Are OTC Ointments, Lotions, Gels, and Creams Creating a Toxic Nightmare?

We all do it without any real conscious thought of it. Everyday, we rub as many as 175 to 200 different chemicals into our skin. Over the counter (OTC) creams and salves with such ingredients as hydrocortisone, methyl salicylate, and lidocane may be putting you at risk. The thought is if it is available without a prescription, surely there can't be anything in them that will hurt us. Right? So to soothe an aching muscle, or relieve vaginal itch, or halt the discomfort of a bug bite we slather on creams, gels, and lotions, everyday, all day. Wrong! Too much can be bad for you.

We have all read stories in the news lately of individuals who suddenly died and upon closer examination it is discovered an over the counter product was the proximate cause. But surely, those were extreme situation we think. It is closer than you think; potential hazards are lurking right around you and me. Our skin serves as our protection barrier and insulates us against the many external hazards we encounter in our daily travels and it does a good job at it. However, our skin is also porous, which means things can penetrate it. Sometimes that is a good thing and sometimes it is a bad thing.

The accumulated affect of numerous years of slathering gels, lotions, and creams on to the skin and the countless chemicals they contain leeching into our systems is when the porosity of our skin becomes a problem. The mentality of thought that, "if a little bit is good, then a lot should work even better," worsen the potential harm we can cause ourselves when applying these over the counter toiletries, salves, and ointments. Through continuous use, unexplained allergy's, mysterious illnesses, rashes, comas, and even death can occur when the wrong combination of chemicals is introduced into your system in too high of a concentration.

Here is a list of the 14 most common active ingredients used to make many of the over the counter creams, gels, and lotions Americans use every day. Some of them have been mentioned in news stories recently as being the proximate cause of a number of deaths. In those situations, misuse was a prime factor contributing to the death of each individual, but aren't all over the counter products suppose to be safe?

The 14 common active ingredients are; Bacitracin, Betaine, Benzocaine, Dihydroxyacetone (DHA), Estrogen, Glycolic Acid, Hydrocortisone, Hydroquinone, Lidocaine, Methyl Salicylate, Neomycin, Paraphenylanadiamine (PPD), Tetracaine, and Vitamin A. All are FDA approved for over the counter product use and all have potential lethal side effects.

Our skin is our protective barrier, but its porousness can create a liability for its owner if they are not careful about what, the frequency, and the amount of topical ointments, lotions, gels, and creams they apply to it. They can create a toxic shock nightmare. Be careful, read the label and information pamphlet, follow the directions, ask questions, talk to your doctor, apply it correctly to the correct place, and do not cover the area where you applied it. Know what you are putting on your skin. It could be a matter of life and death.

Don't Rub It In - Health Magazine, January 2009