Posts Tagged ‘skin’
Cancer and Make-up: Is There A Link?
The cosmetic industry is a huge business around the world that makes billions off consumers every year. Probably each and every one of us use a number of cosmetic products such as soaps, body cleansers, moisturizers, and make-up on a daily basis. In fact, according to a 2004 study conducted by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, women use an average of 12 cosmetic products a day. When we are applying these products on and all around our bodies, we’re probably not thinking about the tearless shampoo we have in our hands as a possible danger to our health. Shockingly, recent studies have shown that a large percentage of common household cosmetic products that a lot of us probably have in our homes right now contain a substance that can be harmful to our health and cause cancer.
1,4-Dioxane is a petroleum-derived contaminant that is thought to be a probable human carcinogen according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. And according to the National Toxicology Program, it is a known carcinogen in animals. It is listed on California’s Proposition 65 list of chemicals that are either suspected or known to cause cancer and birth defects. 1,4-Dioxane is a byproduct that appears during the manufacturing of cosmetics. Although it can easily be taken out during the manufacturing process for pennies, it is often not. The Food and Drug Administration does not require companies to list it as an ingredient on their labels because it is produced during the manufacturing process.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t end there. Jeanne Rizzo, R.N., the executive director of the Breast Cancer Fund and a founding member of The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics stated, “Regrettably, 1,4-Dioxane contamination is just the tip of the iceberg…Because the FDA does not require cosmetic products to be approved as safe before they are sold, companies can put unlimited amounts of toxic chemicals in cosmetics.” Incredibly, the FDA has no legal authority to require safety standards on cosmetic manufacturers and has only been able to ask companies to remove the chemical on a volunteer basis.
The FDA has known about 1,4-Dioxane since 1979 and has given very mild guidelines and recommendations to manufacturers that their products should not contain greater concentrations of 1,4-Dioxane than 10 ppm, or parts per million. Even with this lenient guideline, some 15% of the products tested exceeded this limit. Some of the products that contained the highest level of 1,4-Dioxane that were tested included: Clairol Herbal Essences Rainforest Flowers Shampoo, Oil of Olay Complete Body Wash with Vitamins, Johnson and Johnson’s Watermelon Explosion Kid’s Shampoo, Hello Kitty Bubble Bath, Disney Clean as a Bee Hair and Body Wash, and Gerber Grins and Giggles Gentle & Mild Aloe Vera Baby Shampoo.
If this is alarming to you, beware, because the list doesn’t end there. Until the cosmetics industry is more regulated, consumers must exercise caution while shopping. A greater knowledge of ingredients and their effects will keep you and your families safe.
Aging – Stop With Anti-Oxidants
None of us wants to age. Even if that is inevitable, we all want to look young. That is also right because youth has a beauty that is absent in age. How anti oxidants can help you in fighting aged looks? Let us find out.
Anti-oxidants: what are they- our body is constantly attacked by pollution, sunrays and other damaging factors. While saving the body, we produce free radicals. They are oxygen molecules without an electron. These free radicals’ search around the body for a free electron. They take it from a healthy cell and kill it. That is very damaging to body and accelerates aging. Anti oxidants give an electron to these free radicals and stop them from damaging healthy cells. That is how they protect us from aging.
Anti Oxidants: how to use them. Most of the Vitamins such as Vitamin C, Vitamin E are anti oxidants. You get them from food. Beta-carotene that is a type of Vitamin a is an excellent anti oxidant. You get it from foods such as carrots. You can also take supplements of these Vitamins under a doctor’s advice. Some Vitamins are dangerous in higher dose. Selenium is another anti oxidant. Copper peptide is one more. Some of these anti oxidants are formulated in topical applications and can be used to maintain the young look of the skin. Many Vitamin formulations are available in the market to fight aging looks by application. Choose one carefully that suits your skin type. Speak to your doctor and fight the aging looks. Anti oxidants are our friends.
This article is only for informative purposes. This article is not intended to be a medical advise and it is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult your doctor for your medical concerns. Please follow any tip given in this article only after consulting your doctor. The author is not liable for any outcome or damage resulting from information obtained from this article.
Aloe Vera – A Wonder Herb For Skin
Aloe is grown mainly in the dry regions of Africa, Asia, Europe and America. Because of its many therapeutic uses, it is now commercially cultivated in the United States, Japan, and countries in the Caribbean and Mediterranean. However, in many places you can grown your own Aloe Vera plant quite happy in a pot as a household plant.
Despite its very cactus-like characteristics, Aloe belongs to the lily family, which also includes asparagus, onions, leeks and garlic. The Aloe plant contains over thirty enzymes, including lipase and oxidase. It could be argued that enzymes are the missing element in the modern diet since 40% of the adult population suffer digestive problems and digestion is enzyme-based.
Aloe Vera also contains significant levels of salicylic acid (the active ingredient in aspirin) which accounts for some of the herb’s pain-killing potential. Some people swear by a burst of aloe spray on sunburn when a gel or cream is too painful to apply.
Salicylic acid also plays a role in Aloe’s detoxifying and cell-cleansing capacity. The well-researched capacity of Aloe to stimulate the immune system is arguably its most important attribute. Others have testified that a daily drink with high quality Aloe juice helps clear sensitive skin. Aloe is well known as a soothing ingredient in skincare lotions and body products.
There are a host of studies from every continent documenting the healthful benefits of Aloe Vera, taken both internally and used externally. Aloe has truly earned it reputation as a natural, healthful ‘wonder’ herb.