Mayo Clinic study reveals the 10 most common substances that irritate the skin. In the study Mayo Clinic studied several substances and ranked them on the basis of how often they caused contact dermatitis on the test subjects.
Though this study used contact dermatitis as basis it’s still useful for acne victims. Contact dermatitis results in swollen, reddened and itchy skin. Basically it’s an inflammatory reaction. Anything that irritates and inflames the skin can also aggravate your acne.
According to the Mayo Clinic study the 10 most common skin irritants are:
- Nickel (nickel sulfate hexahydrate) — metal frequently encountered in jewelry and clasps or buttons on clothing
- Gold (gold sodium thiosulfate) — Yes, the precious metal women love : )
- Balsam of Peru (myroxylon pereirae) — a fragrance used in perfumes and skin lotions, derived from tree resin
- Thimerosal — a mercury compound used in local antiseptics and in vaccines
- Neomycin sulfate — a topical antibiotic common in first aid creams and ointments, also found occasionally in cosmetics, deodorant, soap and pet food
- Fragrance mix — a group of the eight most common fragrance allergens found in foods, cosmetic products, insecticides, antiseptics, soaps, perfumes and dental products
- Formaldehyde — a preservative with multiple uses, e.g., in paper products, paints, medications, household cleaners, cosmetic products and fabric finishes
- Cobalt chloride — metal found in medical products; hair dye; antiperspirant; objects plated in metal such as snaps, buttons or tools; and in cobalt blue pigment
- Bacitracin — a topical antibiotic
- Quaternium 15 — preservative found in cosmetic products such as self-tanners, shampoo, nail polish and sunscreen or in industrial products such as polishes, paints and waxes
Source: http://www.mayoclinic.org/news2006-rst/3268.html
As an acne victim you would do well to avoid exposing the acne prone areas of your skin to these substances.
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Clear for Life - The lifestyle for health, happiness and clear skin
November 15th, 2008 at 3:09 am
Talking about products on the skin, what skin care products would you recommend or would you recommend any at all? For example for moisturizer and cleanser, is water best? Since my skin is often dry, I I feel the need to put something on after I wash my face but most moisturizers on the market today are filled with harsh chemicals and such. Also because I use cover up(foundation) I need to wash my skin so that the makeup can fully come off. What type of product would you recommend for that… If you have time please reply!
November 15th, 2008 at 7:54 am
This is informative post. Pleased tell about the food in which such mineral are presents.
November 16th, 2008 at 11:24 pm
Don’t forget to mention that a lot of shampoos use sulfur which can irritate sensitive skin
November 17th, 2008 at 8:41 am
Mickey,
I’m notoriously clueless about skin care products. I use none and am not really interested of any of them.
But I do acknowledge that some people think they are good and might even need them. I’m just not the person to advice anyone about them. Perhaps I should find someone who knows about them and ask them to write guest posts here.
November 17th, 2008 at 8:45 am
JC,
You are right. This is by no means a conclusive list. I just found the Mayo Clinic study and thought it would be useful for you guys to know about.
Finally Ahmed, please stop spamming this place in hopes for getting links to your vitligo-sites. I have no problems you posting your link here as long as your comments add something to the discussion. It’s quite obvious you didn’t even read the post as most of those minerals and irritants are not present in foods and nothing in the post says so.