Why You Should Stop Using Petroleum Jelly On Your Skin
Many people use Vaseline as a cheap way to soften and moisturize their skin. Petroleum jelly is a semisolid mixture of fatty substances that are a byproduct of the crude oil industry. A common brand name is Vaseline.
What is Vaseline
Vaseline contains petroleum jelly which is refined from oil extracted from the ground. The chemist behind the discovery of petroleum jelly noticed how oilmen would smear residue from the oil drill on wounds to help them heal. The oil residue is refined to remove impurities from it, which results in petroleum jelly.
What Petroleum Jelly Does to Your Skin
Apart from being an ingredient in Vaseline, many beauty products contain petroleum jelly to help keep moisture in the skin. It does this by forming a protective, waterproof layer over the skin. It may be listed on beauty and skincare products as petrolatum, mineral oil, paraffin oil, or liquid paraffin.
Having a waterproof layer on your skin may seem like a good thing, but the problem is that petroleum jelly doesn’t allow your skin to breathe. This means that it doesn’t allow moisture to enter your skin.
However, there are many who promote the benefits of using petroleum jelly for dry skin. For example, Dr. Andrew Weil says that all types of harmful substances are removed from petroleum jelly during the refining process. Dr. Alexa Kimball from Stanford University Medical Center says that petroleum jelly is an excellent moisturizer and doesn’t cause allergic reactions.
Vaseline says on its website that its product is non-comedogenic, which means that the product itself does not block pores. The website also mentions that the product is triple-filtered, ensuring it is truly free from impurities and safe to use.
Dangers Associated with Petroleum Jelly
In order to find out if petroleum jelly is completely safe and doesn’t cause any side effects, let’s look at what science says as to the safety of petroleum jelly. Some of these reasons may convince you to stop using petroleum jelly on your skin altogether.
Contaminates the body
One concern with using petroleum jelly on your skin is that your body can’t metabolize it. Therefore, petroleum jelly provides no benefit to your skin or body other than softening dry skin. Some research also suggests that petroleum jelly contains harmful substances that can build up in the body.
The Journal of Women’s Health published a report saying that hydrocarbons from cosmetics in mineral oil (which is also a petroleum product) can contaminate the body. The scientists found that these compounds enter the body through the skin, inhalation, and diet.
This is a cause for concern because the Journal of Women’s Health stated that “mineral oil hydrocarbons are the greatest contaminant of the human body.”
Affects estrogen levels
Compounds in petroleum jelly may also cause higher estrogen levels in the body. An estrogen dominance in the body affects a woman’s reproductive system, causes fibrocystic breast changes, mood swings and premenstrual syndrome.
The Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology found that petroleum jelly has estrogen activity. The increase in estrogen levels was connected with using petroleum jelly and products containing petroleum jelly for skin care.
May contain carcinogenic substances
What’s even more worrying about using petroleum-based substances is that they may contain cancer-causing compounds.
The Environmental Working Group (EWG) found that many cosmetic products that are petroleum-based contain a cancerogenic substance called 1,4-Dioxane. This has been found in around 22% of cosmetics including baby soaps and body lotions.
A report published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology on the cancer-causing effect of mineral oil and petroleum based products found a connection between mineral oil and cancer but not with petroleum jelly. The researchers found that petroleum jelly didn’t have an effect on tumor growth whereas mineral oil sped up tumor growth.
So, it seems that there is much controversy if rubbing petroleum jelly on the skin will actually cause tumors and currently the link is not established yet.
Other health problems associated with petroleum jelly
Another associated problem petroleum jelly products have is their effect on the skin when it forms a protective barrier.
Risk of bacterial vaginosis
Doctors have found that using petroleum jelly can put a woman at a greater risk of developing bacterial vaginosis or candidiasis.
The journal Obstetrics & Gynecology reported that women who used petroleum jelly around their vaginal area were twice as likely to develop bacterial vaginosis.
According to Dr. Sten Vermund from the Institute for Global Health, petroleum jelly is slightly alkaline and may promote the growth of “bad” bacteria in the vagina.
Lipoid pneumonia
Inhaling petroleum products over prolonged period can cause respiratory complications.
The Journal of General Internal Medicine reports that lipoid pneumonia occurs when petroleum jelly or mineral oil is inhaled or ingested. The researchers reported that frequently using lip balm with mineral oil or applying petroleum jelly to your nasal passages can increase your risk of lipoid pneumonia.
Poisonous
The University of Maryland lists petroleum jelly as a poisonous substance that can be harmful if swallowed or gets into your eyes.
Very often, petroleum jelly is recommended because it is a cheap skin moisturizer. But, it is good to remember that your skin is the largest organ in your body. Do you really want to be using cheap products on your skin when there are better and safer alternatives?
For example, research published in the journal Dermatitis found that coconut oil is just as effective and safe as mineral oil at treating dry, itchy skin. What’s more, coconut oil also has an antiseptic effect on the skin which can kill off infection-causing germs.
Extract from article - By Jenny Hills, Medical Writer and Researcher
https://www.healthyandnaturalworld.com/vaseline-for-skincare/