Can Your Skin Care Hurt You?

The short answer is absolutely yes. Obvious examples include using skin care products in unsafe ways in which they were never intended such as ingesting them. That shouldn't be an issue for those of you that read and follow the directions.

However for those that know what you are doing, you could be at risk as well. Cosmetic allergic reactions can result from the ingredients of the skin care products or the combinations of different skin care products.

There are other more insidious possibilities that may not become apparent until years down the road though. There is mounting scientific evidence to suggest that increased exposure to toxic substances such as those found in the table below may be increasing risks to your health as well.

Butylated Hydroxytoluene (BHT)	Can affect breathing, may damage a developing fetus, can irritate your eyes and skin, may cause headaches, dizziness, lightheadedness, confusion and passing out, and lastly may damage the liver. Other Reference: CDC
Parabens	May be disruptive to normal hormone functions. May also be correlated to breast cancer.
Petrolatum	Impurities associated with petrolatum may be linked to cancer.
Sodium Metabisulfite	Can irritate nose, throat and lungs causing coughing and wheezing, can irritate your skin and eyes, Other Reference: Haz-Map
Triethanolamine	May be a human carcinogen. Is also suspected to be a skin toxicity hazard. Other References: Haz-Map CDC

Consider for example very commonly used preservatives called parabens. Most skin care products like soaps, lotions, creams perfumes serums and after shaves are laden with preservatives. Without preservatives the skin care products may start to grow bacteria and fungus which nobody wants. However, the main stream preservatives come with two bonus prizes that the cosmetic companies don't really want you to know about.

The first prize is accelerated aging of your skin. Wait a minute you say. That isn't what the marketing materials said. Methyl parabens which are natural preservatives used in most skin care systems when exposed to UV rays of sunlight can actually speed up the aging process.

The second prize is a possible increased risk of breast cancer Although there is no conclusive research connecting parabens to breast cancer, there is sufficient information around to apply precautionary principle at least until the critics are absolutely proven wrong. Consider the this precautionary article from Breast Cancer Action.

Believe it or not, the skin care companies privately recognize this issue and are aggressively looking for paraben-free solutions, but have yet to find a safe and viable alternative. Consider this dialog between the CEO of the company that developed Tensa™ Water and the VP of R&D of one of the foremost botanical-based skincare companies in the world.

Even so, until they have a viable solution cosmetic companies are disputing the mounting data suggesting that there may be health consequences with using parabens. This dialog between Breast Cancer Action and Avon is particularly telling of the differences of perspective between the cosmetic industry and concerned consumers.

If you want a truly healthy skin care product, you should look for one that is preservative free, colorant free, fragrance free non-comedogenic (will not cause or aggravate acne), allergy tested, and suitable for all skin types. That eliminates most of even the best cosmetic companies out there. And you shouldn't need to store it in a refrigerator just to keep it fresh. You body doesn't need to be stored in a refrigerator in order to stay fresh, so why should your skin care either?

If cosmetic companies really wanted to go the extra mile, they would do the little things that everyone should expect. For example, they would have their product line tested by an independent third party instead of the manufacturer. The results would be freely published for all to see. But probably most of important of all, you would want them to publish ALL of the ingredients in the product. Typically you will find that the cosmetic companies exclude active ingredients because they don't really want you to know what is in them.

To my knowledge only one company has responded to this challenge and satisfied every point. And not only that but independent test results showed the their skin care products actually made people look visibly younger. Other results were equally outstanding:

After just one use consumers had 80% increase in skin moisture!

After 8 weeks test results demonstrated the following remarkable changes:

• 100% increase in skin moisture


• 96% decrease in roughness


• 73% increase in radiance


• 32% decrease in lines and wrinkles


• 31% increase in skin tone


• 21% increase in firmness

To learn more about this revolution in skin care, visit my skin care web site.

To get a complete list of ALL ingredients in the industry's only preservative and paraben free line, send me a note via my contact me form.

Lastly, if you are interested in ordering some of this great skin care, contact me here.

Until next time, I hope that you and yours have a very blessed day!

Brad
--
When Quality of Life Matters
Get Good Sugars
http://info.GoodSugars.net

Warning: Beware Of Toxic Baby Bottles!

Now that I have your attention, this post isn't intended to be an alarmist over the top scare tactic. However, recent news from the likes of The Washington Post and NPR's All Things Considered have brought me to the realization that I should at the very least become aware of this issue. The US National Toxicology Program (NTP) yesterday acknowledged via a draft report for the first time that bisphenol A (or BPA) found in many everyday products including plastic bottles, baby bottles, compact disks and even molded mobile phone housings may present a threat to your health. The Canadian Government has categorized BPA through their Chemical Substances ecoAction initiative as a high hazard to humans and a persistent, bioaccumulative, and inherently toxic to non-human organisms. The Wikipedia article on BPA notes that the estrogen agonist effects of BPA have been well known since the 1930s. Even so, BPA has been widely used in the production of plastic products since the 1950s. That might explain why BPA has been detected in 93 percent of the US population over 6 years of age. The draft report implies through findings on laboratory animals that it is not outside the realm of possibility of a link to prostate cancer, breast cancer, early puberty in females and behavioral changes. One of the biggest concerns noted in the press that I have read has been over bottle fed baby's that may get a larger than normal exposure to BPA because most baby bottles contain BPA. I would go one step further to suggest that the health organizations should also investigate toy manufacturers of plastic baby toys since almost all babyies chew on most of their toys especially during teething. If BPAs are that much of a risk to babies then their BPA laced plastic chew/teething toys may be just as much of a risk. I would highly encourage anyone that cares for their health and wellness to at the very least pay attention to this topic. The final verdict does not appear to be in but there seems to be enough data to consider applying the cautionary principle. Toward that end, you can keep up with the latest information on BPA and baby products at Bisphenol A Free Portal There is also a Frequently Asked Questions on BPA available here as well. If you would like to become proactive in taking care of yourself and your family, you might consider making sure that the plastic containers that you use to carry food and water are BPA free. Blessings to you and yours.

Brad
--
When Quality of Life Matters,
  Get Good Sugars
    http://info.GoodSugars.net