FDA warns about potentially harmful chemicals in sunscreen
/Did you know that your skin is the largest organ in your body?
Our skin acts as a barrier to protect us against pathogens, but at the same time our skin absorbs a lot of the compounds it is exposed to.
In a recent study (link below), scientists discovered that the skin of people who spent time in front of a barbecue absorbed a lot of the dangerous smoke into the bloodstream.
In fact, ask any endocrinologist and they’ll tell you that one of the biggest problems people face today (especially women) stem from hormonal imbalances caused by compounds absorbed through the skin.
Remember that your skin is a thin porous membrane that separates the outside world from your blood. So whenever your skin absorbs something, it goes straight into your bloodstream.
In ancient times, these things were limited to the occasional exposure to smoke from fires and the accidental exposure to dangerous toxins from animals, plants or water.
However in today’s modern world, our skin gets exposed to a wide variety of chemicals which gets absorbed into our blood and create havoc in our endocrine (hormonal) system.
Such compounds can commonly be found in beauty products, shampoo, skin creams, sunscreen, fabric softeners, etc.
Many of these products contain something called “phytoestrogen”. Phytoestrogen is a chemical that resembles oestrogen, the hormone produced by both men and women, but most commonly associated with women (since women produce much more of it and it’s responsible for fertility).
When these “fake” oestrogen molecules enter the body, they create a spike in oestrogen, but then also mess up the body’s ability to regulate its own production of oestrogen.
This can lead to a variety of problems, which sometimes even includes difficulty in loosing fat.
In a recent statement by the FDA in the US warning people about the efficacy of pill-based supplements as a replacement for sunscreen, I was pleasantly surprised to see them talk about the potentially harmful chemicals in sunscreens and how they get absorbed through the skin.
There are things you can naturally to boost your body’s ability to resist skin damage from excessive sun exposure, including increasing your intake of antioxidants: your body’s primary defence against damage. Antioxidant rich foods include dark leafy greens, berries, etc. You can of course supplement with high quality Omega 3, Vitamin C, E, and hydrolysed collagen.
