Your skin is not an impenetrable barrier that most people believe it is. If this were true why would doctors prescribe pain patches or nicotine patches to put directly on your body to be absorbed through the skin? Below are 10 facts to consider when putting anything on your body.
1-Our skin is the body’s largest organ
2-Skin makes up about 16 percent of our body weight
3-Adult humans lose 30 to 40 thousand skin cells every minute, maybe more, which is estimated to be about 9 pounds a year
4-Dust that collects on your tables, TV, windowsills and on those picture frames is made mostly from dead skin cells
5- Microbes that live in and on our bodies outnumber our own cells 10 to one
6-Ethanol (alcohol), a common additive in many lotions and creams increases the skins ability to absorption chemicals by breaking down the its natural protective barrier
7-Some harmful chemicals found in many personal care products can enter your bloodstream through the air
8-Genetics plays a big role in how quickly you age
9-Sebum is skins natural moisturizer
10-Exercising flushes toxins from the body through the skin
The health and wellbeing of our skin is important not just because of how it look and feels, but because our skin is responsible for many vital functions. It protects you from bacteria and viruses that we are exposed to constantly. It allows you to absorb vitamin D which is vital for optimal body functions. Our skin also keeps our bodies at a healthy temperature. It also helps you react to pain or pressure that could cause injury. So we need to keep away from skincare products with hazardous ingredients. Here are a few and what they do:
Parabens-This heavily used preservative in the cosmetics industry is found in over 13,000 cosmetics and skin care products. They are dangerous because of their hormone disrupting quality that destroys your endocrine system while also mimicking estrogen. This estrogen imitator is hazardous because excess estrogen is known for causing prostate cancer in men and breast cancer in women.
Mineral oil-Paraffins and Petroleum-These products coat your skin like a plastic bag clogging your pores while causing toxin build up in the skin and blood. They are also known for hormone disruption and endocrine problems.
Sodium Laurel/LaurylSulfate(SLS) and Sodium Laureth Sulfate(SLES)-This additive is one reason why skin becomes dry. They cause dryness by breaking down the skin's natural moisture barrier. They also open up the pores of the skin to allowing toxins into the blood stream. Many times these products combine SLS/SLES with nitrosamine a powerful cancer causing agent.
Acrylamide- causes cancer and is used in many face creams
Propylene Glycol-Is used as a moisturizing agent and carrier oil in most cosmetics and fragrant oils. They also have hidden ingredients like: PEG, polysobates, laureth, and ethoxylated alcohol.
These chemicals are used in concentrated forms and are absorbed by the skin very easily, especially through your nasal passages, making it a bad idea to use products containing them on your face.
In 1965 they were suspected to cause cancer. 13 years later in 1978 they were confirmed to cause cancer but they are still used today in many skin care products. The best rule is; "don't put anything on your skin that you won’t put in your mouth".
To truly show your affection and devotion to yourself and those you love get into the habit of reading labels of the products you use and the foods you eat daily, you will be surprised at what you find. Let me know what you think and your experience in the comments below.
Sources for this blog:
Wow some of the information is Gross but informative, thanks for the content
This is soon amazing and informative! It's great to put info of this nature out their, especially when there are soon many toxins in make up & general skincare products!