Dr. Mercola February 09 2008 74,693 views
In less than a decade, the average bra size in Britain has increased from a 34B to a 36C. A quarter of all bras sold are a D cup or above, which is double the number sold three years ago, and the range of standard bra sizes now end at K instead of G.
There are a number of reasons for the increase, including obesity and environmental factors. One possible cause is the increased presence of xeno-estrogens, chemicals which mimic the effect of estrogen and are fat-soluble, which means they store themselves in your body. Xeno-estrogens are found in many places, including cosmetics such as lipstick.
The female breast contains cells called estrogen receptors which are stimulated by the presence of estrogen (or xeno-estrogens) into producing more mammary tissue. It is possible that stimulating these cells artificially after menopause, when natural estrogen levels drop, could contribute to breast cancer.
There are so many potential reasons for earlier onset of puberty and increased breast sizes (both in men and women), it would be a bit naïve to peg the problem solely onto cosmetics in general, or lipsticks in particular.
Potential reasons for this phenomenon include, but are not necessarily limited to these varying factors:
The Not-So-Pretty Picture of Beauty Products
However, cosmetics can, and most assuredly do have inherent health risks that cannot be ignored.
A more pressing problem with lipsticks would be the fact that more than 60 percent of 33 name-brand lipsticks tested in September 2007 were found to contain surprisingly high levels of lead. One-third of the lipsticks had more lead than the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s 0.1 ppm limit for lead in candy.
Considering the fact that putting chemicals on your skin is far worse than ingesting them, this is surely of concern. The average woman actually absorbs about five pounds of toxic chemicals per year from the use of toiletries and beauty products, most of which go directly to your delicate organs.
Therefore, women who apply lipstick several times a day could easily be ingesting high amounts of lead over the course of their lifetime, along with any number of other unknown chemical additives.
The Search for Beauty Often Comes With a Risky Price TagPersonal care products are a $50-billion industry in the United States, yet the U.S. government doesn't require any mandatory testing for these products before they hit store shelves.
Instead, independent organizations have taken on the task of unearthing the truth about what you’re slathering on your body, with less than comforting results. The following toxic chemicals have been found in your shampoo, mascara, perfume, lotion, and other personal care products:
How to Primp Without WorriesWhen it comes to personal care products, I like to use this rule -- If you can’t eat it, don’t put it on your body.That said, there are many natural personal care products out there, not only in health food stores (although you still have to search through natural store offerings to find the purest items they carry), but in your own kitchen.Coconut oil, for instance, makes a great moisturizer for your skin, and you can use olive oil to deep condition your hair. As for deodorant or antiperspirant, I recommend ditching the commercial varieties and using plain soap and water to keep your underarms clean -- it works, and you don’t have to worry about absorbing any chemicals.I know many people are loyal to their favorite brands of toiletries, but I urge you to check out the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep report. It allows you to review the safety of the products you use. It can be an eye-opener, and give you just the motivation you need to switch over to safe personal care products for you and your family.Last but not least, I am proud to report that my team has been researching this topic extensively during the past year, and we are very close to launching one of the best skin care product lines out there. It is truly effective, has absolutely no synthetic ingredients, and is packaged in brown glass bottles.
Lavender products? What does that mean? A bunch of chemicals with a teensy eensy bit of lavender fragrance oil thrown in to enable the clever marketing person to suck in a bunch of gullible consumers: "if it's lavender it must be natural and relaxing".
I've heard of this before and I'd be very surprised if these products:
A). Contained genuine lavender essential oil and not a synthetic fragrance
B). Didn't contain any other gender bending chemicals.
Volatile or essential oils are extremely.....well......volatile. They tend to evaporate into the atmosphere unless you also include other essential oils with skin irritant properties to enhance absorption.
I'm very sus of these claims about lavender.
Sarah
interesting, then would it make my flatter-than-pancake boobs grow?? Does anybody know what does, I mean besides the artificial stuff...none of those herbal remedies worked for me...hmmmm maybe lavender baths..
Islander, who writes this stuff? Dr. Mercola! I just finished reading the Daily Mail article and I had to search to find this silly lipstick reference. I suppose he is sensationalizing to get attention. But the actual article that this is referencing was not so ludricrous to blame it on lipstick--the article offered all types of potential causes.
Like Dr. Mercola said it would be a bit naïve to peg the problem solely onto cosmetics in general, or lipsticks in particular. One needs to do there homework!
For about 30 years, I went to a church where the women wore no makeup. I think the women there looked noticably younger than women that do wear cosmetics. There skin was smoother with fewer wrinkles. They also had very few age spots. I wear some myself, but very little because of what I observed in those women.
I've seen women who never wore makeup as part of a religion and it is true, even though they may have several children, their skin looks amazing and they look so young.
I think all the junk companies and salons try to sell us to help with wrinkles, etc really just makes it worse.
That said, my Mom is in her 70s and might actually have fewer wrinkles and better skin than me, seriously. She always wears a little make up. I think there is a genetic component but most importantly, she never eats sugar and exercises every day. She was raised on real milk and eggs from free chickens, skin-on chicken, etc. They couldn't afford sugar and flour growing up.
I read an article in the late '70's that said the cosmetics trade association had commissioned a study of women broken down by occupation to see who had the best skin. Turned out it was nuns, who wore no cosmetics at all. I ditched mine a long time ago. I don't mind my wrinkles--I earned them honestly!
maybe this could be because they had an inner peace ?
Well, I stopped wearing make up when I was about 15. Maybe that is why I have such a small cup size... LOL
I am using this forum for the first time. What is the difference between the green and the blue background? I want to say to rjskater, that taking vitamin E and wheat germ (because it contains vit E) can increase the breast size naturally. My breast size went from 36C to 36D after taking vit.E for some time for some health reasons. My friend had the same experience. Also long time ago an old friend learnd this about wheat germ and vit.E in the cosmetic school.