Health – From the Outside In

I would guess that most of you who are regular readers of The Health Blog probably already have been exposed to some of the information that I want to share. However, you may not be fully aware of the hidden toxins in cosmetics and personal care.

The idea for this article came after a discussion with a family friend and while researching stats for an upcoming radio appearance. What I have run across with my friend is that there is a false perception that the personal care items that we use on a daily basis are safe. Some people realize that products like acetone nail polish remover are harmful, but believe the majority of personal care items are not harmful. Our discussion focused on the broad coverage of personal care, but moved to a specific focus on cosmetics.

I am a woman, who, like a great many women out there, wear cosmetics regularly to look my best but not at the expense of my health. It pains me to find that most of the ladies I run into think nothing of wearing whatever is either the top seller, most convenient (think Walmart), or least expensive.

Yet, these same ladies have at least a passing understanding of the patch technology that exists. They understand that they can purchase a patch to administer medicine through their skin but never really consider what the skin soaks in from all the other things they use on it. This patch medicine is merely the medical world’s way to administer chemicals to the body to control or mask myriad ailments, addictions, and so on. If patch technology can pass all these chemicals into your body through your skin, what happens with makeup and other personal care products?

Many women think they are close to optimal health because they are careful about what they eat, consistently exercise and they schedule free time for mental wellness. But there is more. What am I getting at?

Our skin is the largest organ on our body and it absorbs EVERYTHING. Because of this fact we walk around virtually in a sponge covering which means that everything we come in contact with is readily absorbed. Women who engage in consistant cosmetic use fail to realize that the cosmetics they wear are in constant contact with their skin for hours on end, absorbing the ingredients in the products they use. And that’s just makeup, there are also body lotions, body soaps, shampoos, deodorants and perfumes.

Here are some facts that are startling:

Each square inch of skin has roughly 10 hairs, 15 oil glands, 72 feet of nerve fiber, 100 sweat glands, and over 3 feet of blood vessels. (Skin Deep: The Hidden Toxins in Cosmetics and Personal Care Products, The Non-Toxic Times, January 2004)

The average woman who begins wearing makeup at 15 years of age will wear it for 328,500 hours over the course of her life. (15 hrs/ day for 60 years of her life)

The National Institute of Occupational Safety has identified almost 900 personal care chemicals that are toxic in some way.

Only 11 percent of the 10,500 ingredients FDA has documented in products have been assessed for safety by the cosmetic industry. (EWG Investigations and Reports, October 2005)

With just this small bit of information as well as understanding how skin is able to absorb anything with which it comes into contact , it should be clear how we need to be more educated about products we allow on our skin. We need to be more wary and more selective. There are many places to find reputable information such as The Safe Shopper’s Bible, cancer research, and so on.

This leads me to my closing thoughts… before purchasing the latest cosmetic look or enticing scent, do a little research to find out if what you’re buying is really as good as it looks or smells.

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