Skin irritations caused by chemicals found in toilet-seat cleaners appear to be making a comeback in pediatricians’ offices, according to a prominent Baltimore researcher.

“Toilet-seat dermatitis is one of those legendary conditions described in medical textbooks and seen in underdeveloped countries, but one that younger pediatricians have not come across in their daily practice,” says Bernard A. Cohen, MD, director of pediatric dermatology at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center.

“If our small analysis is any indication of what’s happening, we need to make sure the condition is on every pediatrician’s radar,” he says.

The causative culprits are harsh chemicals like phenol and formaldehyde, as well as exotic wooden toilet seats. Phenol has been associated with dermatitis and both second- and third-degree burns, while formaldehyde is a known health hazard and carcinogen.

Wooden seats—especially those covered with varnishes and paints—are a returning trend in bathroom décor, note Dr. Cohen and his colleagues in the February issue of Pediatrics.

Children can develop irritation after repeated use of a wooden seat or ongoing exposure to chemical residues. Dr. Cohen urges pediatricians to ask parents about home and school toilet seats and cleaners when treating a toddler or young child with irritated buttocks or upper thighs.

While dermatitis is relatively benign, many pediatricians may treat it incorrectly if they fail to pinpoint the source. This, in turn, can lead to persistent or worsening inflammation, with painful, itchy skin eruptions. Chronic skin irritation is also vulnerable to bacteria and may lead to more serious infections that require oral antibiotics.

“Some of the children in our study suffered for years before the correct diagnosis was made,” says lead investigator Ivan V. Litvinov, PhD, of McGill University in Montreal.

To prevent toilet-seat dermatitis, Dr. Cohen and his colleagues recommend:

1. Use of paper toilet-seat covers in public restrooms, including hospital and school restrooms
2. Replacing wooden toilet seats with plastic ones
3. Cleaning toilet seats and bowls daily
4. Avoiding harsh store-brand cleaners, which often contain skin irritants

For me, autumn-proofing my skin focuses on the driest parts of my body: feet, elbows and knees. 

There’s no need to buy fancy and expensive products to treat these areas, according to Sarah Callard, author of The Little Green Book of Beauty: 250 Tips for an Eco Lifestyle. 

“For dry skin, use olive oil, organic if possible,” she writes. “It has excellent moisturizing properties and has been traditionally used as an intensive conditioning and moisturizing treatment for areas prone to dry skin.” 

Callard recommends applying it at bedtime so you can wake up with smoother skin. 

Also by Sarah Callard 

• The Little Green Book of the Home: 250 Tips for an Eco Lifestyle
• Green Living: A Practical Guide to Eating, Gardening, Energy Saving and Housekeeping for a Healthy Planet

As summer yields to fall, temperature changes will require you to alter your organic skin-care regimen. 

“While the autumn weather may encourage outdoor activities, your skin will retain less moisture because of the cooler, drier air,” says Joshua Fox, MD, founder of Advanced Dermatology in New York and a spokesperson for the American Academy of Dermatology.

 “The same happens indoors as the heat goes on and up,” he continues. “Key symptoms of ‘autumn skin’ include dryness, fine lines, dull and sallow skin tone, sun and age spots, flaking and irritation, as well as the flare-up of some chronic conditions.”

 There’s no need to completely overhaul your daily routine. Simply make some minor adjustments.

 “Three things that everyone should do to protect their skin in the autumn include drinking lots of water to remain hydrated, applying moisturizer before going outside to give it time to be absorbed and, importantly, continuing to use a sunscreen with an SPF of at least 15.”

 Stores like Whole Foods Market have a wide array of natural and organic skin-care lines.

Suffering from dry, chapped and/or scaly summer feet and hands?

How about a “Southern Secret”: a pink lemonade aromatherapy soak, exfoliating key lime scrub, hydrating lavender paraffin wrap and berry fusion mois­turizer massage?

That’s just one of the pampering treatments available at Recess, a completely green nail spa in Los Angeles.

Nail technicians use products featuring hand-blended organic ingredients that are free of formaldehyde, parabens and dyes.

Only metal instruments are used (and promptly autoclaved), and foot files, buffers and orangewood sticks are never reused. Nail polish is toluene-free.

New customers can enjoy a $50 Basic Manicure/Pedicure Special. The salon will eventually launch an online store for product purchases.

Location: 8408-B Beverly Blvd. (east of La Cienega)

Phone: (323) 782-9919

DIY Beauty Treatments

If you’re outside the L.A. area, try some of our soothing DIY treatments, including Bedtime Piña Colada Callus Treatment and Don’t Sweat It! Foot Spa.

Typically, the iconic department store’s off-the-rack offerings bore me to tears when it comes to gift shopping.

But when I found out that Farmaesthetics is sold at some of the larger Macy’s locales in their ‘Beautiful Planet’ green boutiques, I was thrilled!

Farm Fresh
Ten years ago, Farmaesthetics CEO and owner Brenda Brock was whipping up her all-natural, homemade concoctions in a blender at local farmers’ markets. Today, she’s the owner of the premier green skin care line at Macy’s, which can also be found at luxury spas nationwide.

Lauded in Treehugger’s coveted 2009 BEST of GREEN as their Best Skincare Brand pick, Farmaesthetics use only organic herbal and floral ingredients and no preservatives grown on small American farms. Products include Fine Herbal Cleanser, Eyebright Eye Makeup Remover & Treatment Oil, Nourishing Lavender Milk, Cool Aloe Mist and many more.

So next time you need a gift for someone else – or yourself! – check out Farmaesthetics either online or at Macy’s and support organics, small American farmers and a feel good American Dream!

Via The Herald News

When I wrote about acne in February 2008, some readers were confused about the study I cited, and comments continue to be posted.

As you’ll note in the original article, most dermatologists agree that the foods we eat do not cause acne. Acne develops when our hormones run amok. Consider puberty, when 85% of teenagers contend with their first zits.

Women also notice hormonal shifts as they enter their 30s, 40s and menopause, which can lead to frustrating cases of adult acne—even if they never experienced breakouts during adolescence.

That said, the study did indicate that certain foods can cause flare-ups in patients already suffering from acne. This distinction is extremely important, and it accounts for some of our readers’ confusion.

Foods with a low-glycemic load—fruits, vegetables, fiber, fish and unsaturated fats—are the healthiest choices for acne sufferers (not to mention the rest of us).

Foods with a high-glycemic load—white bread, corn chips, pretzels, doughnuts, waffles and other refined carbohydrates—can exacerbate acne. Excess consumption of high-glycemic foods can also contribute to diabetes.

For a comprehensive list of foods and their glycemic-index scores, click here.

For Your Organic Bookshelf: The G.I. Handbook: How the Glycemic Index Works

source: www.thebittenword.com

In a nutshell, ‘neutraceuticals’ use natural substances with medicinal properties that promote health benefits. These natural ingredients are selected for attributes and properties that are used to treat or prevent a range of diseases, afflictions, or conditions.

Just as the growing neutraceutical industry looks to Mother Nature for these rejuvenating ingredients, so can you!

Your skin needs nutrients, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals to heal it and protect against further damage…here’s just one all-natural DIY remedy towards that end:

Laura Klein’s Minty Green Goodness Toner

This is an excellent post-facial mint toner. It’s ideal for normal to oily skin, removing left-over residue, closing pores and restoring balance to the skin.

Healing Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon of loose organic peppermint tea (you can use a tea bag if you can’t find loose tea)
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1/4 cup witch hazel
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 5-10 drops of your choice of essential oil

Additional Tools:

1 spray bottle, 10 oz or bigger; or 10 oz screw top for application with a cotton ball

How To:

Place tea bags in a medium size bowl. Bring water to a boil. Pour hot water over tea leaves and steep for 15 minutes until cool. Strain tea into your glass jar. Add witch hazel and lemon juice. Shake to combine.

Apply after cleansing with an organic cotton ball or if using a spray bottle, mist face and décolleté.

Say goodbye to pricey, over the counter ‘neutraceuticals’ – start making your own — at home — today!

When I started my quest for organic and chemical free skin care I started the search at my local grocery store which happens to be Whole Foods. I went and spoke to their helpful staff and gave them my ideal profile for a skin care line, again chemical free and organic. By the way, I did this on a number of different occasions at different Whole Foods stores, with different staff in and around my city.

Almost every time I was immediately directed to two skin care lines: Aubrey® Organics and Dr. Hauschka Skin Care. As I ran out of personal products like, make-up, shampoo, conditioner, lotion, soap etc., I started replacing them with products from each line.

I started with Aubrey® Organics Rosa Mosqueta® Rose Hip Moisturizing Cream. I also decided to try their Aloe Essence™ hair care line. All of their products work well; you just need to find out which one is appropriate for your skin type and body chemistry. When using the shampoo I found that I needed to sometimes wash my hair two times for it to become real clean. I however have long hair and you may not need to do this. The Aubrey® Organics line is the most affordable of the product lines I tried at about $15 for their face cream and $8.50 for their shampoo. Additionally their sunscreens are great for summer and they don’t have all of the chemicals. Their Titania Full Spectrum Sunblock SPF 25 is what I used for my fair sensitive skin and it works wonders!

I then moved on to Dr. Hauschka’s Skin Care line and began using their Translucent Make-up, loose Face Powder, Cleansing Milk and Eye Contour Day Cream. I loved all of the products I tried. They work and feel amazing on the skin. The only thing about the line is that it has a high price point. The Cleansing Milk runs about $30 for one bottle. The Eye Contour Day Cream runs about $38. You can see this is not a cheap line. I also tried their Sunscreen Cream SPF 20 which worked great on my sensitive skin.

The third line that I tried is Jurlique. This is an incredible line as well. I did not find this at Whole Foods. I found it through other means of research. It however is pricey like Dr. Hauschka. In fact Jurlique was started by one of Dr. Hauschka’s protégés. All of the herbs are grown organically and biodynamically on the Jurlique herb farm in South Australia. I tried their Day Care Face Cream at about $34 and the Herbal Recovery Gel which is absolutely amazing. It sells for about $67. It is expensive but probably worth it. It even smells like fresh herbs and essential oils.

Depending on your budget and your skin type, I would recommend all of these products. They all work. It just comes down to personal preference.

Another recommendation for healthy skin: drink at least eight glasses of water per day. Doing this will actually help diminish the fine lines around your face and tighten your skin. I have also tried using organic olive oil on my face and virgin coconut oil. Both are great for keeping the skin supple and soft.

If you would like to learn more about what untested chemicals are in conventional personal and household products, check out the Environmental Working Group’s website at: www.ewg.org. You can also check out Aubrey® Organics list of 10 ingredients to avoid at: Aubrey® Organics.com .

Happy and healthy organic living!

Kind regards,

Laura Lynn Klein
Publisher/Editor
www.OrganicAuthority.com