red inflamed skin

Toxins in Skin Care

What does this really mean?

Many people are becoming more selective about what to put in their bodies. We are now well aware of the term “toxins” in skin care. It is becoming more popular to shop natural or organic products in an attempt to avoid harmful substances.

There is a famous 1500’s quote by Paracelsus that still holds very true today in medicine & life:

All things are poisons, for there is nothing without poisonous qualities. It is only the dose which makes a thing poison.

You might be surprised to know that skin, being the largest organ of the human body, has far less potential to absorb harmful toxins than is said widely on the internet.

The skin is not as permeable as incorrectly stated on the internet.

Toxicity of any chemical substance depends on how well it is absorbed in our body, and also the quality of the skin. Toxicity is also related to the ability of the chemical in question to destroy your cells and cause skin irritation & inflammation.

The term “toxicity” as related to skin care is often a misnomer, as what is often termed toxicity may in fact be skin irritation or an allergic reaction.

Toxicity as a more accurate term can be related to a chemical’s ability to damage the internal behavior of the skin, especially as related to the disruption of hormones. This phenomenon has been observed even in “natural” substances.

Did you know that natural oils such as lavender and tea tree oil are scientifically classified as hormone disrupters?

That said, you are most likely to encounter toxins by ingestion – what you eat and what you drink. Imagine if skin really allowed every substance to be absorbed in the body? Then we would really be in a bad situation, as it would also allow natural substances present in our body to escape.

Our skin is impermeable to many substances and the process of absorption through the skin is slow.

If the skin were really that permeable to let things inside, then it would also allow things to just as easily escape. We’d be in a really bad way!

That said, every time a topical product is applied to the skin, there are still chances that it might get absorbed in the body. The amount absorbed is generally not damaging and does not lead to toxicity, as our skin only allows small amounts of ingredients to pass through.

With medical grade skin care, there are active ingredients that your do in fact want get absorbed into the skin. R&D invests much time, effort and money into achieving this, as the skin is like the Great Wall of China. It is difficult to for even medical grade actives to penetrate the skin to effect physiologic changes.

toxins in skin care

Skin acts as the first line of defense against any foreign chemical or toxin.

It has special screening mechanisms that allow or otherwise inhibit the absorption of chemicals.

The absorption of toxins into the body occurs mostly through your food & drink.

Everyone should be concerned with potential toxins in our bodies. Your best defense against body toxicity is to be more judicious about our consumption of packaged foods, exposure to foods packaged in plastics, alcohol, smoking, and recreational drugs. You also need to promote toxin removal from your body by sweating, ramping up your metabolism, exercise, water consumption, and detoxifying treatments.

In other words, your lifestyle is your best defense against internal toxicity.

As far as modern-day cosmetic products are concerned, the industry is well equipped with tools and methods to find out the exact toxicity mechanism of different ingredients that are to be used to make final formulation.

Melanopeel® is manufactured and tested under the strictest of standards using pharmaceutically sound non-toxic formulations.

Toxicity is measured by potential to cause irritation & allergic reactions, promote cell death, and reduce the rate of cell reproduction. These are all factors opposite to the aims of medical grade skin care lines such as Melanopeel®.

harmful skin care ingredients

Treatments such as our chemical peels and retinols are capable of removing damaged and even precancerous skin cells, and promote cellular turnover which reduces the rate of DNA mutations.

This is the reason why peels such as TCA are used to remove precancerous lesions, and tretinoin is used extensively to protect persons against developing cancer from sun damage.

Now, this does not mean that there aren’t ingredients that you should avoid. Some you should.

Common chemicals that are found in skin care to be considered as skin irritants, in certain individuals are listed below. None of these are present in your Melanopeel® Skin care.

  • Hydroxytoluene (Can cause eye and skin irritation)
  • Cocamide DEA/Lauramide (Can be potentially carcinogenic)
  • Formaldehyde (Can damage DNA and can be potentially carcinogenic)
  • Parabens are found extensively in skin care & foods. (Can cause skin irritation and can impair fertility)
  • Phthalates are plasticizers and softeners commonly found in nail polish, and can be found in some moisturizing creams (can cause hormonal disruption)
  • Talc (Can be carcinogenic)
  • Oxybenzone (Found in sunscreens is a hormone disruptor)

Toxicity of anything you use on or in your body is dose-dependent. If you are using cosmetic products at high doses, you are increasing your chances of developing an irritant or allergic effect out of it, especially those on the list above.

Therefore, do consider your dosing and ensure that you are using your skin care as prescribed by your Melanopeel® clinic. Always consult your healthcare professional in order to minimize dose-related skin irritation.

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Courtesy Melanopeel® Skin Clarity.
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