Saturday, November 29, 2008

Chemical Based Skin Care Vs Natural Organic Skin Care

By Jemma Rivera

Exposure of chemicals to the skin is both hazardous and unnecessary. Many people in construction found their liver damaged when they handled treated lumber. They, of course didn't consume it, but merely touched it and the prolonged, repeated action of touching the arsenic coated lumber played havoc with their body. The biggest organ in your body is your skin. Respiration and direct absorption of chemicals take place through the skin. Knowing this, women need to ask themselves whether they feel safe, repeatedly using chemical based skin care products.

Did you know that eye makeup has mercury added to it at the rate of up to 65 parts per million? Mercury in canned fish is heavily scrutinised, but no one seems at all concerned about the threat posed by mercury in eye make-up. This deadly metal is easily absorbed through the skin and can accumulate in one's body.

Bronopol, often found in mascara, is another chemical to avoid if possible. This skin irritant has a history of causing blindness and eventually death in lab animals. Whilst an extremely high concentration is required for this to occur, consider a woman that uses the same brand of mascara for decades.

Formaldehyde is a chemical that is found in many different hair care products and lotions. Ingredients such as DMDM hydantoin and imidazolidinyl urea are known to irritate the respiratory system, can cause asthma, skin reactions and allergies and have even been known to trigger heart palpitations.

When you have been exposed to formaldehyde you can experience such side effects as immune dysfunction, headaches, dizziness, chest pain and even cancer. Be careful about trade names that contain aminoform, formid and uritone. You should also be concerned about others, but this is a good start.

Other chemicals absorbed by the skin include coal tar derivatives. Ingredients such as 1-Naphthol and 2-Naphthol are named in this group. If these ingredients are ingested orally, only 2 teaspoonfuls are fatal.

Ingredients such as Vitamins C and E are usually added to makeup in order to block the toxic effects that nitrosamines have. These come in the forms of monethanolamine (MEA), lauryl sarcosine, laureth sulphate and cocoyl sarcosine. Before you go out and purchase makeup that promotes the addition of Vitamins C and E, please carefully read the rest of the ingredients. The job that these vitamins have may not be to provide something extra; instead they may be blocking the effects of carcinogenic substances that these makeups contain.

Makeup often contains ingredients that act as moisture retainers, emulsifiers and solvents. Did you know that these ingredients are all part of the make-up of brake fluid and antifreeze? One of these ingredients is propylene glycol. Due to its toxicity, the EPA has stated that workers need to wear skin protection when working with this product. Safety Data Sheets give the warning that if this ingredient is absorbed through the skin, one may suffer from abnormalities in the brain, liver and kidneys. Despite all of its ill effects, it remains an ingredient in some stick deodorants and makeup.

Skin care products, cosmetics and lotions are regularly applied. Before you purchase a product, be sure you read the ingredients on the label. The parts per million of certain toxic ingredients may be very small, but if you use a product over a period of years, there will be a slow and steady build-up in your body. Mysterious illnesses can often be traced back to things that the patient thought had no consequences. One option for you would be to go organic. It would definitely be the kindest thing to do for your skin. Be sure that you start monitoring what you put on your skin before you apply it. - 15252

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