Does Brazilian/Japanese hair straightening cause cancer?

[Stephanie M]

I have heard in many places and have done some research online and I have found a couple of sites saying that getting the Brazilian or Japanese (or thermal reconditioning) hair straightening causes cancer because of the high level concentrations of keratin. Does anyone know anything about this or if it is true?

Even if it doesnt cause cancer, are there any bad side effects from getting this done? I have been considering doing it but this is the only thing holding me back.
I live in Miami and it is very popular around here, so I know a couple of people that have had it done and had told me that afterwards they read it on a couple of articles.

You really have to search. This is one of the things I found out online about this procedure:

"The formula often contains formaldehyde, a known carcinogen that can irritate the eyes and lungs if the fumes are inhaled."