Unwanted Guests, The Absorption Issue.

It’s harder to kick them out than it is to let them in.

By now we’re all pretty close to 100% convinced that our skin does in fact absorb a lot of what we put on it. If it weren’t so, there wouldn’t be transdermal birth control or the ability to get your nicotine in that nifty little patch you attach to your arm. This seems like a fairly basic no brainer, as in.. if it’s toxic make sure you keep it off your skin, but oddly enough there is still a large selection of cosmetic products containing controversial ingredients labeled safe to use. One such product is, you guessed it.. antiperspirants.  There are still too many online sources claiming antiperspirants to be perfectly safe, some even saying that the ingredients in them can’t be absorbed through the skin, so we decided to look closer at some findings on the actual absorption of these ingredients in one of the most absorbable areas on our bodies… them pits.

We scoured the online scientific community commonly known as PubMed and here is what we found in the archives. The human body absorbs up to .012% (4mcg) of Aluminum Chlorohydrate/Chloride in a single underarm application, and even more when it’s applied to stripped skin a.k.a broken or shaved. That may not seem like much, but another study published in 2017 found that aluminum does indeed accumulate in the body over time… in breast tissue. They found that the highest percentage of accumulated aluminum was discovered in the upper outer quadrant of breast tissue in BC patients confirming previous studies with the same findings that had been dismissed. Interestingly, the highest concentrations of aluminum in BC tissue were discovered in patients who had reported frequent use (more than once daily) of underarm cosmetics before the age of 30. We’re not horrible at math and in this case, it’s simple addition; underarm use of ACH + frequent long term use = accumulated aluminum in breast cancer tissue, also = a very possible significant risk factor. 

Our conclusion? The absorption is real and lifetime use starting at a young age increases your chances of detrimental aluminum exposure. There are some guests you just shouldn’t invite inside in the first place.