Is it possible to absorb calories through skin

This becomes especially important in relation to skincare that contains potentially unhealthy compounds and puts people with skin problems — like acne, eczema, and psoriasis — at additional risk of potential side effects. Not all ingredients may make it into the bloodstream but the toxic body burden is very real. Research shows chemical sunscreen and triclosan in A study found 16 hormone-altering cosmetics chemicals in teen girls tested and an astounding chemicals in the umbilical cord blood of 10 newborn babies.

The skin is an organ designed to protect the body and act as a barrier to, among other things, toxins. Some of the chemical ingredients that penetrate come into contact with natural enzymes in the skin that can either activate, deactivate, or alter the chemical into a new compound. And then there are ingredients that enhance the chances of other ingredient penetrability, appropriately known as penetration enhancers.

These ingredients penetrate the skin and decrease barrier resistance, allowing other ingredients to enter along with them. Penetration enhancers are commonly used for transdermal medication delivery but be aware that they are also widespread in cosmetics.

This may seem like a good thing when we are thinking of desirable active ingredients like antioxidants, but synthetics that may irritate your skin or increase your body burden can also be carried in further and at greater amounts due to penetration enhancers.

One type of ingredient that is most likely to absorb into skin is the scent. Natural essential oils and synthetic fragrances are small, oil based molecules and that makes them easy to absorb into skin. This makes the scent of your skincare product something to really think about because that scent is ending up in your bloodstream. Oils of any kind have a much higher chance of absorbing into skin versus water based ingredients because they can go through the intercellular matrix or through the follicular route.

In one study on skin absorption of natural oils safflower and coconut oils were used to massage newborn babies four times a day for five days. At the end of the study the blood samples taken from the babies showed that the group that was massaged with safflower oil had higher levels of unsaturated fatty acids in their bloodstream.

The group that received coconut oil had higher levels of saturated fats in their blood. The skin of babies is extra thin, but this shows how much oils do absorb into skin.

No additional penetration enhancers were used, just plain oils. That should make you think a little more about the quality of the oils you put on your skin! Wondering at what molecule size skin penetration is most likely? The Dalton Rule is a good principle to stick by.

Chemicals that absorb into skin through cells are generally under Dalton. Both beneficial and irritating ingredients can have a molecule size less than Dalton.

Which chemical compounds in your skin care should penetrate skin and which should simply condition the surface is something cosmetic chemists should be thinking about in formulating recipes to make an effective skin care product. Safety is the big concern with skin absorption. For one example skin brightening ascorbyl palmitate has a molecular weight of The choice of ingredient really does affect if you'll get what you pay for from your skincare.

Allantoin found in comfrey and chamomile — Caffeic acid found in yerba mate — Gentisic acid found in gentian root — Salidroside and Rosavin two types of active compounds found in rhodiola - Sign Up. Support science journalism.

Knowledge awaits. See Subscription Options Already a subscriber? Create Account See Subscription Options. Show 2 more comments. Active Oldest Votes. Improve this answer. Monkey Tuesday Monkey Tuesday The skin doesn't absorb vitamin D; it absorbs sunlight, and uses that to create vitamin D — BlueRaja - Danny Pflughoeft. Nobody mentioned macromolecules such as fatty acids though the mention of face products does suggest this.

But humans do absorb calories through their skin. Konrad I found it interesting and thought it seemed to be what the question was getting at I took "calories" to imply "calorically dense substances" , because of the way he mentioned face cream as you noted. Add a comment. Featured on Meta. Now live: A fully responsive profile. Related Hot Network Questions. Question feed. There have been cases of pre-pubertal boys using products with lavender and tea tree oil topically and they had lower levels of sex steroids in their blood and breast enlargement, which resolved with discontinuation of the essential oil-containing products [ 3 ].

Some oils are likely to be more helpful or harmful than others. Coconut oil, for example, has been shown to have antibacterial, antifungal, and moisturizing properties. Course dates are approaching fast! Sign up today for the Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate. Copyright Center for Nutrition Studies. All rights reserved. In a few short weeks arm yourself with the knowledge you need to improve your overall health, learn new skills, or even inspire a career change.

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