Beauty Ingredients You Should Avoid?

 

When you look at the back of that cleanser, the list of ingredients can be a little daunting. Long words you can't pronounce and even numbers start to swarm around your head...and then you see it...that ingredient. Didn't your cousin's best friend's sister tell you that that ingredient could give you cancer?! This situation is all too common. All of the beauty editors in magazines and talk shows want to make interesting beauty segments and "expose" the big bad cosmetics companies. Then your skin therapist or dermatologist prescribes it to you, so what is the deal? This is a situation in which we want to focus on something called TOXICITY reports.

There has been a boom in guests who experience some sort of sensitivity of the skin in our esthetician's and dermatologists offices. Determining what causes the sensitivities are our jobs as professionals but what's becoming a more common variable are the types of ingredients being used in people's every day products. In these situations, we are going to be looking for IRRITATION/ALLERGY reports or even if there are any PRECAUTIONARY instructions included with the products being used.

Finally, you are thrown all of these "super star" ingredients. Everyone jumps on the bandwagon! You stockpile your drawers and practically buy stock in the company that produces products containing them. However, a study comes out a month or two later saying that there was no scientific evidence that supports that it does stack up to it's claims.  This would fall into reports regarding INEFFECTIVENESS.

So these are the points you want to look for when you're choosing skincare, cosmetic products, etc.

• Toxicity
• Irritant
• Precautionary
• Ineffective 

Toxicity warnings can tell you the degree to which something is poisonous. Studies carried out can be using a certain percentage of ingredient, over a certain time. The question on whether how these studies are carried out could affect the results.
Irritant warnings report substances that can cause inflammation or other discomfort in the body. This may be for a select few, may not include all consumers.
Precautionary warnings are going to be instructions to be followed while using products.
And ineffective reports reveal that ingredients or products do not produce significant or desired results.

Unfortunately, you have to do your own research or understand where the advice is coming from. It's kind of like saying this big TV personality swears up and down on this diet and low and behold...they announce they have a book deal about the diet or are the face of the company who facilitates it! Or the newest and greatest supplement that has been "discovered" which we so conveniently carry in our store! Haha! It's good to have resources but just make sure you have don't have rose-colored glasses on.

Here's an example of one of the lists that I've stumbed on: (bold is cited from Dr. Oz, italicized is my commentary)

• Fragrances (irritant, can cause inflammation and sensitivities in the skin)
• Imidazolidinyl urea and diazolidinyl urea (possible toxicity challenge- preservative that is formaldehyde-releasing, although not a large amount- suggested not to be used on infant. Dr. Oz says can alter the DNA of cells. )
• Sodium lauryl sulfate (surfactant or detergent, used largely in skin cleansers/shampoos. Considered to be an irritant SAID to cause cancer but NO link has been cited)
• Mineral oil *(precautionary, it can't be used in conjunction with a comedogenic product or it will trap said product in the pores. Otherwise, there's no data saying that it clogs pores.)
• MEA (monoethanolamine) & TEA (triethanolamine) (there are some studies that show levels of toxicity although deemed safe by the DEA, normally used as pH adjusters in products)
• DMAE (dimethylaminoethanol ) (possible ineffective/could be damaging,  skin firming antioxidant. In the book, Dr. Oz states that it causes 'cell damage and swelling' and that it's temporary. In in vitro studies, it's said could cause celltoxicity)

says Dr. Mehmet C. Oz, M.D. (aka Dr. Oz) referenced from his book YOU: Being Beautiful (2008)

Obviously, this was a little while ago.  (Now Dr. Oz has Dr. Perricone PROMOTING DMAE, funny huh?) I've done my research on all of the ingredients listed. I've done the Cosmetic Cop (Paula Begeoun) and I've done my Futurederm.com. I finally went to my EWG website! This last website is amazing! It's brought to you by the Environmental Working Group and this organization thoroughly inspects ingredients and products and "grades" them on their potential hazards to consumers that use them. 0-2 being low hazard, 3-6 moderate hazard, and 7-10 high hazard. Check it out :http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/

In my research, other ingredients said to be avoided are displayed in this infograph (click to enlarge)

Here are also some more links should you be the avid researcher as I am!
http://www.madefromearth.com/content/harmful-ingredients-skincare-products.html
http://www.futurederm.com/2007/12/21/is-mineral-oil-really-bad-for-your-skin/
http://www.rebootwithjoe.com/9-skin-care-ingredients-to-avoid/


One thing I've learned while researching these ingredients and the millions that are claimed that you should leave out of your regimen- YOU make your exducated decisions. Just like I stated in the my organic skin care post, you can make the decision on what you put onto/into your body. Whether you want to go on what side of the spectrum or only avoid certain things...that's your choice. Just know what the claims are and where they come from. That being said...I think I might rethink what a particular Dr. on TV says...what about you?

 

The Cellulite Debaucle

 

Cellulite is an annoying plight.

It's associated with people that might have a little more to love but it's becoming evident that even the thinner class deals with it too. So that leads us to wonder what's really causing the "hail damage" that plagues us?! It's common belief that if you gain weight that's why you get cellulite. While it can play a part, losing weight won't actually make it go away. Sadly for us ladies, it seems to be that we might inherit some characteristics that make us susceptible to it's creation! With 90 %  of women experiencing this, we try to see a correlation. Well...

 

Our skin has many functions, one of them being to protect our bodies. Our skin is comprised of three layers- the epidermis, dermis, and subcutaneous layer. The epidermis is the outermost layer that we see every day. In the dermis layer is where our elastin & collagen, reticular fibers, and glands live. And finally, the subcutaneous layer is where our fat and connective cells inhabit. Our focus is going to be on the subcutaneous layer.

Just like we adapt to our surroundings, so do our bodies (kind of like the pigment of our skin remember?) . The role of women from the beginning of time has been to nurture and birth children. While this is not the stigma now, our bodies haven't gotten the memo. The structure of the subcutaneous layer as women allows for our fat cells to become larger. This is because our body prepares for children, we need more cushion and our body seems to widen. In men, they are built to be able to be more active (almost like the "hunter" vs "gatherer") and lean. So their adipose cells don't swell or create much of a pull on the fibers, called septae, that hold the three layers together. Look at the image below:

 

 

 The yellow fat cells in that make up the hypodermis-subcutaneous level in normal skin are nestled between the chambers of the fibrous septae. Because they aren't pushing against the septae, there is no pull on the dermis and epidermis. Now looking at skin afflicted by cellulite, the cells are pushing up against the septae. This causes tension on the chambers, causing them to pull "pockets" of the dermis and epidermis. This is what gives the dimpled effect. And again, because women have a predisposition to larger fat cells and even smaller chambers of fat cells, then this is more dominant for us. Men acutally have stronger septae because their chambers and in return, far less likely to get cellulite.

 

Fat cells aren't the only cause of cellulite, even fluid retention and excess fluid in the subcutaneous layer can cause the fat cells to push against the septae. So that's why even retaining water can make the appearance appear more dramatic. (Also, be careful with deep tissue massage. One might think that you can massage to get the fat cells broken up blah blah blah, but it could increase edema or more fluid to that area. However, MLD could be possibly helpful to reduce swelling.) And that's another way marketers and advertisers can get ya! And that leads us into our next portion...

 

 

 Lotions and creams will not benefit cellulite. Because the septae are below even the dermis, no products would be able penetrate that deeply without a modality or machine to aid it. Look at a product closely, does it say that it will remove or get rid of cellulite? Or does it say that it will "improve the appearance" of cellulite? This means your cellulite won't look as drastic. That's why people are finding more results with RID of cellulite with recent technology. Ingredients in products could possibly help with releasing some of the fluid held as well as detoxifying ingredients could help the appearance but would not get rid of it altogether. If eliminating the fluid and toxins that could be causing some inflammation:

• horse chestnut
• seaweed
• glycyrrhetic acid (from licorice)
• green tea

Those are just a few to look for. Diet and exercise can again, decrease the appearance but once cellulite has occurred, it's there. Otherwise, myth busted...no products will help you get rid of cellulite. Want to know about some procedures that are getting attention? Check out here. I'm thinking this could run into another post. Some of the most popular treatments are types of radio frequency treatments that use audio waves to break down fat cells, endermologie which heats up/applies pressure and "liquefies" fat" and compresses the body, and a new treatment called cryptology which freezes fat cells and kills them (however there may be some challenges with how the body reacts).

Whichever way you go, just make you do your research...know your professional and understand the options given!  Read more should you wish! I have a feeling I will be coming back to this topic, so stay tuned!
 

That Girl Is Poison

Forgive me for the cheesy title but UNDERSTAND it was necessary. It's the song that popped into my mind when a fellow instructor was sharing her tales from the International Congress of Esthetics event in Arlington. She had gotten some information from a company that had snake venom as one of their active ingredients...


Wait for it...
NOT! Are you kidding? You can't put poisonous venom on you face!! But, they do have an ingredient that mimics snake venom, which temporarily "paralizes" the muscles. Since the muscle cannot move then this prevents fine lines and wrinkles from occuring/worsening. Sonya Dakar was the first skincare line said to utilize this science.The synthetic peptide we're highlighting is actually called "Syn-ake" which is a lab-created peptide that mimics the snake venom. Sounds great, right?
Peptides
So peptides (short chain of amino acids) are byproducts of a protein being broken down in the body. This is ideal for ingredients in skincare because it can be broken down even further by the body and absorbed by the bloodstream. Depending on the type of peptide will determine it's functions. For example, Acetyl Hexapeptide-3 (Argieline) which when,"topically applied, treats the same type of wrinkles as botulinum toxin " (coughBotoxcough). Sound familiar? Technology is so neat! There are tons of other types of peptides that are beneficial for the skin which might make for an interesting post later.

Bee Venom

Another venom getting notice is bee venom. This ingredient contains a peptide called melliten which has antinflammatory properties and can act as a pain reliever. Inflammation for an extended amount of time can cause free radicals in the body. Not only that, it stimulates blood circulation that in return causes the synthesis of elastin and collagen THUS causing the firming and plumping effect of the skin! Wahhhlaa!

As always, the concentration of these quality ingredients are important. Make sure to read your product's ingredients. The highest quantity of the ingredients are listed first...so if those trendy advertised ingredient is closer to the bottom then it means that it may not even be an active ingredient.
Would any of you try these types of products? Any other skincare lines do you know use these ingredients?
By the way...the song is still stuck in my head.