Look Younger By Avoiding This

This week, the wife of a good friend wrote me to ask my thoughts on an e-mail she received:

Dear Friends,

I felt compelled to pass along some important information related to skin care ingrediantes (sic) that we are all using. As many of you know I struggled with my health last year which led me to really explore what I was putting in and on my body. At the same time I was going thru this my husband started his new company with a focus on developing skin care products for teens. In designing and formulating these products the scientists that he is working with have steered us away from ingredients that can be harmful or dangerous.

Here are my thoughts...

Women (and men to a lesser degree) who use skin- and hair-care products expose themselves to pounds of synthetic chemicals annually. Many of the chemicals are considered "estrogen mimics." This means they can disrupt the normal functions of hormones in our bodies – especially estrogen. Estrogen is ubiquitous in humans. In women, it regulates menstrual cycles and plays a key role in fertility. In excess, estrogen is linked to cancers, especially breast cancer.

You may recall, I have written about the dangers of sunscreen chemicals. Several of those – for example, benzophenones and methoxycinnamate – are strong estrogen disruptors. These are dangerous, and I always avoid them.

You also need to know about another group of chemicals called "parabens." Parabens are a family of chemicals used in various personal-care products, preservatives, and even food. They have mouth-filling scientific names like "methylparaben," "ethylparaben," "propylparaben," "butylparaben," etc.

Their names reflect their relationship to the chemical benzene... When I took general chemistry years ago, I remember the warning that benzene rings are bad...mmm...

Found in small quantities in nature – in blueberries, for example – paraben acts as a natural preservative and antimicrobial. But studies have show parabens in greater concentrations can disrupt estrogen function. These findings have led to more studies and disturbing results.

Turns out, parabens injected into animals also affect tissue in the uterus. Another pair of studies showed propylparaben and butylparaben disrupt male reproductive functions and decrease daily sperm production. This is frightening when you consider this: Paraben use is increasing, and sperm counts have fallen by almost a third since 1989.

Not afraid yet? A recently published study linked parabens from underarm deodorant to breast cancer. Several other studies found traces of paraben in human breast tumors.

Interestingly, the paraben found in these studies is a type formed when the paraben has entered the body through skin, rather than via digestion. Worse, this form more strongly mimics estrogen... It's well known that a disproportionately high incidence of breast cancer occurs in the upper outer quadrant of the breast – i.e. that section closest to the armpit where deodorant is applied. Still wondering? Incidences of breast cancer in men are growing... seemingly in line with increased use of products with parabens.

Many women shave their armpits and then apply deodorant shortly afterward. Shaving inevitably leads to small nicks and cuts through which substances can enter even more readily than through intact skin. Of course, it is also possible products used for shaving itself are the source of the parabens in the tumors, as shaving gels and liquid soaps/shower gels often contain them.

Researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle are carrying out a population-based, case-controlled study by questioning breast-cancer patients and women without the disease about their deodorant use and shaving habits. Their published results indicate cancer patients were more likely to use deodorants and more likely to have applied it within an hour of shaving. But the evidence isn't clear-cut, and some of the studies' results are contradictory.

Meanwhile, another study examining breast-cancer patients found the youngest patients tended to be the most zealous about underarm shaving and deodorant use.

If concerns for cancer don't bother you, maybe the studies on skin damage will. Researchers tested skin products with parabens on skin cells. When the skin was exposed to sunlight, the cells with paraben died three times more often. In addition, chemicals known as oxidants were also found on the paraben skin. Oxidants cause wrinkling and spots and make you look older.

What do I do?

Here's to our health,

Dr. David Eifrig Jr., M.D., M.B.A.