Are Mineral Oil Products Safe and Effective for Dry Skin Treatment?
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Although mineral oil is used liberally in many body-care products, it has been surrounded by controversy for decades. Some reputable sources say it is extremely dangerous and should never be used on the body, while others say it is safe, natural, healthy, and should be used
liberally.
How are you supposed to know whether it’s good for you or not? Understanding how your skin function and structure dictates the best dry skin treatment, and gaining an understanding what mineral oil is and does, will give you the answer.
Mineral oil is a by-product of the distillation process that turns petroleum into gasoline. It has many industrial uses, including as a cutting fluid, a lubricating oil, a coolant, a preservative on utensils and wood cutting boards, a sealer for soapstone countertops, and as a cleaner and solvent for inks in fine art printmaking – to name a few.
One of the reasons it has become popular as a skin care product is that it forms a film over the skin that prevents the skin from contacting or absorbing anything in the environment. For example, it’s best to keep a rash dry, and mineral oil helps prevent the absorption of water.
Another popular use is in bath oils. In this case, it supposedly keeps moisture locked in, and makes the skin feel smooth. Since dry skin generally feels rough and flaky, the assumption is that if the skin feels smooth, then it is moist.
The hole in these theories is that mineral oil doesn’t allow the skin to ‘breathe’. While it may keep moisture in, it also prevents the body from absorbing oxygen and from eliminating toxins and other waste products – both of which are such vital bodily processes that their malfunction could create dry skin, and many other unhealthy conditions.
So, the skin problem is not being treated, it’s being masked, and possibly even worsened. This will quickly be obvious once you stop using the products, and find that the skin problems immediately reappear.
The solution is to use a product that locks in moisture and forms a protective barrier against environmental toxins, without leaving a greasy or oily film that prevents the body from absorbing oxygen and eliminating wastes – which is how a shielding lotion works. For that reason, thousands of doctors are now recommending a good instead of mineral oil products to help rashes and other dry skin conditions.
About the author:
Author, Gloria MacTaggart, is a freelance writer who contributes articles on skin care for 21st Century Formulations. For more information, visit www.skinmdnatural.com.