Girl Suffers Severe Kidney Damage After Hair Straightening Treatment

A young girl has been admitted to intensive care with acute kidney failure following a hair straightening treatment at a salon in the Galilee region. The girl presented to the medical center shortly after the procedure with symptoms including abdominal pain, vomiting, and scalp irritation. Medical examinations revealed severe damage to her kidney function.

According to reports, the treatment took place last Tuesday at a well-known salon. The girl's parents had specifically inquired beforehand if the product contained glyoxylic acid, a substance linked to kidney damage, and were assured it did not and that the product was approved by the Ministry of Health. However, medical imaging after the treatment raised doctors' suspicions of a link between the product and the kidney damage, though this does not definitively prove the substance was present in the used product.

Dr. Yoav Hoffman, director of the pediatric intensive care unit at the medical center, issued a strong warning to parents about the potential dangers of hair straightening treatments for children. "We are once again seeing the severe consequences of these chemical treatments on children. Our definitive medical recommendation to all parents is to abandon these procedures entirely to protect your daughters' safety, as they pose an unnecessary additional medical risk," he stated.

This incident follows previous reports in Israel of kidney function injuries associated with hair straightening treatments. The Israeli Ministry of Health had previously warned against using products containing glyoxylic acid after cases of kidney failure were linked to them. The medical center emphasized, in line with Ministry of Health recommendations, that hair straightening procedures should not be performed on individuals under 16 years old. For those over 16, it is crucial to ensure that the products used have Ministry of Health approval.