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The best thing that a person with hepatitis can do is to "take a load off the liver." Most of us are familiar with some of the ways we can do this, for example, eat organic foods when possible, open the windows in our homes and cars, stop smoking, stop drinking alcohol, detoxify with herbs, and reduce stress.
How many of us consider that nourishing our skin is just as important as proper nutrition? Do we know what we are putting on our skin? Do we read the labels on our skin care products? Do we know which ingredients are toxic and thus force the liver to work overtime?
Reducing toxins that we apply to our skin can help the liver be less overloaded. Hepatitis patients especially need to be aware of the potentially liver-damaging ingredients found in many skin care products.
The skin is the largest organ of the body and functions both to eliminate from within and keep out the potentially deadly toxins that threaten its defense barrier. "The skin is very underestimated, because all of it functions in contribution to our health and well-being," says Linda Chae, an expert in the field of skin nutrition.
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Therefore, understanding healthy skin means taking into account its role as the largest toxin elimination organ. "I think it's been thought of as something that is mostly for beauty only," Chae says, "that it either looks good or it doesn't look good and thus that kind of ends its judgment."
Are we aware that treating our skin with the same chemicals used in detergents, antifreeze, lead and solvents can wreak havoc on our internal organs? Yet we unwittingly apply these chemicals to our scalp, face, arms, and legs whenever we use shampoo and conditioner, lipstick, sunscreen, insect repellent, body cream, hand lotion, facial cleanser, shave cream, soap, hair color, and hair spray.
What is good skin care? The bottom line in good skin care is to be extremely aware of the ingredients if you have a compromised immune system. Good skin care mandates that we not put into the body the very waste it works to eliminate, says Chae. But most of us don't know whether ingredients in our skin care products are good for us or not.
What are the ingredients of which we need to be cautious? She cautions us to be aware of a family of ingredients that has a high incidence of side effects: petroleum synthetics. Chae recommends that anybody with immune system challenges exercise caution in using skin care products derived from petroleum as these chemicals can be filtered in the liver.
"Denatured alcohol or an isopropyl alcohol or a propylene glycol can cause all sorts of liver problems" when absorbed into the body, says Chae. In fact, propylene glycol is the solvent that is used to kill and remove barnacles off the bottoms of boats.
Propylene glycol, an ingredient used in many conditioners and shampoos as a wetting agent and solvent, can be absorbed through the pores in our scalp and skin, as can Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, an ingredient in almost everything (soap, toothpaste, detergents, shaving cream, shampoos), which serves double duty as an engine degreaser.
If you read the ingredients listed on a baby oil container, you will find that it is composed of 100 percent mineral oil and fragrance. This can close pores, essentially suffocating the skin, not allowing toxins to be released.
Isopropyl alcohol (SD-40) is made from propylene, a petroleum derivative. It is a very drying irritating solvent that strips away the skin's moisture and natural immune barrier. It may promote brown spots and premature aging of theskin.
Synthetic colors, such as FD&C Color Pigments are made from coal tar. They may be carcinogenic. Synthetic colors have no function in skin care products, except to make them look pretty.
Other ingredients in everyday skin care products may irritate, clog, and block our skin's external and internal defenses. Respecting the skin's defenses means not over cleansing or stripping it with detergents, says Chae.
Robbing the skin of its natural oils and moisture by rubbing chemicals on it can be "likened to a bank withdrawal out of the skin," she adds. Warning signs the skin gives include redness, sensitivity, swelling and itching.
"The skin can absorb these bad things," Chae emphasizes. "It can also absorb good things." Chae says skin care should emphasize primarily plant constituents instead of petroleum-based ingredients taking a lesson from historical reliance on salt and mud baths.
Chae has researched ingredients and formulations used in skin care products for almost 30 years and has been a consultant for major manufacturers, physicians, and Fortune 500 companies. "Good things" that Chae recommends for use in skin care products include willow herb, which is an anti-inflammatory; Japanese honeysuckle, which has been used in Chinese medicine for 1500 years; Egyptian hibiscus; black walnut, which the American Indians used as a poultice; sunflower extract, which helps protect the hair from sun damage; and Grapefruit Seed Extract .
When we coat the skin with chemicals, we are sealing it, much like wrapping it in plastic wrap, Chae says. Shedding toxins out of your body through the skin is equally as important as keeping toxins from penetrating inside, thus generating more cleansing work for the liver. The skin's primary sites of waste removal are the scalp and the underarms.
A healthy substitute for petroleum-based ingredients is grapefruit seed extract, which, Chae says, makes a deposit into our skin instead of depleting it. She says grapefruit seeds "are a very high potent antibacterial agent by nature and, unlike chemical antibiotics and antibacterials [do not] cause the emergence of superbugs." Grapefruit seeds help build the immune system when added to skin care products. Instead of making a withdrawal, people are making a deposit.
Many skin care companies say that their products are all natural, but a look at the labels reveals that even though products like Green Tea and herbs have
been added, the basic list of ingredients contains many toxic substances. A search of the Web for natural skin care companies revealed that many companies advertise that herbs have been added but do not list all of the ingredients contained in the products. (Example of one product that lists all ingredients: Derma E Ester-C Creme with E - Skin Recovery Complex 2 OZ)
A note of caution to hepatitis patients: Some companies manufacture excellent skin care products that do not contain toxic substances. These companies are not manufacturing products specifically for people with hepatitis or liver disease, so some (but not all) of their products do include comfrey (allantoin is another name for comfrey). Comfrey is on the list of herbs to be avoided for hepatitis patients.
Read the labels carefully every time you make a purchase, and do not buy the products that contain comfrey. There is an excellent herbal remedy on the market for cold sores. However, the main herb is comfrey, so people with liver disease should not use it.
What is a person supposed to do when confronted by a plethora of skin care products that contain toxins? Here is a list of things you can do:
- Be knowledgeable about proper skin care
- Be aware that reducing toxins that we apply to our skin helps the liver to be less overloaded
- Realize that some skin care products are not always safe
- Carry the list of toxic ingredients with you and check the labels
- Avoid products that contain comfrey (allantoin)
- Educate yourself about ingredients that are good for the skin
- Be an informed consumer
Many health food stores carry natural skin care products as well as many mail order companies. Some clerks are knowledgeable about skin care products and can help you. Check out the Web sites listed at the end of this article. If your health food store carries natural products that contain toxins, talk to the owner about your concerns.
We can't avoid many of the toxins in our environment such as: air pollution, water pollution and pesticides. But we do have a choice about the products that we use for our hair and skin care. Making wise decisions and reducing the toxins we put on our skin will go a long way toward "taking a load off
our liver" and keeping us healthy and happy.
Skin Care Ingredients
Ingredients are significant in skin care. Following is a partial list of some common ingredients found in petroleum-based skin care products that you may want to avoid:
- Acrylamide Found in many hand and face creams. Linked to mammary tumors in lab research. Main component in super glues.
- Alcohol A dehydrator that strips our skin's moisture and immune barrier, making us more vulnerable to bacteria, molds, and viruses.
- Comfrey (allantoin) May cause liver-related complications
- DEA (diethanolamine), MEA (monoethanolamine), and TEA (triethanolamine) hormone disrupting chemicals that can form cancer-causing nitrates and nitrosamines. Restricted in Europe due to carcinogenic effects. Creates foam in shampoo, shaving creams and bubble bath.
- Dioxane Found in compounds known as PEG, Polysorbates, Laureth, ethoxylated alcohols. Common in a wide range of personal care products. The compounds are usually contaminated with high concentrations of highly volatile 1,4-dioxane, easily absorbed through the skin.
Dioxane?s carcinogenicity was first reported in 1965 and later confirmed in studies including one from the National Cancer Institute in 1978. Nasal passages and liver are the most vulnerable. Dioxane is easily removed during the manufacturing process by "vacuum stripping." Warning: It is a synthetic derivative of coconut. Watch for hidden language (marketing phraseology loosely based on science) on labels, such as "comes from coconut."
- DMDM Hydantoin & Urea (Imidazolidinyl) Preservatives that release formaldehyde and may cause joint pain, chronic fatigue, dizziness, loss of sleep. May irritate respiratory system.
- Fragrance Mostly synthetic ingredients often containing animal urine or feces. May cause headaches, coughing, and skin irritation.
- FD&C Color Pigments Made from coal tar containing heavy metal salts that deposit toxins onto the skin causing irritation. Animal studies have shown almost all of them to be carcinogenic.
- Isopropyl alcohol (SD-40) A very drying and irritating solvent and dehydrator. Can act as a "carrier" accelerating the penetration of other harmful chemicals into your skin.
- Mineral Oil, Paraffin, and Petrolatum Petroleum by-product that clogs the pores and interferes with the skin's elimination process can result in premature aging. Suspected cause of cancer. Disruptive of hormonal activity.
- Phenol carbolic acid Found in many lotions and skin creams. Can cause circulatory collapse, paralysis, convulsions, coma and even death from respiratory failure.
- Parabens Widely used as preservatives in the cosmetic industry (including moisturizers). An estimated 13,200 cosmetic and skin care products contain parabens. Studies implicate their connection with cancer. They have hormone-disrupting qualities ? mimicking estrogen ? and interfere with the body?s endocrine system.
- PEG (Polyethylene glycol) Potentially carcinogenic petroleum ingredient that can alter and reduce the skin's natural moisture factor. Thickens products.
- Propylene Glycol (PG) and Butylene Glycol Petroleum plastics which can weaken protein and cellular structure. Acts as a wetting agent and solvent. Used as a moisturizer in cosmetics and as a carrier in fragrance oils. Shown to cause dermatitis, kidney or liver abnormalities, and may inhibit skin cell growth or cause skin irritation. (I've seen plenty of this ingredient in pet skin 'conditioners' and even in pet snacks. There are safer, more reliable products out there for you and your pets.)
- Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) & Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES) Found in car washes, engine degreasers, garage floor cleaners... Used in 90 percent of personal care products that foam. May damage the skin's immune system. SLS breaks down the skin?s moisture barrier, easily penetrates the skin, and allows other chemicals to easily penetrate. Combined with other chemicals, Can be transformed into nitrosamines, a class of carcinogens. It can also cause hair loss, cataracts, and a host of other personal health problems. SLES is sometimes disguised with the labeling "comes from coconut" or "coconut-derived." ("Derived" is the key word indicating something other than natural.)
- Toluene ? Poison! Danger! Harmful or fatal if swallowed! Harmful if inhaled or absorbed through the skin. Made from petroleum or coal tar, and found in most synthetic fragrances. Chronic exposure linked to anemia, lowered blood cell count, liver or kidney damage, and may affect a developing fetus. Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) contains toluene. Other names may include benzoic and benzyl. (This is the main component in lighter fluid. I have seen this in pet wormers. There are safer, more effective products.)
- Triclosan Hormone disrupters. Stored in body fat. Widespread use in antibacterial cleansers, toothpastes, and household products may promote the emergence of super bugs' that it cannot kill.
*These warning labels are extracted in part from Dr. Mercola's article: Natural Body Butter. See more advice on skin care and recurrent diseases of the dermal layer at Puritan's Pride, Physician's Choice, and Vitamin World:
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