A 20-year-old Chinese woman developed severe kidney disease from monthly hair dyeing, done to emulate a celebrity. Doctors diagnosed her with kidney inflammation, linking it to dangerous toxins in hair dye that can cause renal failure and increase cancer risk. This case sparked online debate about blindly following celebrity trends and the health dangers of frequent hair color changes.

A young Chinese woman has landed in the hospital due to serious kidney disease, after using hair colour every month. The 20-year-old woman, identified as Hua, used to change her hair colour to match her favourite celebrity, Henan TV reported in September. A devoted fan, the woman visited salons regularly to replicate the star’s hair color changes that she admired.Soon, she started showing symptoms, including red spots on her legs, stomach pain, and joint discomfort. The woman was diagnosed with kidney disease when she was taken to the hospital. The dangerous toxins in the hair dye entered her body, leading to kidney dysfunction, and it comes amidst talks of K-pop stars’ frequent hair colour changes.

Tao Chenyang, the woman’s doctor at the Zhengzhou People’s Hospital, diagnosed her with inflammation of the kidneys, a condition linked to chemical toxins entering her body. The woman told the doctor that she dyed her hair about once a month, the South China Morning Post reported.

The doctor also cautioned that hair dye contains toxins that can cause renal and respiratory failure. It can also increase the risk of cancer. The hair dyes also contain lead and mercury, which have a deleterious effect on health.

Though the name of the star remains undisclosed, this case has sparked debate on Chinese social media platforms, where many pointed to K-pop idols’ frequent color changes as a possible influence. Fans said hair color has become a significant part of how stars promote their music, films, and public image.

People on an online forum are raging about the recent case and discussing the downside of blindly following trends popularized by the stars. “Silly girl. Your idol just sprayed one-off colours on their hair. It was not as harmful as hair dye,” one said, as reported by SCMP. “No star is worth chasing at the price of our health,” another added. “If she dyed her hair to copy a star, then it is probably bleach and dye, which is much more harmful than just dying her hair,” another netizen said.