Why Do You Need to Protect Your Face From Endocrine Disruptors?
Endocrine disruptors are chemicals that can interfere with the endocrine system. Everyday products such as plastics, cosmetics, pesticides, and food packaging are endocrine disruptors.
The endocrine system regulates things like metabolism, fertility, growth and development. Any malfunction of the endocrine system can cause both health and mental issues. For example, endocrine disruptors have been linked to obesity and hormone-related cancers like breast cancer.
Our health can be affected after either individual occupation or dietary and environmental exposure to Endocrine Disruptors (EDCs). Our skin is one of the largest organs of the body. The function of the skin is to protect the body from harmful substances. When the skin overexposes to various endocrine disruptors, it can no longer keep diseases at bay. Once the skin is compromised, it becomes ineffective at protecting the internal organs from exposure to carcinogenic, immunotoxic, and hepatotoxic stressors. Their effects on keratinocytes, melanocytes, sebocytes, inflammatory and immunological cells, and skin stem cells produce inflammatory and allergic skin diseases, chloracne, disorders of skin pigmentation, skin cancer, and skin aging.
What are Endocrine Disruptors?
Endocrine disruptors are chemicals that interfere with the production, release, transport, or elimination of hormones. They can either mimic hormones or block their effects.
Endocrine disruptors do not just affect humans but also animals and plants. They can have a long-term effect on the reproduction, development and behavior of organisms. In humans, endocrine disruptors have been linked to cancerous tumors in breast tissue and prostate cancer. It has also been linked to obesity and diabetes.
How Do Chemicals Cause Obesity?
Obesity is an epidemic that is sweeping the world. The World Health Organization estimates that 1.9 billion adults are overweight or obese globally, and more than 40 million children under the age of 5 are obese or overweight. In America alone, nearly 35% of adults and 17% of children are obese.
The root cause of obesity is a complex phenomenon with many factors contributing to it. Many factors contribute to obesity: genetics, lifestyle choices, socioeconomic status, and access to food resources. Genetics account for about half the risk for obesity in adulthood, while a person’s lifestyle choices account for only about 10%.
Some common chemicals that have been linked with weight gain include trans fats from processed food, additives that are used to preserve food, preservatives that are added to foods, and certain types of sugars. Some chemicals found in food products have been found to cause obesity as well. Common chemicals that have been linked with weight gain include trans fats from processed foods and high fructose corn syrup, both of which are often found in soft drinks and packaged sweets.
Just like the food that we eat contains endocrine disruptors, so are the products that we use to nourish the skin. the effects of endocrine disruptors and both our food and skincare products not only cause physical harm, but they also impact the way we are treated as the immediate consequence of being overweight in a shallow society like the American society is social discrimination, often causing poor self-esteem and depression.
Studies have shown that the current obesity epidemic cannot be explained solely by alterations in good intake and a decrease in exercise. One of the causes of obesity is genetic. Environmental changes also play a role in the obesity phenomenon. Many synthetic chemicals are used to increase weight in animals, it is not surprising that many synthetic ingredients found in skincare products can lead to obesity. Chemicals including heavy metals, solvents, polychlorinated bisphenols, organophosphates, phthalates, and bisphenol A are often used in the formulation of many skincare products.
Premature Aging of The Immune System
Abnormalities in the immune response due to the malfunction of the endocrine system can lead to systemic inflammation. It can cause changes in body composition, impaired energy balance, impaired homeostatic mechanisms, and neurodegeneration. Additionally, recurring body inflammation causes a reduction in lean tissue mass as well as increasing body fat mass, causing both the skin and the body cells to age prematurely.
How to Find and Avoid Dangerous Chemicals in Everyday Products
It is not always easy to find out what chemicals are in the products that we use every day. Many different types of chemicals can be found in these products, some of which are known to cause cancer or other diseases.
Conclusion
There are several ways to avoid these dangerous chemicals. One way is by researching the ingredients before buying a product, so you know what you’re getting into. Another way is by using natural products instead of chemical-based ones, which can be more expensive but worth it for your health and safety.
This article is for informational purposes only. We do not provide medical advice. If you have a skin condition, please contact a dermatologist.
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References
Jerrold J. Heindel, Endocrine Disruptors and the Obesity Epidemic, Toxicological Sciences, Volume 76, Issue 2, December 2003, Pages 247–249, https://doi.org/10.1093/toxsci/kfg255
Jeroen P. Kooman, Marijke J. Dekker, Len A. Usvyat, et al, Inflammation and premature aging in advanced chronic kidney disease,The American Physiological Society, Oct 1, 2017, https://journals.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/ajprenal.00256.2017
Ju, Q., Zouboulis, C.C. Endocrine-disrupting chemicals and skin manifestations. Rev Endocr Metab Disord 17, 449–457 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11154-016-9371-2