Your skin absorbs just about everything you put on it - good and bad. Have you thought about the effects - IN your body - of the cosmetics, creams, oils and lotions you use on a daily basis? Our skin was designed to absorb what we put on it. Sometimes we don’t stop to think about the chemicals we are putting in it.

I read an article from the Summer 2004 Newsletter of the Women’s Community Cancer Project where a study showed parabens were found in breast cancer tumors. Parabens are chemicals most widely used as preservatives (to fight bacteria) - preservatives that are found in nearly every product you put on your skin. They can have estrogenic activity when applied to the skin. In other words, they can raise estrogen levels and increase the risk of cancer.

What were once thought to be harmless cosmetics, deodorants, antiperspirants, creams and body sprays are now showing a direct link to breast cancer tumors - triggering great concern that the products don’t just sit on the surface of our skin where they feel good and smell good, but are absorbed into our bodies, putting us at risk for disease.

And, as women are the main users of these personal products, we are at higher risk for becoming one of the growing statistics. Some of the chemicals most commonly used and to be on guard about include:

* Sodium Laureth Sulfate
* Cocamide DEA/Lauramide DEA
* Petrolatum
* Propylparaben
* Ethylparaben
* Methylparaben
* Isobutylparaben
* Mineral Oil
* Coal Tar
* Talc
* Toluene
* Formaldehyde

And the list goes on. I have used creams and lotions for as many years as I can remember - never giving a thought that what I put on my skin could actually cause harm to my body. The next time you are in the store, take a moment to read the labels of what you are putting IN your body.