. Six months after the mother discontinued use of the estrogencontaining hair lotion, the girl's hyperestrogenic signs resolved. This case highlights the importance of obtaining histories of possible food and non-food environmental sources of contamination, the suitability of hair sampling to identify the origin of the contamination, and the opportunity to warn parents about hazards related not only to oral contraceptives, but also custom-compounded topical hormone preparations.

Underarm antiperspirants/deodorants and breast cancer

“…More recent studies report endocrine disruption in women at both young and old age following inappropriate exposure to oestrogenic chemicals in personal care products - including premature breast development and menstruation in a 36-month girl following exposure to hair lotion containing oestrogenic products used by her mother [ 18 ], and, at the other extreme of age, abnormal genital bleeding and breast cancer in a 93-year old lady after long-term use of an ethynyloestradiol-containing body care cream [ 19 ]. The administration of hormone replacement therapy by skin patches relies on the ability of the hormones to be absorbed from the patch through the skin, but the effects of daily application over the long term of multiple cosmetic products containing oestrogenic chemicals warrants equal consideration [ 5 ].…”

Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals in Cosmetics and Personal Care Products and Risk of Endometriosis

“…Furthermore, it has been observed that long-term exposure to body care creams containing ethinyl estradiol may increase the risk of abnormal genital bleeding and breast cancer [65]. Interestingly, a case-report study found that synthetic hormones found in lotions used by the mother were present in very high concentrations in the hair of the girl [66].…”